SB  19-EXTEND SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE AGENCY                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:02:09 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR HOLLAND announced  the consideration of SENATE  BILL NO. 19                                                               
"An  Act  extending the  special  education  service agency;  and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He  stated  his intent  to  adopt  a committee  substitute,  take                                                               
public  testimony, and  move the  bill to  the next  committee of                                                               
referral. He solicited a motion.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:02:25 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS moved to adopt  the proposed committee substitute                                                               
(CS) for SB 19, work order 32-LS0201\B, as the working document.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:02:33 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR HOLLAND objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:02:43 AM                                                                                                                    
ED KING, Staff, Senator Roger  Holland, Alaska State Legislature,                                                               
Juneau, Alaska,  said the committee  substitute makes  one change                                                               
on line 5.  It changes the date  from June 30, 2028,  to June 30,                                                               
2029. That is the maximum extension allowed under AS 44.66.101.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:03:12 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  HOLLAND  removed his  objection.  There  being no  further                                                               
objection, Version B  was before the committee.  He opened public                                                               
testimony on SB 19.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:03:54 AM                                                                                                                    
KATIE  BOTZ, representing  self, Juneau,  Alaska, said  that when                                                               
she was a girl being raised  in Kodiak, her family found out that                                                               
she is  hearing impaired.  She is profoundly  deaf. She  needed a                                                               
lot of  speech therapy in school  in order to enunciate.  For the                                                               
longest  time  no   one  but  her  parents   and  teachers  could                                                               
understand  her. She  spent years  in speech  therapy and  became                                                               
discouraged and  wanted to  quit, but  her speech  therapist with                                                               
the  Special Education  Service  Agency  (SESA) kept  encouraging                                                               
her. She encouraged  the committee to pass SB 19  and extend SESA                                                               
so  that kids  can  have a  bright future  and  maybe they  might                                                               
testify in front of legislators when they are old enough.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:06:23 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MICCICHE  commented that it  was a pleasure to  hear from                                                               
Ms. Botz. She is an amazing young woman.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:06:37 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  HUGHES added  that she  is glad  that Ms.  Botz made  it                                                               
through  speech therapy  because her  voice is  important in  the                                                               
legislative process.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:07:06 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR HOLLAND  closed public testimony  on SB 19. He  solicited a                                                               
motion.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:07:28 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS moved to report the  CS for SB 19, work order 32-                                                               
LS0201\B,  with individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOLLAND found objection and  CSSB 19(EDC) was reported from                                                               
the Senate Education Standing Committee.