HB  55-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:07:03 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ALLARD  announced the final  order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 55,  "An Act relating  to allocations  of funding                                                               
for the Alaska  Workforce Investment Board; and  providing for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:07:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 8:07 a.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:07:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ALLARD opened public testimony on HB 55.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:08:10 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHARLES EDWARDSON, Director, Generations  Southeast, said that in                                                               
the Southeast, Alaskans  had waited 20 years to be  heard on this                                                               
issue.  Prince of Wales Island,  he explained, is an economic hub                                                               
which  has a  state-sponsored regional  training center  that was                                                               
completed  in 2014  through the  capital appropriations  process.                                                               
He said it  has been very taxing  on the community to  keep it up                                                               
and  running,   and  the  opportunity   to  get   into  technical                                                               
vocational  education program  (TVEP) funding  has not  presented                                                               
itself because  of the reauthorization  process.  He  opined that                                                               
reauthorizing  it now,  considering  the audit,  would not  serve                                                               
Alaska well.   He  stated that  he supported  reauthorization but                                                               
with amendments.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:11:07 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE  referred to  Mr. Edwardson's  statement about                                                               
waiting 20  years to  speak to  the issue  and asked  whether his                                                               
organization was currently receiving funds under this program.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. EDWARDSON responded  that there had been an  awareness of the                                                               
funding,  and although  they are  not looking  for full  support,                                                               
they are just looking to "come  alongside" the rest of the state.                                                               
He  said  representatives  come and  go  through  elections,  and                                                               
sometimes,   unintentionally  perhaps,   Southeast  Alaska   gets                                                               
overlooked.  Through a competitive  bid process, he said he hoped                                                               
for the opportunity  for Generations Southeast to  be included in                                                               
the bid.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:13:56 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  RUFFRIDGE sought  clarity as  to what  the name  of the                                                               
center was.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. EDWARDSON  replied it was  previously known as the  Prince of                                                               
Wales  Vocational and  Technical Education  Center, now  known as                                                               
Generations Southeast, and that it is a hub.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  RUFFRIDGE   asked  for  a  brief   description  of  the                                                               
technical  and   vocational  educational  opportunities   at  the                                                               
facility.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. EDWARDSON  responded that  training is  tailored specifically                                                               
around  the  industries   coming  up  in  the   region,  such  as                                                               
mariculture, kelp farming, and  commercial driver's license (CDL)                                                               
programs,  to name  a few.   He  pointed out  that the  region is                                                               
accessible to Ketchikan, Wrangell,  Petersburg, and many Southern                                                               
Southeast  regions in  general.   He  further explained  programs                                                               
that  are in  development.   He thanked  the committee  for their                                                               
time and provided his contact information.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:19:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ALLARD,  after ascertaining that  there was no  one else                                                               
who  wished to  testify, closed  public  testimony on  HB 55  and                                                               
announced that HB 55 was held over.