Alaska Legislature: House State Affairs, 4/2/26, 3:15pm

You

Meeting of the House State Affairs Committee to order.

The time is 3.47 on Thursday,

April 2,

2026, and we are here in room 120.

Please remember to silence cell phones today.

Members present include Representative St. Clair, Representative Himeshoot,

Vice Chair Story,

and myself, Chair Carrick. Let the record reflect we have a quorum to conduct business.

Our record secretary is Cheryl Cole and our moderator from the Juneau LIO is Renzo Moises. Our committee aid for today's meeting is my staff, Stuart Relay. Thank you all for helping us today.

We have several items on today's agenda.

We will start with a first hearing for House Bill 188 on establishing a welcoming Alaska office from Representative Mina.

After that, we have another first hearing from Representative Foster's office.

We also have continued discussion of a bill from Representative Hall's office and a first hearing on Representative St.

Clair's bill relating to motor vehicle registration.

I'd like to also note that Representative Holland has just joined us.

But before we get started today,

I would actually like to start off by wishing a very happy birthday to our very own well-beloved vice chair representative,

Story.

We are absolutely indebted to you for all the mentorship and experience you provide to all of us, not just in the legislature, but also in life.

Representative Story is a super proud mom,

and I've gotten to watch her be a mom to Ryan in particular,

who is a phenomenal bowler, and she supports him every step of the way,

and he is just an amazing kid,

and then also a super dedicated grandma.

She's actually headed out early today, this afternoon, to go visit her twin grandbabies, and we're just really lucky to have you.

And I can't say enough nice things about how grateful I am for your presence here and how happy we are to have you.

We like our time with you.

You guys like each other so much you decided

It's

to

amazing.

dress the same today.

Apparently.

Well thank you, Chair Carrigan. I must say and all of you know this up here, it's such an honour and privilege to serve uh together and uh I know our hearts are for our constituents and uh Alaska, and we so appreciate the staff who really contributes to all of our efforts, too. So thank you for those good wishes.

Okay.

Awesome.

Uh let's go ahead and get started with our first item which is from Representative Meena. I'd like to welcome Rep Meena and her staff. I'm gonna say your name wrong potentially. So I'll let you go ahead and say it on the record so that I don't do that. And I know we have a few invited testifiers. Uh just for committee members,

awareness.

This is our first hearing of a couple of hearings on this bill, so my intention is to let the bill sponsor briefly introduce the bill, and then go to our invited testifiers. Our bill sponsor has to go back to chairing her own committee, so we might hold questions today until our next hearing unless there's super pertinent, pressing questions that come up at this hearing. Representative Mina.

Thank you Chair Kerrigan, members of the House State Affairs Committee.

For the record,

I'm Genevieve Mina.

I represent House District 19 in the Alaska Legislature. I'm also here with my staff,

Tamaleva Salanoa. And I'm really proud to represent House District 19 because it is one of the most diverse areas in the entire nation.

That diversity in Anchorage, in the neighborhoods of Airport Heights, Mountain View, and Russian Jack comes from new Alaskans. New Alaskans are newcomers to our state. It can include somebody who is coming up.

coming up from the lower 48.

It could be an immigrant who is on a worker visa.

It could be an asylum seeker or a refugee who is fleeing war from their own country.

And these new Alaskans not only bring vibrancy to our communities,

but they also help contribute to our state in our workforce and in so many ways.

We know that in our state, we have a pretty severe workforce issue.

And without proper support,

a lot of the new Alaskans who are here have immense talents that are potentially missed opportunities for investment and utilization in our economy,

resulting in brain waste.

House Bill 188 builds upon existing integration strategies that we have in Alaska towards new Alaskans by creating the Office of Welcoming Alaska Office in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development,

which is a will.

would be a statewide comprehensive framework to retain all newcomers to the state.

I want to first talk about two existing integration entities that we have in this state.

First,

Catholic Social Services and their work to help recruit,

excuse me, to help support and retain refugees. Catholic Social Services has operated federally funded refugee and resettlement services since 1999,

dating back to Ukrainian refugees in Delta Junction.

In two thousand three they created the Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services Program which has continually operated to administer these federal Federal Refugee Settlement dollars, and then in twenty twenty three they officially established the Alaska Office of Refugees as the Alaska's formal entity to manage refugee resettlement funding and services. Every state has one of these types of entities.

Additionally,

there is also the Office of Citizenship Assistance,

which was established within the Department of Labor and Workforce Development in 2004.

This office has actually stayed dormant until 2023 when the Dunleavy Administration revived the office and staffed it with position.

These entities have created a huge impact, especially in recent years in this state. When you think about the Ukrainian refugees that have come to Alaska and have been trying to find

their own economic independence in our state.

There have also been the many international teachers that have helped fill the workforce gaps within our education system.

We also have organizations that may serve specific populations or one aspect of assimilation, such as English classes or apprenticeship programs. And while all of these entities are doing great work,

State-led collaboration can truly amplify and take advantage of the economic benefits and contributions of these new Alaskans. What House Bill 188 does is establish this Welcoming Alaska Office in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development,

replace the existing Office of Citizenship Assistance,

and create a more comprehensive statewide effort on supporting these new Alaskans. What this almost 20 states have established.

These types of state-level offices supporting newcomers, they're usually known as an office of new Americans in other states.

This office would coordinate with state agencies,

nonprofit organizations,

and also support Alaska businesses in recruiting and retaining new Alaskans. There would be a nine-member governance committee to serve in an advisory capacity.

There's also a provision subject to appropriation allowing the creation of an Alaska Welcoming Center to serve as a comprehensive...

Service Center for Newcomers, from the lower 48 migrants,

immigrants,

refugees.

The bill also includes conducting a study to determine immigration opportunities and track the office's performance outcomes.

I also want to add that this bill was introduced towards the end of last year, and since the bill's introduction,

there has been a major federal change from the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. They will no longer allow nonprofits,

such as Catholic Social Services,

to administer federal refugee resettlement grant funding,

and that notice is in your bill packet.

Catholic Social Services has been working with the state to transition their Alaska Office of Refugees into the State Department,

and we have been working with Catholic Social Services and other stakeholders on an updated bill version and a committee substitute to reflect the transition of the Alaska Office of Refugees.

to uh this what would be the Office of Welcoming. And would this committee substitute that uh we hope to introduce and talk about later, we do uh hope to designate a clear state entity in statute to administer these federal dollars and create legal clarity for this transition in state government and reduce any duplication and inefficiency.

I'm happy to turn it over to my staff to do a sexual analysis and or a transition to our invited testimony.

