SB 12-MILITARY SPOUSE COURTESY LICENSE  3:42:33 PM CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 12 "An Act relating to temporary courtesy licenses for military spouses; and relating to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development." 3:42:54 PM SENATOR SCOTT KAWASAKI, as sponsor, introduced SB 12 paraphrasing the following sponsor statement: In 2011, House Bill 28 was passed into law to provide expedited temporary courtesy licenses to eligible individuals transferred to Alaska with their active duty service member spouse, so they can practice their trade without experiencing extensive wait times for licensure approval while they complete state requirements. For a military spouse, expedited temporary courtesy licenses are the fastest method of obtaining licensure so they can get to work quickly after relocating to Alaska. Many states have passed similar legislation into law. However, states such as Washington and Connecticut also included a reporting mechanism so the Legislature and Joint Armed Services Committee equivalent in that state could track the executive branch's progress of implementation. HB 28 did not include a reporting requirement when it was passed. Senate Bill 12 would require the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development to prepare an annual report of courtesy licenses issued the previous fiscal year. This simple reporting mechanism will help facilitate communication between occupational boards, the state agency, the U.S. Department of Defense who assists in relocating service members and families, as well as Alaska legislators with service members in their districts. The bill will also aid in making occupational board staff and legislators more aware of what opportunities are available for helping military spouses enter the Alaska the workforce. Other states have implemented a similar expedited licensing program to allow military spouses to transfer their professional credentials quickly and contribute to the local economies. While Alaska's program is a model for other states, its implementation has stalled with few eligible professionals taking advantage of the program and spouses reporting delays despite the program being in effect for eight years. Senate Bill 12 would help identify inefficiencies in the program before they cause delays in productivity and ensure the program is working as intended. Introduced in 2018 as House Bill 262, the bill passed the House unanimously and gained bipartisan support in the Senate before it failed to reach the floor for a vote. The concept of this bill is listed as a priority for the U.S. Department of Defense by the state liaison serving Alaska. The passage of SB 12 would improve communication between state and federal government agencies and active duty families. By improving efficiency and awareness about what opportunities are available, the bill will help welcome military families to Alaska. I respectfully urge your support of SB 12, a corrective bill that will help ease the transition of military families and get more licensed professionals to work in our communities near military installations. [At ease 3:43:42 pm to 3:43:58] 3:45:50 PM SENATOR KAWASAKI summarized that SB 12 is pro-military, pro- economy, pro-jobs, and it ensures that service members and their spouses are treated well when they serve their duty in Alaska. 3:46:15 PM SENATOR HOLLAND asked for confirmation that the bill is solely about occupational licenses. SENATOR KAWASAKI answered yes; the bill is about professional licenses issued through the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED). 3:46:44 PM SENATOR COSTELLO expressed appreciation for the legislation and related that the Labor and Commerce had heard a lot about how long it takes military spouses to receive their licenses even though they are expedited. She related that Sara Chambers has explained that an expedited license means the application is moved to top of the list. She offered her office and the Labor and Commerce Committee's help on this bill and noted that her office was also working with Senator Revak's office on a licensure bill. SENATOR KAWASAKI thanked her for the help and highlighted that the process for all licenses could be streamlined. CHAIR SHOWER offered that as a military spouse his wife, who is a nurse, has been faced with licensure challenges. He offered his understanding that the committee would not take up the sectional analysis. [JOE HAYES] explained that the bill was short and simple and a sectional analysis was not necessarily warranted. 3:50:20 PM CHAIR SHOWER accepted the answer and stated that he would hold the bill for future consideration.