ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE  April 25, 2022 3:17 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Zack Fields, Co-Chair Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Co-Chair Representative Calvin Schrage Representative Liz Snyder Representative David Nelson Representative Ken McCarty MEMBERS ABSENT  Representative James Kaufman COMMITTEE CALENDAR  SENATE BILL NO. 131(TITLE AM) "An Act relating to the presumption of compensability for a disability resulting from certain cancers in firefighters." - MOVED SB 131(TITLE AM) OUT OF COMMITTEE CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 185(L&C) "An Act relating to exemptions from minimum wage." - MOVED CSSB 185(L&C) OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE BILL NO. 186 "An Act extending the termination date of the Board of Examiners in Optometry; and providing for an effective date." - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE BILL NO. 190(FIN) "An Act extending the termination date of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska; relating to Regulatory Commission of Alaska regulations regarding refuse utilities; relating to the powers and duties of the legislative audit division; and providing for an effective date." - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE BILL NO. 193(FIN) "An Act extending the termination date of the Board of Chiropractic Examiners; requiring a report on audit compliance by the Board of Chiropractic Examiners; and providing for an effective date." - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD HOUSE BILL NO. 405 "An Act relating to the establishment of trusts; requiring the filing of certain trust information; and requiring compliance with a federal law." - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD HOUSE BILL NO. 406 "An Act relating to the validity of trusts involving persons sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury; and relating to the recording of documents conveying land to persons sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury." - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: SB 131 SHORT TITLE: WORKERS' COMP DISABILITY FOR FIREFIGHTERS SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) HOLLAND 04/28/21 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 04/28/21 (S) CRA, L&C 05/06/21 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 05/06/21 (S) Heard & Held 05/06/21 (S) MINUTE(CRA) 05/11/21 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 05/11/21 (S) -- MEETING CANCELED -- 05/13/21 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 05/13/21 (S) Moved SB 131 Out of Committee 05/13/21 (S) MINUTE(CRA) 05/14/21 (S) CRA RPT 2DP 2NR 05/14/21 (S) DP: HUGHES, GRAY-JACKSON 05/14/21 (S) NR: MYERS, WILSON 05/14/21 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 05/14/21 (S) Moved SB 131 Out of Committee 05/14/21 (S) MINUTE(L&C) 05/17/21 (S) L&C RPT 4DP 05/17/21 (S) DP: COSTELLO, MICCICHE, GRAY-JACKSON, STEVENS 05/18/21 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 05/18/21 (S) VERSION: SB 131(TITLE AM) 05/19/21 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 05/19/21 (H) L&C 02/02/22 (H) L&C AT 5:15 PM BARNES 124 02/02/22 (H) Heard & Held 02/02/22 (H) MINUTE(L&C) 04/13/22 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124 04/13/22 (H) Heard & Held 04/13/22 (H) MINUTE(L&C) 04/20/22 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124 04/20/22 (H) Moved HCS SB 131(L&C) Out of Committee 04/20/22 (H) MINUTE(L&C) 04/25/22 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124 BILL: SB 185 SHORT TITLE: ELIMINATE MINIMUM WAGE EXEMPTION SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) MICCICHE 02/08/22 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/08/22 (S) L&C 02/28/22 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 02/28/22 (S) Scheduled but Not Heard 03/14/22 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 03/14/22 (S) Heard & Held 03/14/22 (S) MINUTE(L&C) 03/16/22 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 03/16/22 (S) Moved CSSB 185(L&C) Out of Committee 03/16/22 (S) MINUTE(L&C) 03/18/22 (S) L&C RPT CS 4DP SAME TITLE 03/18/22 (S) DP: COSTELLO, GRAY-JACKSON, STEVENS, MICCICHE 03/21/22 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 03/21/22 (S) VERSION: CSSB 185(L&C) 03/22/22 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/22/22 (H) L&C 04/25/22 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124 WITNESS REGISTER SENATOR MICCICHE Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented CSSB 185(L&C). ACTION NARRATIVE 3:17:55 PM CO-CHAIR IVY SPOHNHOLZ called the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:17 p.m. Representatives Spohnholz, Schrage, Fields, Nelson, McCarty were present at the call to order. Representative Snyder arrived as the meeting was in progress. SB 131-WORKERS' COMP DISABILITY FOR FIREFIGHTERS  3:18:39 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the first order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 131, "An Act relating to the presumption of compensability for a disability resulting from certain diseases for firefighters." 3:19:12 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ explained that the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee intends to rescind action on the bill in order to accommodate an additional fiscal note from the Department of Administration's Division of Risk Management. 3:19:28 PM CO-CHAIR FIELDS moved to rescind the committee's action in reporting HCS SB 131 (L&C) from committee on 4/20/22. There being no objection, HCS SB 131(title am), Version 32-LS0598\I, Marx, 2/23/22, as amended, was before the committee. [Subsequent to the hearing on 4/20/22, the committee asked Legislative Legal Services for a new copy of the proposed House committee substitute (HCS). This copy was called "Version G" and was the same as Version I and heretofore considered the version before the committee without a motion for adoption.] 3:19:44 PM CO-CHAIR FIELDS moved to report HCS SB 131, Version 32-LS0598\G, from committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes "as of April 25, 2022." There being no objection, HCS SB 131(L&C) was reported from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee. SB 185-ELIMINATE MINIMUM WAGE EXEMPTION  3:20:03 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the final order of business would be CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 185(L&C), "An Act relating to exemptions from minimum wage." 3:20:28 PM SENATOR MICCICHE, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, as prime sponsor, presented CSSB 185(L&C). He explained that the bill would repeal language in AS 23.10.070 and shared his understanding that the statute as written seems to indicate that there are "sub-human" workers in Alaska. He expressed that people with disabilities are capable of performing at full capacity at work, and that any language that suggests otherwise should be eradicated. 3:22:04 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ opened public testimony on CSSB 185(L&C). After ascertaining that there was no one who wished to testify, she closed public testimony. 3:22:25 PM CO-CHAIR FIELDS moved to report CSSB 185(L&C) from committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, CSSB 185(L&C) was reported from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee. 3:23:07 PM ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:23 p.m.