Let's, uh, Representative Mina, go ahead and do the sectional analysis, and then we'll go to invited testimony.

To the Chair, Tamaliva Selenoa, staff to Representative Genevieve Mina,

and I will be reading the sectional analysis for HB188. Section one adds new section to A.S. 2305. Section 2305-131 Welcoming Alaska Office.

Subsection A establishes the Welcoming Alaska Office in the Office of the Commissioner of the Department of Labor.

and Workforce Development,

D-O-L-W-D.

The office must support the economic and social integration of new immigrants and newcomers through providing employment services,

research and government barriers,

best practices,

and policy recommendations,

coordinating with stakeholders such as local and government,

community-based organizations and businesses. They offer the office also.

Advises D-O-L-W-D Commissioner.

Subject to appropriate appropriations, the office can offer grant. Grants established the welcoming office,

the welcoming Alaska Center under A-S 25.05.134 and financially support local government on costs related to new immigrants and newcomers. Subsection B allows the office

To consult the stakeholders,

including state agencies and local governments. Subsection C states that the governor appoints the officers,

the office executive director as a partial exempt service position.

Subsection D provides the authority for the DOLWD to adapt the necessary regulations to implement this section.

Section Section twenty three oh five one two three welcoming Alaska liaison sub-section Ais

specifies that each principal department in the executive branch will have one designated staff to serve as a liaison to the welcoming Alaska office subsection B outlines the welcoming Alaska liaison liaison's responsibilities as coordinated with the office and their respective departments to support new immigrants and newcomers

Section 23.05.133, welcoming Alaska Advisory Committee.

Subsection A creates the Welcoming Alaska Advisory Committee,

which is staffed and administered through the office. The nine-member committee includes two non-voting legislators,

legislator representatives representing the House and the Senate.

And seven voting members appointed by the governor representing non-profits,

tribes,

education,

business,

legal services,

criminal justice,

and the public.

Subsection B outlines the committee's responsibilities toward supporting new immigrants and newcomers, including advising the state on policy recommendations,

working with the office to monitor state agencies,

coordinating public meetings and studies upon request of the governor or the office,

advising the office and reviewing the budget requests.

Subsection C through G describes the members quorum meetings and expenses of the committee. Voting members served in staggered four-year terms.

elect a member to serve as chair and may receive per diem and travel expenses, but not salary. The committee must meet at least twice a year, and meetings may be held by the call of the chair, the majority of the committee, or upon request of the office executive director.

Section 2305-134, welcoming Alaska Center.

Section A allows the office to establish a welcoming Alaska Center subject to appropriation. The center must provide vital and in-person information in one or more communities to assist new immigrants and newcomers. The office must prioritize the center being accessible.

and conveniently located within an existing state office facility or on a University of Alaska campus.

Subsection B lists the services at the welcoming Alaska Center,

including language instruction,

language instructions,

employment services,

and service navigation.

Section 2305.135 Definitions creates definitions for newcomer, new immigrant,

and office.

Section 2 amends A.S.

39.25.120(c). This section adds the executive director of the welcoming office to the list of partial exempt state.

Executive Branch Positions.

Section 3 repeals A.S.

2305.125; Section 1 replaces A.S. 2305.125.

The statute that for the Office of Citizenship Assistance,

Section 4 amends uncodified law by adding a new section.

The office shall provide a report to the legislature studying immigration opportunities in Alaska.

The report must set goals for the office,

create performance measures to track progress,

and include input

From Alaskan employers,

the office must submit a report on its findings by July 1st, 2027. Section five provides for an effective date of July 1st, 2026.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Salanoa.

Do we have questions of the bill sponsor and staff before we turn to our invited testimony?

And we can also take questions after invited testimony

Yeah, I've got

too.

some, but I can wait.

Okay. Let's go to our invited testifiers. We do also have public testimony notice today, so my intention will be to take our invited testifiers and then see if members have questions, and then finish with public testimony on this bill for today.

So let's go to, it looks like our first invited testifier is Sarah Shinkfield,

who's the state refugee coordinator with Catholic Social Services.

She's joining us online and Ms.

Shinkfield,

if you could put yourself on the record and please proceed.

Yes, Sarah Shinkfield, Alaska State Refugee Coordinator with the Alaska Office for Refugees at Catholic Social Services.

Madam Chair and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on House Bill 188, welcoming Alaskans.

I serve as Alaska State Refugee Coordinator and I'm testifying today to support House Bill 188, which would establish a permanent state office for coordination of the refugee resettlement program.

For over 20 years, this federally funded refugee resettlement program has been administered through the office

for refugees—Alaska's Office for Refugees at Catholic Social Services,

which is the replacement designated.

And under this model, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, ORR,

provides funding and program requirements, while Catholic Social Services has been responsible for subgranting funds, coordinating statewide services,

monitoring fiscal and programmatic performance,

providing technical assistance and capacity building, and reporting.

Since 2003,

Alaska has welcomed just under 3,000 refugees from 54 different countries.

Capacity for placement of refugees in Alaska is done in coordination with the local resettlement system,

and when refugees arrive in Alaska,

we meet them at the airport and help with initial housing.

A local resettlement agency provides case management,

employment support,

English classes,

school enrollment,

medical screenings, and healthcare navigation,

and the goal is to support people well so that they're able to quickly integrate and work hard to become self-sufficient.

Of nearly 1,200 people currently being served,

62% live in Anchorage,

25% are in the Mat-Su Borough,

and just under 5% are in the Fairbanks North Star Borough Area.

Of that 1,200 individuals that we are currently serving, 65% are of working age, and of those, 78% are employed. This represents more than 700 workers bringing more than 40 skill sets to Alaska's workforce.

These workers help address Alaska's persistent labor shortages in key sectors like healthcare,

construction,

and food service.

House Bill 188 would create a coordinated system to help break down barriers like licensing and language and put their skills to work for Alaska.

In March 2025, through ORR Policy Letter 2504,

the Trump Administration indicated that nonprofits can no longer serve as displacement designees, and initial resettlement must be state-led going forward.

Due to this federal policy change,

Alaska needs a new structure to comply.

ORR funds cash assistance,

medical care,

and employment services,

and state administration will improve oversight of federal

Nolan,

dollars, blending them with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development programs,

maintaining subgrants to local agencies and reducing duplication across state systems.

House Bill 188 has the potential to provide this structure. It would create a welcoming Alaska office,

designate the state Refugee Coordinator as the director of that office,

and transfer program administration to the state.

This bill would give Alaska a stable and transparent framework for continuing services without any more protection.

The transition would also align refugee services more directly with workforce development,

health and education systems,

and it would ensure clear,

consistent coordination across agencies and partners.

