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Weekly Legislative Update 2009 AWL Mission: To defend and advance the rights and needs of Women, Children and Families in Alaska Visit us on the web: www.akwomenslobby.org
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Week Eight The House passed their version of the operating and mental health budgets on Friday. Power Cost Equalization (PCE) was fully-funded, along with all recommendations for base student allocation, district cost factors and intensive needs student funding from the legislative task force chaired by Rep. Hawker in 2007. Additional investments were made in Village Public Safety Officers, medical education, and a Pre-K pilot program. All Pre-K programs were fully funded. Although less than the Governor’s requested increment of approximately 1.6 million, the budget contains an increment of approximately $796,000 for services, prevention activities and research in the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault budget. The budget authorized expenditures totaling nearly $9.7 billion. Of that, $1.8 billion is in federal funds, $2.8 billion in general funds and $5.1 billion in other state funds. Other state funds include nearly $2 billion for Permanent Fund dividends. Senate Finance will be closing out budget subcommittees and working on the capital budget this coming week. Capital budget meetings are listed in the committee schedule section of the report. Legislative Committee Assignments: Go to BASIS
committee assignments list: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/commlist.pdf NEW BILLS: Look here for legislation
introduced during the previous week.
Click on the bill number to access the bill. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/SEXUAL ASSAULT ISSUES Bill: HCR
11 Sponsor: Fairclough Title: Sexual Assault Awareness Month Referrals: STA Content: Proclaims April as Sexual Assault
Awareness Month Bill: SB
145 Sponsor: McGuire Title: Sex Offender Management Board Referrals: STA, FIN Content: Creates the sex offender management
board in the department of corrections; lists members to be appointed; term of
service (5 years); lists the duties of the board (The board shall address any issues concerns, and
problems related to the management of sex offenders after their release from
confinement. The main objective of the board is to achieve safer communities by
reducing victimization.); and requires the board to develop recommendations to
improve current practices for the management of sex offenders. HEALTH CARE ISSUES Sponsor: Coghill Title: Trauma Care Centers/Fund Approp. Trauma Care Fund Referrals: HES, FIN FIN Content: Creates a fund to compensate certified
trauma centers for care uncompensated by the person receiving care or by any
other source and deposits $5 million into it. Bill: SB
139 Sponsor: Olson Title: Incentives for Certain Medical
Providers Referrals: HSS, FIN Contents: Establishes the health care professions
loan repayment and incentive program for
the purpose of addressing the worsening shortage of certain health care
professionals in the state by increasing the number and improving the
distribution of health care professionals who provide direct patient care;
establishes loan repayment and incentive program guidelines and eligibility
criteria; creates two tiers of health care professionals for the purpose of
establishing repayment and incentive amounts—tier 1 includes dentists,
pharmacists and physicians and tier 2 includes dental hygienists, registered
nurses, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical
therapists, clinical psychologists, or clinical social workers holding at least
a master's degree in social work; professionals can participate for a maximum
of 6 years in both programs. OTHER ISSUES Bill: HB
174 Sponsor: Title: Post-Conviction DNA Testing Referrals: JUD, FIN Content: Establishes procedures to allow an
incarcerated person to apply for post-conviction DNA testing. Bill: HB
176 Sponsor: Cissna Title: Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Referrals: HSS, L&C Content: Requires employers to allow reasonable
unpaid break times to for nursing mothers to breastfeed or express milk and
requires employers to provide a private and sanitary room other than a toilet
stall where mothers can breastfeed or express milk. UPDATES: Look here to track bills of interest HB
2, Birth Certificate for Still Births, sponsored by Gatto, moved from
HSS. Its next referral is JUD. It’s scheduled for a hearing on Monday. HB
29, Alaska Minimum Wage, sponsored by Olson, moved from L&C. Its next referral is FIN. HB
35 , Notice & Consent for Minor’s Abortion, sponsored by Coghill was
heard in JUD on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The bill passed from committee
Friday afternoon. HB
50 , Limit Overtime for Nurses, sponsored by HB
63, Council on Domestic Violence:
Members & Staff, sponsored by Fairclough was referred to HB
126, Foster Care/CINA/Education for Homeless, sponsored by Gara, moved from
EDC. Its next referral is HSS. SB
10, Medicaid/Ins. for Cancer Clinical Trials, sponsored by SB
13, Medical Assistance Eligibility, sponsored by SB
32, Medicaid: Home/Community Based Services, sponsored by Ellis was heard
in FIN. A committee substitute is
forthcoming. COMMITTEE SCHEDULE: Look here for
committee meetings for the coming week.
Bill hearings OFTEN change. If
you are planning to testify it is a good idea to check the committee calendar
the day of the hearing. Go to BASIS Committee
schedules: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/hearing_form.asp?session=26 Monday, March 16 1:30pm S FIN Capitol
Budget: Health and Social Services SB
61, Mandatory Universal Health Insurance 5:00pm Tuesday, March 17 8:00am H STA HCR
11, Sexual Assault Awareness Month 9:00am SB
69, Commission on Status of Women 1:00pm 3:00pm H HSS Ombudsman
Report on OCS Wednesday, March 18 8:00am H EDC HB
58, Educ. Loan Repayment Program 1:30pm H FIN Supplemental
Budget Authorize Economic
Stimulus Participation—pending referral SB
27, Foster Care Age Limit/Tuition Waiver Thursday, March 19 8:00am H STA HJR
2, Const. Am: Gender Neutral References 1:30pm H FIN Supplemental
Budget Friday, March 20 1:00pm H JUD HB
6, Cruelty to Animals HB
149, Civil Legal Services Fund 1:15pm S HSS Foster
Care Legislative 1:30pm Capital Budget Schedule S FIN SB
75, Capital Budget Monday 9:00am and 1:30pm Tuesday 2:30pm Wednesday 9:00am and 1:30pm Thursday 9:00am, 2:30pm and 5:00pm Friday 9:00am and 1:30pm Saturday 10:00am Download legislators contact
information: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/whoswho.pdf Governor’s Corner: View the FY10 Budget: http://omb.alaska.gov/10_omb/budget/index_FY10_Operating.htm Read the Governor’s state of
the state address: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1610 The Governor appointed Olen
Harris to a public member seat on the Alaska Council on the Homeless. Harris is the executive director of the North
Pacific Housing Authority, the regional housing authority for Seward, Upcoming Events: The League of
Women Voters’ State Convention will be held April 4-5th in Fairbanks. The Tanana Valley League hosts this year’s
convention. Nancy Eitreim, national
liaison from Contact Caren Robinson: dcc@alaska.net |