SB 159-TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT PROG: CONTRIBUTIONS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:52:17 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  BJORKMAN announced  the consideration  of SENATE  BILL NO.                                                               
159 "An Act  increasing contributions to the  Department of Labor                                                               
and Workforce  Development for the State  Training and Employment                                                               
Program."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:52:41 PM                                                                                                                    
LAURA  ACHEE,   Staff,  Senator  Jesse  Bjorkman,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau,  Alaska,  paraphrased the  following  brief                                                               
recap of SB 159:                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The bill  would redirect  a portion  of the  taxes that                                                                    
     Alaska   workers   already   pay   into   the   state's                                                                    
     unemployment trust  fund to  funding for  technical and                                                                    
     vocational education. Alaska workers  would not see any                                                                    
     change  in the  taxes  they pay,  and the  unemployment                                                                    
     insurance  trust fund  is more  than healthy  enough to                                                                    
     withstand lowering the inflow of revenue.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:53:35 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN opened public testimony on SB 159; finding none,                                                                 
he closed public testimony.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:54:01 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN held SB 159 in committee.