1:48:19 PM CHAIR REINBOLD announced that the final order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 11, "An Act relating to temporary courtesy licenses for certain nonresident professionals; and relating to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development." 1:48:31 PM SENATOR SCOTT KAWASAKI, Alaska State Legislature, as sponsor of SB 11, stated he briefly spoke at the last meeting. He stated that Senator Costello has previously sponsored legislation to address this important issue for military spouses and their families. He said that over 9,000 servicemen and women serve in Fairbanks. He anticipated an additional 4,000 members will move to his region with the F35s. He said that of the 10,000 military at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, over 5,000 are spouses. He said that these spouses work in important professions and certificated programs. He would like them to be able to perform their duties without any barriers. He has been working closely with the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED) and other legislators in the last few years to ensure that can happen. He related that former Representative Bill Thomas originally introduced a bill in 2011 to expedite courtesy licenses. The bill has evolved and last year it passed the House unanimously. He said he appreciated the work that Senator Costello, as Co-Chair of the Joint Armed Services, did on the bill; however, it did not pass in the final days of the legislative session. He said that SB 11 is the exact language in House Bill 28 in the last legislature. He said this bill is pro- military, pro-jobs, and pro-economy. 1:50:34 PM MERCEDES COLBERT, Staff, Senator Scott Kawasaki, Alaska State Legislature, introduced SB 11 on behalf of the sponsor, Senator Scott Kawasaki. She paraphrased from a prepared statement, which read as follows: Senate Bill 11 would require Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development to report on the progress of drafting and implementing regulations for temporary courtesy occupational licenses for eligible military spouses. In 2011, House Bill 28 was passed to help ease the transition for military families as they transferred to Alaska. AS 08.01.063 provides expedited temporary courtesy licenses to eligible spouses of Active Duty Service members who already hold a license in another state. In the fall of 2017, Fairbanks business leaders and legislators found that despite a series of nationwide legislations, military families were still having difficulties transitioning throughout many states, including Alaska, particularly regarding obtaining occupational licenses. This issue was reiterated in the November 2017, Updated Preliminary Findings of the Eielson Air Force Base Regional Growth Plan. As a part of the study, Focus Groups were conducted among military families to discover what challenges they may face when relocating to Alaska to serve. One of the comments featured in these findings, was "Anyone who has a license in a different state is required to get a new license or certification in Alaska. This is a challenge." The point of HB 28 was to reduce this same sort of challenge back in 2011, so the fact that one persists shows that there is still some area for improvement. After the University of Minnesota study, DoD published a document entitled "Evaluation of Licensure Implementation Best Practices," which was provided to members, and featured two examples of legislation regarding occupational licensing for military spouses from Connecticut and Washington. [DOD presents about this] The main difference between these and HB 28 from 2011, is that Washington and Connecticut's versions include and set requirements for a report that is to be presented to their variation of a Joint Armed Services Committee. SB 11, the one you are hearing today is directly modeled off these bills. Then-Rep. Kawasaki introduced HB 262 in 2018, which passed the House unanimously and earned bipartisan support in the Senate before it got stalled at the end of session. In 2017, of 13,396 Occupational License Applications, fewer than 35 were received for the Military Spouse Request for Expedited Application. With more than 20,000 active duty personnel in Alaska and about half of them here with spouses, this very low number seems to reflect a lack of communication about the program at several levels. As DOD notes, they found some board staff were not even aware of this opportunity afforded by the 2011 legislation. Some boards are more aware, further along with implementation than others. 1:53:59 PM With fewer than 35 temporary courtesy licenses provided that year, yet with thousands of military spouses in the state, it seems there may be a lost opportunity for military families to take advantage of this program that gets them to work quickly and contributing to the local economy. In Fairbanks, we expect 800-1000 spouses to arrive steadily over the next 10 years alongside more than 1400 direct employees and personnel associated with F- 35 platform. As a Senator of a district where many will be living, we want to ensure spouses are afforded as much information as possible about opportunities available to them. Simply put, by requiring the department to issue a report on military spouse occupational licensure, SB 11 would help facilitate communication between the boards, DCCED, Dept of Defense and military community, and would help keep the legislature informed as to any continual challenges or room for improvement. It took 7 years for lack of reporting to show there was an issue or shortcoming that could have been provided if a reporting requirement was included in the original bill in 2011. We appreciate the communication by the Division of Licensing since then, in coordination with the Dept of Defense, which we believe was a result of introducing this legislation last year. We hope to keep this going by passing this bill to improve the program. 