Refugees strengthen Alaska by filling essential jobs,

starting businesses,

and meeting all of their needs.

House Bill 188 would ensure we can continue supporting these contributions

while meeting federal requirements and Alaska's needs through state-level settlements.

I respectfully ask the committee to support House Bill 188.

It would be a practical response to federal changes that strengthen Alaska's workforce and preserve continuity of services in Alaska. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Schenkfield.

I really appreciate your testimony.

Can you please email that testimony if you are reading from a document to our committee so that we can make sure that record staff have access to it?

We could hear you, but it was just a little bit fuzzy in a couple points,

and we'd really appreciate that.

Thank you. And if you'd like to stay on the line too,

that would be great because we may have members with questions for you. We'll see.

Um,

let's go to our second invited testifier, who is Zori Opanasevich,

who's the executive director of New Chance Ukraine Relief Program,

also joining us online today.

Um,

if you could please state your name for the record and go ahead and proceed with your testimony.

My name is Zoria Pronisevich, Executive Director of New Chance.

Chair, members of the committee,

I'm testifying to support House Bill 188.

In 2022,

when Ukrainians began to come to Alaska,

none of them were classified as refugees.

They came through a program that's called Uniting for Ukraine.

That meant they could not be served with existing federal designation.

There was no entry point for services.

So we built something from scratch.

That's how our Ukraine Relief Program began.

We worked case by case and system by system.

We went to the DMV and had to explain their immigration situation just so they could receive driver's licenses.

We worked with municipal and borough health clinics across Alaska to figure out how the federally required medical screenings and vaccines would be handled.

Who would do it? Who would pay for it? How would it work?

We worked with school districts to clarify how to enroll children and what statuses to assign.

It was a constant process of learning,

trying,

adjusting,

and trying again.

Sometimes something would work in one location but not in another.

Every step required building relationships and figuring things out in real time.

As a non-profit,

we approached these systems from the outside.

We were asking for access,

for clarity, for solutions,

while also trying to serve the people at the same time.

Even at the federal level,

we experienced this.

We had ongoing back and forth with the Social Security Administration to ensure individuals could receive their social security numbers and get to work. Ukrainians really wanted to get started with working.

If there had been a government entity coordinating this work,

these conversations,

like from government to government,

this could have been a much more streamlined process.

If a centralized office like the Welcoming Alaska office had existed,

This would have been a completely different experience.

Instead of each organization trying to navigate systems independently,

there would have been a coordinated approach across departments.

Agencies could align internally.

Processes could have been clarified instead of repeatedly reinvented.

An important part of this bill is that it serves all newcomers, not just those who fit within a specific federal criterion.

And that is important,

because in reality,

people arrive with different statuses, but their needs are the same or very similar.

Having a centralized place where individuals and families can go for information,

referrals,

and support will make a significant difference.

It will make systems more efficient and will reduce the burden on families and organizations like ours.

For this reason, I support House Bill 188. Thank you.

Thank you so much, and we really appreciate you calling in.

Again,

if you'd like to stay on, we would be happy to see if there are questions for you.

Our final invited testifier today is Mike Zimmer,

who is the Senior Policy Consultant with World Education Services,

joining us on Teams,

although it might be online.

Yep, I

Yep.

Oh, okay.

Oh, okay.

Perfect.

Perfect. We can see you, Mr. Zimmer.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair Carrick and the members of the committee.

Thank you for affording World Education Services the opportunity to testify in strong support for House Bill 1888,

the Welcoming Alaska Act,

and to thank Representative Meena for her leadership on this effort.

By way of introduction,

Wes is a nonprofit social enterprise that for over 50 years has been dedicated to helping international students, immigrants,

and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the U.S. and Canada.

We work with institutional partners, community-based organizations, and policy makers to help immigrants and refugees utilize their talents and skills in the labor market and contribute to their communities.

In a more personal introduction,

prior to coming from West,

I was honored to serve as cabinet director for Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan,

where I helped establish the Michigan office of New Americans back in 2014. So this is not a new world.

world for me.

Less than the American Immigration Council are proud to co-convene the ONA network,

which is an informal grouping of states that have established during the process of establishing ONAs.

ONAs have really evolved since they were first created back in the early 2000s in Maryland,

California,

and Massachusetts,

while all play convener roles and serve as points of contact and resources for the governor and the legislature.

Their programmatic efforts have increasingly responded to workforce needs,

immigration attraction,

and economic integration.

Indeed,

the last four owners that were formed in Maine,

Utah,

North Dakota, and Delaware all had prioritized focus on immigrant attraction and retention. At present, there are 24 states in the network crossing geographic and partisan lines throughout the United States.

States.

HB 188 reflects and extends the best practices adopted in those early adopter states.

It is updated form through establishment of the welcoming office or authorization of the welcoming office within the Department of Labor and Workforce Development,

creation of a center,

strengthening agency coordination and offerings,

allowing the state to administer the important state refugee program, excuse me, the bill will take great strides in enhancing.

ensuring that Alaska remains a welcoming place for refugees and immigrants.

In this context,

HB 188's focus on workforce integration and employer engagement and newcomer navigation is not simply about being welcoming,

it's about meeting Alaska's real workforce needs by aligning talent already there with jobs that need to be filled.

I want to highlight for a moment the statutory liaison role for each department that's embedded in this legislation.

This is something that a lot of states do informally, but I would congratulate Alaska.

This would be the first time it would be institutionalized in statute.

And frankly,

we do this informally in Michigan, but I would love to have had it in statute. It really makes sure that meaningful, coordinated, responsive.

initiatives across state government are maintained and created.

Again,

thank you very much for allowing us to testify on behalf of HB 188.

If you have any questions on what goes on in other states, I'll be happy to provide what little information I can.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Zimmer.

And same as before,

if you'd like to just

Yeah

stay on,

we'd appreciate that.

I don't see any additional invited testifiers. I do see a couple public testifiers.

I also want to note that we have Adam Weiner, Special Assistant to the Commissioner in the Department of Labor,

who is listed as available for questions.

Do we have questions for the bill sponsor or any of our testifiers?

Representative Holland.

Great. Thank you. Through the chair to I think the bill sponsor, but I'm open to learning more about the office and how it works. I think

I would just want to start off um with just a a basic clarifying question and I want to get to the heart of things. Um in terms of the current office of citizen assist assistance it sounds like we're gonna replace this. I'm just curious, you know, what success or results that has. How do people find it? Uh how many people are currently being served by it? So I'm just kind of understanding or would like to know a little bit more about the current office, what it's doing, its successes, its challenges and

What happens in this transition? Are there things gained and lost as a result of the transition, as opposed to just changing the current office?

