SB 241-UNIV. REPORT: TEACHER TRAINING/RETENTION  CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced consideration of SB 241. 8:01:49 AM SENATOR DONALD OLSON moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) for SB 241, labeled 25-LS1346\E, Mischel, as the working document. There being no objection, the motion carried. TIM LAMKIN, staff to Senator Stevens, sponsor of SB 241, presented the changes to SB 241. He said that Section 1 specifies the Regents shall present to the committee with jurisdiction over education. Language was also changed to th [require that the annual report] be presented by the 30 legislative day, which would also accommodate the regents' schedule. In Section 2, page 2, lines 2-12 would make the reports biannual beginning in 2012. The effective date is in Section 5. 8:04:16 AM SENATOR WILKEN said the changes are good and he is very supportive of the legislation, but highlighted page 1, line 7, "Regents shall prepare and present," and said the request to the drafter was to have the Regents "present in person." The drafter explained that is not something they put into legislation, although that is the intent. He said with Senator Olson's permission, he would like to make it clear on the record that it is indeed the intent of the bill to have them present [the report] in person. CHAIR STEVENS underlined that is what the drafter indicated. MR. LAMKIN clarified that it was written this way because the language reads "the Board of Regents shall prepare and present" and members of the administration are not regents. CHAIR STEVENS asked if the drafters are comfortable that this means it will be an eye-to-eye meeting with the Regents. MR. LAMKIN said that is correct and added that they had a Regent, Pat Jacobson, in the audience who would be happy to answer questions. 8:06:07 AM PAT JACOBSON, Regent, University of Alaska, Kodiak, AK, said she is a retired teacher and is now on the school board and the Board of Regents. She said she can speak for the Regents and the University in saying that they support this concept and are glad the legislators do too. She was looking forward to the opportunity they would have in the future to meet face-to-face. CHAIR STEVENS said he is happy to see Kodiak represented on the Board of Regents in the person of herself and others. 8:08:06 AM SENATOR DAVIS joined the meeting. SENATOR WILKEN said he thinks there is a real disconnect between the legislature and the regents. The regents are responsible for running a billion-dollar corporation and the legislature, acting as the bank, has a lot to do with that corporation. He said he thinks it takes more than an afternoon once a year and that they need to improve communication between the University and the legislature. MS JACOBSON said she appreciates Senator Wilken's comments. 8:10:57 AM SENATOR OLSON moved to report CSSB 241, referred to as Version \E, from committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection the motion carried.