1:54:24 PM What the Bill Does:  Report would include: - Expedited application procedures - Progress made for implementing regulations, changes to regulations made to accommodate the needs of military spouses, and any plans for future regulations - Provide the number and type of the licenses that have been issued - Provide update about the Department's efforts to inform each board authorized to issue these licenses and how they are working with the military community about informing military spouses they may apply for temporary expedited occupational licenses - The department shall annually produce and distribute to each board authorized to issue these licenses informational materials to improve the board's knowledge of the licenses, the application process, and best practices in providing applicant support. - Encourages the designation for a single employee to serve as Point of contact for public information and inquires related to temporary courtesy licenses (which from what the Dept. has said, will be dept. Director Sarah Chambers). Report would be submitted to JASC on or before March 1 each year, ahead of the annual meeting during session. Department shall consolidate two most recent reports and submit biennial report to legislature on or before March 1 during first regular session. 1:55:46 PM WHY JASC? JASC acts as a liaison between military installations and the state, ensuring Alaskans are aware of military missions while reaching out to those who serve the nation here in Alaska. JASC members typically represent areas of the state in or near where military installations are located, where many active duty service members live with their families. The more information available to JASC members, the better military families may be served in return by state lawmakers. The report would be publicly available, which would help legislators, military community, boards and DOD communicate and coordinate, so spouses are aware of opportunities available to them as they relocate to Alaska in service to the nation. 1:56:18 PM SENATOR BIRCH thanked her for the background. He pointed out that licensure is about public safety. He said he is supportive of this bill. He said engineering uses reciprocity to practice in other states. He asked who ensures the licensure has a reciprocal jurisdiction. 1:57:14 PM MS. COLBERT deferred the question to the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED). 1:57:37 PM SARA CHAMBERS, Deputy Director, Juneau Office, Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED), stated that the department supports SB 11. It will not change any of the licensing procedures. She said that the department already expedites military spouse licenses and has established credentialing and reciprocity provisions for licensure for most professions. She said that the department continually looks for ways to improve. For example, the department has drafted a bill it hopes will be introduced in the next few weeks that would offer a temporary license for all licenses. She explained that the bill would bypass the board, which is often the holdup. She offered her belief that this bill is a good way to hold the division accountable. 1:59:11 PM SENATOR BISHOP asked whether this bill relates more to accountability and how well the department is performing. MS. COLBERT answered yes, that is pretty much how it is framed. 1:59:28 PM SENATOR BISHOP asked whether he knew how many reciprocity agreements the state has with other states on occupational licensing. MS. CHAMBERS answered that there are very few national reciprocity agreements, otherwise known as licensure compacts. She said Alaska does not have any, that the state has its own licensure by credentials that says if a licensee holds a license in another state or jurisdiction, that Alaska will make the requirements a little less onerous than if the person is seeking initial licensure. She indicated that licensure compacts are rare and the medical and nursing boards have been discussing it. However, the legislature has not yet adopted licensure compact legislation. 2:00:19 PM SENATOR COSTELLO thanked the sponsor's staff. She said expedited licensure for spouses is a great way to support our military families. She said these professionals give back to our communities. She asked whether she knew how much faster the expedited licensure process will be for military spouses. MS. CHAMBERS said that it would depend on the license type. She indicated that it could even slow the process down since it would treat the licensee differently. She said the department is working on ways to streamline the process. 2:01:44 PM SENATOR COSTELLO asked for information on the top ten licenses in Alaska and the timeframe for license approval for each one. MS. CHAMBERS asked whether this was from the time somebody applies or when they complete the application. SENATOR COSTELLO clarified that she meant from the time the applicant contacts the department to the time they have the license in hand. MS. CHAMBERS offered to provide an overview to the committee that would provide a sense of the different timelines. 2:03:03 PM CHAIR REINBOLD remarked that she cosponsored the bill last year. She said that her district represents Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson (JBER), and this is an important issue to her constituents. She related her personal experiences living in Norway and problems she encountered. 2:04:55 PM SENATOR BIRCH expressed his willingness to move the bill. 2:05:27 PM CHAIR REINBOLD opened public testimony, and after ascertaining no one wished to testify, closed public testimony on SB 11. SB 11 was held in committee.