Through the Chair to Representative Holland. Thank you for the question. For the record, Genevieve Mina,

House District 19 Representative.

I would like to defer that question to Mr. Adam Weinert online, who helps work with the Office of Citizenship Assistance.

Okay, Mr. Weinert, were you able to hear that question from Representative Holland?

For the record,

Adam Weinert, Special Assistant to the Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Labor Workforce Development.

Thank you, Chair Keurig.

I did hear Representative Hall's question and I believe there were several parts to the question and so I'll do my best to provide an update about our opposite citizenship assistance and then talk very briefly about the transition and if I missed anything in Representative Hall's question, please let me know.

Our Office of Citizenship Assistance staff have

They've been up and running for over a year now.

They've served several hundred people who come into our job center.

The OCA office is in our Midtown job center in Anchorage, and they have an open door for walk-ins and for clients to come in to need help with employment.

They've got questions about how do I apply for a job? How do I create a resume that's attractive to...

local employers. How do I transfer my skills from the country that I came from to apply to work here in Alaska?

Those are some of the questions that our staff helped to answer.

Our OCA staff also work to provide information about workplace protections available to all Alaskans. As we know folks from other countries come from systems that do not have the same laws as we have here in Alaska so informing folks about

Unemployment insurance,

workers'

compensation,

harassment laws,

you know, those are all important things that our staff are communicating to new Alaskans as they come into the door.

Our staff are involved in community outreach.

They have a small travel budget where they're going to communities where there are higher populations of new Alaskans north of Junction down to Juneau. They're going out to the Matsu Borough down to Kenai attending events and in Anchorage as well.

That's what our OCA staff have been doing for the past year or more.

On the transition,

I believe, as Representative Amina and as Sarah mentioned in their presentations,

we've been working closely with Catholic Social Services on the transition and we have a timeline established for that transition of refugee support services funding to start in the first half of 2027.

Follow-up?

Follow-up?

Great, thank you. Um thank you for that. Just one clarifying comment on on that question, and that is did I understand correctly that the office has been open for one year or has it been longer? I see in the sponsor statement that this office maybe was established in two thousand four, so I was just trying to get some clarification on how long we've had this office up and running.

Again, Adam Weiner with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Yes,

Representative Holland.

The statute for OCA was created in 2004.

It was funded for the first couple of years, but funding ceased after, I believe,

the second year.

Funding to reestablish the office was included in the governor's FY25 budget, I believe,

and we were able to get...

that through the Legislature that year and we were able to hire staff later that ensuing fiscal year.

Okay, thank you.

And a follow-up.

Follow-up.

Great.

Thank you for the clarification there.

Then going back, and this may be for Mr.

Minard or maybe back to the bill sponsor.

In terms of this new office, I'm curious how this office functions to potentially be a resource for the large number of teachers we have coming in on visas,

perhaps how they're either working with districts versus individuals. And I don't know whether this is an employer-focused office or whether this is an individual-focused office or maybe a little bit of both.

little bit of both and then also in terms of the seasonal hires that we have j1h1b for whether it's the fishing industry the tourism industry does this work with large employers of seafood processing plants and other communities that have a large number coming in and then just to make the question one more layer more complex what about a large project if we look at something like a gas pipeline we're going to need to bring in a bunch of people that are going to need to come on quickly and quite frankly given our

Our country's relatively low unemployment we may need to be wanting to attract in folks from overseas that have specialised skills that we need one time for just one or two seasons uh to fill some of those roles. So I've kind of layered in questions about how does this fit in with employers versus individual assistance versus projects and looking forward to just learning more about this and how it fits into the fabric of meeting our needs for employees and uh economic uh opportunities.

For the record, Genevieve Mina, House District 19 representative,

through the chair to Representative Holland,

that's a great three-part question.

I think the first two parts on individual versus employer interaction as well as work with other seasonal visa types such as J-1, H-1Bs as relates to the fishing industry,

I would defer that to Mr.

Weinhart.

But to take a stab at your last question on large projects,

I think that's a great argument in support of the welcoming Alaska office because we have so many opportunities and areas right now.

Now, where jobs are growing in the state,

but we don't have enough people to fill those positions,

and we have been having many conversations and conferences about how do we attract people to come to the state,

but I think it's so important to recognize there are people who are in this state who are underutilized, and we are not doing enough on a state level to help identify these folks,

help navigate these services, and really make sure that they are being used to their full.

for potential. And so if we're talking about a big project that comes up to the state where we need to fill a lot of positions,

I think that is a really important opportunity for this office if it were to be more comprehensive and not just about employment opportunities,

but these other facets that really help people be successful in finding a job and staying here and making sure that they have a home in Alaska,

I think that's a huge impact.

And just anecdotally, I think about the fact.

The reason my family is here is because my dad worked seasonally between Alaska fisheries and California farms in the summertime.

And when he decided to make Alaska his home,

decades later,

I think he's responsible for at least 30 more people who are here in the state who love Alaska and who don't want to move away.

That's a huge impact and that's an ROI.

But I'd like to defer your first two parts to Mr.

Weinert.

All right.

Because of record,

Adam Weiner with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development through the Chair to Representative Pollin.

For the first part of the question,

our ROC staff are primarily working with clients.

Their focus on individuals who are already here in the state,

as Representative Mina just noted,

that need a little help accessing government services and getting connected,

of course, to employment and all the other things.

that OCA does.

They do have access to businesses through their engagement to support them if they have questions about how to apply for,

you know, what kind of visa can I use to bring somebody over.

I think it's important to note that

immigration related issues must be handled by an immigration attorney and so our staff you typically provide referrals to employers to speak with an immigration attorney as they're they're the best folks who can answer those those questions but our staff can provide general guidance on you know you need a seasonal worker that that's going to be an HTB or I'm going to hire an agricultural worker you should apply for an H2A

be vetted or maybe you have the need for a skilled worker somebody who already has a university degree you know there are different visas for those categories so certainly we're eager to help employers answer those questions as well and we already do form labor certification in the department through our division of employment and training service that's part of the process for employers to obtain an agent

H-2A and an H-2B visa.

H-2A, again, are agricultural workers.

H-2B are non-skilled seasonal workers and those are typically folks in the seafood industry.

And our department does foreign labor certification to help show that there are,

by using the visa, they are not replacing the jobs of an Alaskan.

Next in the queue I have Representative Himshew.

Thank you Chair Carrick through the chair I think this is for the bill sponsor but happy to hear from anyone.

We have a crisis in the education workforce right now. We are desperate for H1B teachers and so there's work going on with a partner organization to help support that entire process.

