HCR 10-MARITIME WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT  5:14:01 PM CHAIR STUTES announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10 Supporting the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Industry Advisory Committee and further efforts to carry out the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan. 5:14:17 PM REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT moved to adopt CSHCR 10, labeled 29- LS0709\H, Wayne, 4/2/15, as the working document. CHAIR STUTES objected for discussion. 5:14:49 PM ANITA SHOLL, Staff, Representative Louise Stutes, Alaska State Legislature, said that Version H makes a title change to reflect the addition of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and the Alaska Vocational Technical Education Center in Seward. She pointed out that the change includes the supporting language for the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and the Alaska Vocational Technical Education Center in Seward which has been added to the body of the resolution. CHAIR STUTES removed her objection, and without further objection, Version H was before the committee. CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony. 5:15:55 PM GREG PAVELLAS, Co-Chair, Industry Advisory Committee (IAC), said he in representing the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) and the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan, and paraphrased the following statement: This is the first comprehensive effort to understand and address the workforce development needs in Alaska's maritime industry. As defined in the plan, the maritime industry includes seafood harvesters, seafood processers, fisheries research, enhancement in management, marine transportation, ship building and repair, and marine support services. Collectively, this sector in Alaska is the largest private employer with more than 500 firms statewide in a workforce of over 68,000 people. Until now these occupations have not been formally characterized as a unique and related workforce. The plan is a guide and call to action for the private sector, government, education, and workforce development entities to forge a partnership dedicated to building a globally competitive maritime workforce in Alaska. 5:17:21 PM MR. PAVELLAS continued: The goals of the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan are to help sustain and enhance the economy of Alaska and its communities by: (1) developing a responsive workforce that enables the maritime industry to endure as a substantial contributor to the state; (2) guiding Alaska's workforce to discover and prepare for the wide range of employment opportunities in the maritime industry; and (3) increasing the number of Alaskans working in skilled maritime occupations and earning a family wage. Employers surveyed during the development of the plan noted that the number of Alaskans with the necessary skills to fill the available maritime positions is too low to meet the demand. The plan offers a pathway to increase the number of Alaskans working in the high demand, high wage occupations that exist in Alaska's maritime industry. To ensure successful implementation of the plan, a collaboration is being formed between business, industry, local, state and federal governments, and philanthropic foundations, as the collaboration is being modeled on successful economic and workforce development best practices. Through HCR 10 the legislator is encouraging persistence and stating to Alaskans that by working smarter with existing training and educational resources that greater benefits can accrue to the citizens of the maritime industries of our state. The legislature concurs with the goal to drive outcomes that improve maritime related job opportunities for Alaskans while strengthening the economic [benefits] of Alaska's maritime industry. 5:19:42 PM STEVEN ANGASAN, Commercial Fisherman, stated support for HCR 10 and said it is important to encourage and increase the amount of local workers entering the Bristol Bay fishing industry. He expressed there is an alarming statistic within seafood processing that there are 2,289 seafood processing jobs in the Bristol Bay Borough, of which 209 are held by locals, and 2,080 are held by non-locals. He said, "We are part of the original, they used to call it MSIT movement in the beginning," and appreciates that the original training centers will be part of this movement (indisc.) is fisheries jobs training. He thanked the committee for making fisheries a priority in the state. CHAIR STUTES closed public testimony after ascertaining no one further wished to testify. 5:22:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON noted the bill requires a report to the legislature and asked whether it will require a fiscal note. MS. SHOLL responded that the bill carries a zero fiscal note. REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked whether there is a report this can tag onto, because if a report must be generated there will be a cost. MS. SHOLL said she does not have the answer but will get back to the committee. 5:23:44 PM The committee took a brief at ease. 5:23:58 PM ANNA LATHUM, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Labor & Workforce Development, said the department submitted a zero fiscal note as minimal resources will be required to submit the report. REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON encouraged the department, in the future, when minimal work is required to provide a zero fiscal note. 5:24:56 PM REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT moved to report CSHCR 10, labeled 29- LS0709\H, Wayne, 4/2/15, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, CSHCR 10(FSH) moved from the House Special Committee on Fisheries. 5:25:29 PM The committee took an at-ease from 5:25 a.m. to 5:26 a.m.