I like efficiency, I don't like it when two different thing two different offices do the same thing. So is there room in this office for that work or is it best education is a a unique need, these are not state jobs they're school district jobs.

Um and so I'm just trying to

figure out where our

Our teacher workforce and the international staff in our school districts would be supported through this or if that should stay separate.

Through the chair to Representative Hamsher for the record,

Genevieve Mina,

House District 19 representative.

That's an interesting question and I think.

The goal is to help centralize a lot of these efforts that have been staggered until we do have a crisis where everybody has to work together,

like Ukrainians come to Alaska or trying to find teachers in these remote areas in the state.

There are aspects within the bill, especially as you go through pages two and three that talk about all the different duties of the Welcoming Alaska Office,

and I would say that's pages one through three.

I would say what makes this bill different from the current Office of Citizenship Assistance,

if you look at that statute for OCA, which is under AS 2305-125,

it only has one subsection, and it's basically for the office to help provide employment information and referral to services. So as Mr.

Weinhart was mentioning earlier,

it's about working with individuals on helping to...

get a job and make sure that they know their rights.

What makes this office different is that they would specifically work with different stakeholders,

and that would include a non-profit such as the Alaska Council on School Administrators, which would be a different entity to work together on the teacher workforce.

So the question of whether it's appropriate for all of those efforts to be centralized into the office,

I think that's a question of stakeholders and what makes the most sense. I think what works in education is

in education might not work for a big construction project, etcetera. And I think the other aspect that's important is that the welcoming Alaska office would also have an advisory council. And I think that advisory council can also contribute to what would make sense for a particular issue if it should be a singular entity or if it should be collaborative with existing organizations.

Thank you.

Great. Um

Great.

Do we have additional questions for the Bill's sponsor or invited testimony at this time? And seeing none, I just wanna also note that this is our first hearing. We do intend to bring this Bill back up next week.

And so just

Members can continue to think about this idea and questions that might arise. At this time I'd like to open public testimony on House Bill 188, and we're gonna do that now. And I is there anyone in the room who wants to testify on House Bill 188? Seeing none, we'll go online. And we do have a couple folks for online testimony.

We'll go first to Kirk Rose in Anchorage.

Thank you. This is Kirk Rose,

CEO of Anchorage Community Land Trust in Anchorage.

Can you hear me?

We can,

We can. Thank you.

And I just also want to know— I forgot to mention it—

we're going to try to keep testimony to 2 minutes.

Thank you for hearing my testimony. I'm calling in support of HB 188.

As a non-profit dedicated to working in some of Anchorage's most diverse neighborhoods,

we see the talent in entrepreneurs and community members who are new to Alaska and Alaska faces persistent and growing workforce shortages across critical industries.

If you talk to any business owner in the communities that I work in, they'll tell you that these

Shortages are impactful and overall if you zoom out they constrain economic growth, increase costs, and ultimately limit the state's ability to compete nationally and globally.

Legal immigration has long been and should remain a key component of Alaska's labor strategy and I feel like this bill moves Alaska in a positive direction.

Foreign-born workers participate in the workforce at high rates, they fill essential roles and contribute directly to Alaska businesses every single day.

Additionally, we're lucky in Alaska,

foreign-born Alaskans start businesses and become American citizens at higher rates than the national average.

Alaska's economy depends on this reliable, skilled and motivated labor pool.

Across industries,

workforce shortages.

Are this green on growth and the data that you're seeing reflects the today is that nearly one in four Alaska workers are non-resident should be doing everything we can to work with this population to keep them here and make them even more productive when a lot when foreign-born workers come to Alaska they are more likely to be able working age

They demonstrate a high labor force participation and they fill a central role that cannot be met by current population trends alone.

So overall,

these workers help offset Alaska's aging population and declining working age demographic.

I am happy to support this initiative because it is an effort to support business expansion,

job creation, and long-term economic resilience.

grow lots of these companies and help us remain competitive nationally and internationally.

Thank you for your time and for hearing my testimony.

Thank you, Mr.

Rose. We do have a question for you from Representative Holland.

Great,

thank you. Through the chair,

Mr. Rose, good to hear from you. Thank you for joining us today on this. You know, I'm particularly interested because of your experience working with both the immigrant population but also with the programs you have for new startup businesses that particularly immigrants tend to, I think, above average,

have an interest and success in doing that with.

with programs like your Setup Shop and other programs. And I'm just wondering, I hadn't thought of this before, but is there, should there be, you know, a a strong focus within this office and its services to helping entrepreneurs that are coming in as immigrants that um have that desire to start businesses? Because I think your lens into this population might teach us something about how important are those services and access to information that somebody may need. Can you

shut any initial light on what we might want to look at and maybe dig into more in order to build on your experience?

Thank you through the chair to Representative Holland.

I appreciate your question and yes we do have unique insight from our programming and we do see a high percentage of foreign born folks come through our entrepreneurship services.

What the data affirms resoundingly is that folks coming to Alaska or new to Alaska or foreign born start businesses at an incredible clip. It's a superpower of this population.

It's something that catalyzes the economy in so many ways. Building small businesses, repopulating commercial corridors.

Hiring from the community,

building wealth in new ways,

it's a powerful engine in the economy.

And I believe that Alaska is only just getting started in really activating that engine and seeing the benefits from it.

So yes, it's a very logical and data-backed connection between entrepreneurship and this population.

Thank you for that answer. I just would like to follow up later with the bill sponsor and Mr. Rose and take a look at this bill as perhaps a venue to bring more focus to this issue and help bring it forward. So thank you for being here today and sharing that information, and I look forward to working with you more on this. Thank you.

Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Rose, and thank you also for calling in and testifying. We're going to go now to Lori Pickett, also in Anchorage.

Excellent.

Thank you, Mr.

Good afternoon,

Chair Carrick and members of the House State Affairs Committee.

Thank you for hearing my testimony.

My name is Lori Pickett. I have worked in adult and family education here in Alaska for 30-ish years,

supporting our immigrant and refugee neighbors to improve their English and to advance their careers.

I'm here today as a neighbor and a long-term partner in this work.

HB 198 is a dream long in the making.

My experience across this state is that Alaskans truly cherish our newest neighbors for how they enhance our communities.

Every person who chooses to call Alaska home represents a vital reinvestment in our future.

As we navigate the challenges of migration and a tightening labor market,

we must recognize that immigrants and refugees are not just seeking a new start,

they are providing one for us.

They arrive with global professional experience and an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit that revitalizes our neighborhoods and frankly greatly improves our local food scene.

This is why I find this bill so exciting.

A centralized hub fostering, hosting federal refugee programs located in the DLWZ can leverage federal and private dollars,

reduce duplication of services,

and streamline complicated systems.

It allows the state to partner effectively with the nonprofit communities and community groups already doing the work, ensuring we are all moving in the same direction.

same direction.

In closing,

by investing in this office the state is making it clear that we value our newest neighbors and when we welcome them with a clear streamlined path we aren't just helping them we're strengthening our own economy and communities.

When our new neighbors drive Alaska stays competitive,

vibrant and strong.

It's a true win-win.

I urge your support for HB 188.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, Ms.

Thank you, Miss Pickett. Really appreciate you calling and your testimony today.

And finally,

finally for public testimony,

we have Ed Martin in Kenai.

Yes, this is Ed Martin,

Hi.

Madam Chair and members of the committee.

If I call not necessarily in support,

oh, by the way, I'm from Keene, Alaska.

I am not fully in support of this because I know what AI can do today.

I believe honestly,

ma'am.

members that a kiosk could be put in our labor department offices we don't need another executive director this state is facing a budget deficit and we know with all these little things that really feel good and they do a lot of good but it adds more to payrolls

It adds more to a board and commission and they get, you know, expenses.

This thing has a zero fiscal note and I know darn well.

That Kathy Munoz's office is probably working at the maximum of a budget that she can, you know, be very conservative with.

I've met the ma'am last year and I met Adam. And thank you, Adam,

for bringing this forward and explaining it.

But I can tell you folks, it's time to tighten the belt until we get this gas line going and we get more of our own local.

people employed so I'm glad you're embarking on this it may be something in the future but I don't think it's right now and I care about Alaska its people so God bless you and your mission please look into the deep details of this and like everything that comes in for in front of you you must look at the fiscal note

Okay, thank you very much for your time.

God bless you all.

Thank you, Mr.

Martin.

Always appreciate you calling in,

and thank you for your testimony today.

That is everybody that is online to testify.

Is there anybody else in the room to testify?

Seeing none,

we are going to close public testimony on Hospital 188.

And this brings the bill back before us,

which at this time we are going to set aside as we will be hearing this again next week.

I would definitely encourage committee members to take a look at the bill,

communicate with the bill sponsor's office and any of those invited testifiers for more information.

Thank you, Representative Mina.

At this time, just for the committee members'

information,

we did have a late start, and so with consultation with the bill sponsor's office,

we've removed Representative Hall's House Bill 235 from the calendar for today.

It is noticed for next week, so it's my intention to take it up again at a future hearing,

which leaves us with two bills on today's calendar. Again, both of these bills are also noticed for next week and will come up.

Come up again.

It's my intention with our limited time today to allow about 15 to 20 minutes per bill just to do a brief introduction of each,

knowing that we will be able to come back for more questions next week.

We do have to adjourn right at 5.15 today,

so just for members'

information.

We'll go ahead and start with House Bill 226 from Representative Foster's office.

And welcome to Paula Bull,

Staff to Representative Foster.

If you'd like to go ahead and put yourself on the record and walk us through HB 226.

Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the committee.

Paula Bull,

Staff to Representative Foster.

In honor of the marathon finance session yesterday and today,

I'm before you with a bill that has no words and changes one number.

The AHFC Rural Loans Program had its...

Loan cap amount set back in 2002 at $250,000.

It's now 2026 and it has not been changed.

Adjusted for inflation that would take it to over $450,000 and we went with a conservative number of $400,000 and this addresses the increasing cost of building homes in rural Alaska.

Okay.

Okay. Thank you, Mr.

LeBow, that's about the quickest,

easiest bill presentation we've heard in a while.

I do see we have— it looks like Melanie Bonke from, uh, Kwerich online for testimony.

Would it be all right to call on her at this time?

Yes, please, Madam Chair.

Okay, perfect.

Thank you for joining us. If you'd like to put yourself on the record and provide your invited testimony.

Thank you, Chairwoman Kereck, can you hear me?

We can.

We can, thank you, and see you.

All right. Thank you. My name is Melanie Banke.

Thank you Chairwoman Carrick and members of the committee.

I'm the president of Kowarek,

the Regional Tribal Consortium in the Bering Strait region,

and I also am a board member on the Housing Alaskans, a public-private partnership whose mission is to accelerate housing development.

And I'm also a consumer of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation loan program,

having benefited myself from this reduced interest rate.

I'm here to testify in support of House Bill 226.

I will try to keep it as brief,

not as brief as Paul just was,

but I'll keep it brief in the interest of time.

As Paul mentioned,

currently the rural program interest rate applies to the first $250,000 of a loan amount.

If loans over $250,000 receive a blended interest rate,

the excess over $250,000 of the rural rate is the rural rate plus 1%.

That amount has been stagnant, as he mentioned,

since 2002.

I bought my first home here in Nome, where I'm testifying from at the age of 29.

And back then, I think the house that I bought was a basic three-bedroom,

two-bathroom house. It was 1,200 square feet,

and it was $220,000. That is not the case currently anymore.

more.

This bill increases that cap for the reduced interest rate to $400,000. It's not perfect, but it's a start.

2023 housing needs study estimates that for Alaska,

the housing need is that

27,500 new and rehabilitated homes are needed.

We're in the middle of a housing crisis.

Our state is experiencing out-migration and this is evident especially in rural Alaska where we have really high costs to construct.

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation provided data that indicates that in rural Alaska the cost to construct are 97% more expensive than in Anchorage.

HUD construction data from our regional housing authority,

Bank Street's regional housing authority,

provided us with the cost to construct a gnome for a one-bedroom house at $691,000.

For a three-bedroom 1,200 square foot house, it is now $862,000.

And that's for Nome.

To build a three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot house in Gamble, Savunga, or Diamede, it is currently $938,000 for a new house.

Also, energy costs in our region here are one-and-a-half times the state average,

and we have one of the highest overcrowding rates in the state,

along with the highest rates of poverty.

This bill won't cost the state any money as HFC is self-supporting. It's a public corporation and in fact recently contributed more than two billion dollars to the state in the form of direct dividends to the general fund.

We at Housing Alaskans, a public-private partnership and co-work are actively working to address our state and region's housing crisis and this bill is a step in the right direction.

It helps level the playing field and it costs the state of Alaska nothing.

While I would have preferred a higher dollar threshold,

a higher interest rate reduction amount that reflects the cost differential between urban Alaskans' cost to construct.

disrupted, and one that also auto-adjusts for inflation.

Those would be my preferences,

but this will work for now.

I believe that everybody in our state who wants a home should have, feel like there's a pathway to home ownership.

And again, thank you for allowing me to testify.

I did promise to keep it brief, and hopefully that was brief enough for you all.

And I'm open to any questions.

Thank you Ms. Ponkey. Looks like we have quite a few questions. I do want to just note for the committee

We also have two folks from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation.

We have Chief Financial Officer Michael Strand and Director of Governmental Affairs,

I'm guessing,

Stacey Barnes.

So members have those folks also available for questions. Um I have representative Holland and then Himshoot, I also have myself in the queue.

Great. Thank you. Just— and for clarification, Chair Carrick, did you have more invited testimony queued up, in which case I would be happy to wait if there are more speakers that were planned as opposed to jumping in the middle of it.

Ms. Bonke was our only invited testimony,

Nope.

This is—

Thank you.

so we are good.

Thank you for the clarification. So I think I want to ask what I think is

perhaps an obvious question, which is if this doesn't cost us any money and if the cap ought to be larger, why isn't it larger? I think we all agree desperately on the need for more housing and I didn't hear any reason why we shouldn't make it $450,000 or perhaps make it

Why is it capped?

$938,000 or yeah, fair point, why capped? I mean, this sounds like a great program and

there must be more to the story or perhaps we need to nudge something. I'm curious with all the other housing-related initiatives and policy discussions we have, this sounds like one to

make it bigger and make it better.

I think that's probably a question for the AHFC folks that are online potentially.

I'll, uh,

Madam Chair,

Yeah, Mr.

LaValle.

yes, thank you. I can start and then you can go to them and that would give everybody some context.

While it's true that the bill does not cost any money,

what it does do is reduce the dividend that AHFC pays to the legislature.

Sure.

So there is a revenue reduction.

Got it.

Okay.

Does that provide the answer you were looking for, Representative Holland?

Uh for the moment it does. I think it's fair at some point we'll come back and have a discussion about what the relationship is between those two factors and I think there's perhaps a good policy discussion about do we want H_F_C_ spinning off dividends to the general fund or do we want H_F_C_ providing more housing. Um I think I know where I might land initially, but I'm looking forward to learning more.

Thank you.

Madam Chair, since it was kind of a question to me,

can I say that I would support a higher cap?

And I agree that the purpose of HFC is to increase affordable housing to the state of Alaska, not to provide dividends to the general fund.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Thank you, Ms. Bonke.

Definitely appreciate that perspective as well.

Representative Himschoot?

I think my question's answered, but through the chair I'm just gonna state it one more time. So the the cap we set the cap as the state so that we can retain control over how much of a dividend comes back to us. I'm trying to figure out why we have a role in this at all as the state of Alaska versus letting AHFC

Management

make their own decisions.

And I thought that question was for Ms.

Bankey, but maybe Paul can answer it. I don't really care who answers it.

I'm guessing anybody could.

I'm not an expert.

I would expect a...

I don't know if the legislature wants to see that.

As a president of KWARC, I'm always looking at ways to reduce the bureaucracy for our organization.

I'm all about if I don't need to approve something,

somebody else down the chain should approve it.

When I looked,

I was actually the person who called Representative Foster and asked for this to be looked into.

And I first we looked at AHFC,

And I—

like their board should be able to set this amount,

right?

So we looked at getting this on their board agenda.

and then we were told it takes an act of the legislature to set that amount and there's no controls in place to auto adjust for inflation which is ridiculous so I did try to take that administrative route first and I guess that would be a separate bill to look at to get this it should be at the why does the HFC have a board if they can't set that amount themselves thank you for the question

Mr.

Mr. LaValle.

Yeah, and Madam Chair, that might be something to look at uh through amendments or a CS in the future is finding a mechanism so that we don't have to come back here twenty years later.

I think that plays right into the question I had,

which was also sort of duplicated by Representative Holland's question.

But Ms.

Vonke mentioned the idea of doing just an inflation adjustment language.

Did the sponsor's office consider that and would the sponsor potentially be open to just doing at least an inflation adjustment mechanism here?

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We are certainly open to that.

The $400,000 number was the initial number that Ms. Bonke came to us with, so that is where we started,

Mm-hmm.

knowing that this is just the beginning of a conversation.

Okay.

Great. Um thank you. Do we have additional questions for

I see Representative Holland racking his brain.

Tha thank you Chair Carrick. Well this um is uh a really broad discussion um in terms of different programmes we have for housing. I suspect that this is one of many different pieces of the puzzle and I I think it would bear some time to for me to learn more about this programme in particular and other programmes and to recognise that I think there's been a broad understanding in our um

Policy discussions in other areas about the need to increase focus on housing and and do something to increase availability housing. I'm also looking at this from the standpoint of the high cost in rural Alaska and, you know, drawn to the question of how do we help with the cost side of it and create more industry and more opportunity to reduce the costs. So there's a lot of different layers to this. So I think for today this has been eye-opening and I'm looking forward to um digging into it a little bit more, but certainly this looks like a a practice

practical easy step um that has been proposed. Whether or not we wanna perhaps go a little further is I think the next step in the discussion, but I really appreciate uh hearing about the bill today and learning about this.

Yes, same. I do want to just thank Ms. Bonke for being online with us. Would like to welcome you to future hearings of this bill. As soon as next week, we do intend to hear this bill again. For today, we are going to set it aside because we do have one other bill to get to on our agenda. But thank you, Mr. LaValle, and thank you to Representative Foster for bringing HB 226

forth.

Thank you Madam Chair, members of the committee.

Uh

Thanks Paul.

Thank you.

And at this time I'd like to welcome our very own committee member, Representative St. Clair. I I know it's a brief introduction, um again these bills will all be up next week and

I'd like to just offer Representative St.

Clair the opportunity to present to us a bill that we heard in House Transportation and continuing that discussion.

Here today.

Welcome.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

Good.

I did have morning,

but afternoon,

Madam Chair, members of the House State Affairs Committee. For the record, my name is Steve St.

Clair and I represent District 26.

HB 303 is merely an attempt to bring Alaska statutes pertaining to older imported vehicles up to the national standard or what the feds federal laws are. As it is now,

the federal government.

The statute states that any imported vehicle more than 25 years old, and that's a rolling average,

so it would kind of offset each year.

For example, this is 2026. That means anything after or older than 2001,

next year,

2027, it would be anything older than 2002.

Any imported vehicle more than 25 years old on the rolling number does not have to conform to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Alaska statute states that any imported vehicle that is older than 1981 is exempt from the motor vehicle safety standards.

This is a significant barrier to Alaskans who have older imported vehicles like me.

I enjoy vehicles that I can work on and don't have to require a college degree from MIT to operate.

Department of Motor Vehicles has been working on this.

This regulation or statute or their regulation change,

however,

it is moving very, very slowly and last I heard February of this year it was stuck in Department of Law.

But like I said, the process is moving slowly. Additionally, this is a companion bill with Senate Bill 239 and the other body which is currently in Senate State Affairs.

Madam Chair, would you like me to go through a sectional? I do have a a brief uh presentation, but I think we're gonna skip that. But I can do the sectional.

I think let's go ahead and do the sectional today and we'll I do agree we should save the presentation for when our full membership is here. So let's go through the sectional and then see if there's just any initial questions before we adjourn today.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Madam Chair. On the section— Section 1, registration requirements for imported vehicle, adds a new section, AS 28.10.068, to Alaska statute. Prohibits the Department of Administration and the DMV

Department of Administration and the DMV

from requiring a vehicle to meet current federal motor vehicle safety standards as a condition of registration, provided the vehicle meets two criteria:

it is at least 25 years old and it was legally imported into the United States. Section 2, protections for certificates of title, adds a new subsection,

echo to AS 28.10.221, prevents the department from refusing to

issue, suspending, or revoking certificate of title solely because a vehicle registered under criteria in Section 1 does not comply with current federal motor vehicle safety standards. Section 3 is the effective date, provides that the act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Thank you Representative Sinclair. Um do we have initial questions from members?

I will also note we do have the director of the division of motor vehicles, Kathy Wallace on-line as well.

And

Um

seeing no questions today. I have a question. Okay. Representative Hemshue.

Thank you, through the chair, I think to the bill's sponsor, but this may go to the D_M_V_ person. I'm trying to understand why we have a

I

I would assume that any statutes that we have are to protect public safety.

So what are we protecting with this statute that says twenty five years is the cut off?

Through the chair, Representative Himschoot, the 25 years is the federal standard. As it stands right now, we would be at 45 years, Alaska standard, because it's 1981. The 25 years, I don't know

specifically, that might be a DMV question on why the safety standards after 25 years can be ignored, if you will.

I love— through the chair, when you call 1998 old, it really kind of blows my mind. But in the world of cars, probably is old. So,

Representative Holland.

Thank you, Chair Carrick. I just— I'm just kind of interested in the bill.

I currently have vehicles, 4 of them are over 25 years old. So from my standpoint, there's nothing old about a 25-year-old vehicle. That just sounds like the one I'm going to hop into tonight when I get back in town, and then I regularly drive. And my oldest one is, what, 50 or 60 years old?

No, 70 years old, and the one I drive in the summertime is 60 years old, and 2 others are 26 years old right now. So I've got a brand new one that is 16 years old.

So anyway,

looking forward to working on this. It sounds like a good update, but it was kind of a curiosity of things that don't get updated over time.

Thanks.

Well, it's funny that you mention that representative Paulin, because in the transportation committee when we heard this bill, I neglected to fully read the federal importation bit where we're talking about imported vehicles and I mentioned how I was worried this would affect me because I own a seventy one Corvette. So I guess we'll just keep with the tradition.

traditionalists keep mentioning that on the record, um since my grandma likes to watch and she's the one who gave me the car. Um anyway, it is a good discussion to have and um you know I guess Representative St Clair, one of the if you could maybe elaborate, one of the reasons that's really come up with this bill is the pervasiveness I guess in Alaska of military members having imported vehicles that they

bring to our state and I remember that that was part of some of the emails I'd received too is why this is of a particular issue in Alaska.

Through the chair, Madam Chair,

being retired military myself,

we have an affinity for things that we can work on, whether imported or not.

This addresses specific cars, and in my slides, at the last slide, I had a couple of vehicles on there. Was a 1984 Toyota pickup truck with a 22R engine. I had one of those, drove it up in the mountains, something broke, I fixed it. Another one for the sports and speed enthusiasts

is Skyline, which is a very fast car, Fast and Furious, and just, you know, some old Jaguars and just older cars that it would bring us in line with the federal statute. And like I said, military, we like tinkering on things because we usually have to fix it if it breaks out in the field.

Yeah.

Representative Holland?

Great, thank you. I had a more serious practical question. Given the current statutes that we have right now, what is happening to somebody if they come in and want to register a car that is after the '81 cutoff here, but beyond the 25 years? Are they being— is somebody inspecting their car to look for this sticker? When I go into DMV to register cars like my old Sunbeam,

I don't recall anyone ever wanting to see the car or do anything. They just wanted to see my paperwork, and they process it. But if it's in this donut hole, would they actually say we're not going to register until we inspect it and see the sticker on it? And then if they require— in our DMV, if they require the sticker, is there a way for someone to get that sticker these days? How are people dealing with this?

Through the chair, Representative Holland,

yes, the genesis of this is

someone that had a vehicle that was older than 1981, but newer than 2001. It was in that dead zone, or donut hole as you called it. They tried to register a vehicle and they were denied registration. It's supposed to come with a federal vehicle safety standard sticker that meets the criteria. They have that sticker and then they can register it. But in order to get that sticker, you have to,

based on Alaska statute, be pre-1981, federal statute pre-2001 on a rolling average.

Follow-up.

Follow-up?

Thank you. And just going back to that example, if somebody has this car it sounds like d_m_v_ is gonna wanna walk out and look at it, they're gonna inspect it for that sticker. If the sticker is not there, is there a way to get the sticker for a car that doesn't have it, or do they now have a vehicle that cannot be registered in this state?

Uh through the chair, Representative Holland, I do not know. I will find out about that.

Okay, next.

Thank you, Representative St. Clair. I think at this time we're going to go ahead and set the bill aside, let you maybe follow up on that question, and we'll bring this bill back forward at our next hearing.

Thank you.

So that concludes our business for House State Affairs Committee for today. I want to thank committee members for your indulgence starting a little late today.

We will next meet on Tuesday, April 7th at 3:15 here in Room 120. At that hearing, we have a consideration of the two governor's appointees that have been referred to this committee. One is for the Alaska Police Standards Council. I believe there's also one other,

the Board of Parole as well. And then we have a few bill hearings scheduled. We'll continue discussion on House Bill 303 from Representative St. Clair on motor vehicle registrations, continue discussion on Representative Foster's HB 226 on AHFC

interest rates, have another bill hearing on HB 188 from Representative Mena on a welcoming Alaska office, and have a first hearing on the committee's bill, which has now gone through the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee,

HB 377 on Municipal Public Records,

and we'll try to get through as much of that agenda as possible.

My intention is not to set any amendment deadlines today,

but to possibly set them at our next hearing for some of those bills.

Otherwise, happy Easter break everybody, and to our staff as well,

and we are adjourned at 5:04 PM.