Legislature(2025 - 2026)SENATE FINANCE 532
05/16/2025 04:00 PM House CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON HB53 AND HB55
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| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 53 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 55 | TELECONFERENCED | |
34TH ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON HB 53 and HB 55
May 16, 2025
4:31 p.m.
4:31:48 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Representative Josephson called the Conference Committee
meeting on HB 53 and HB 55 to order at 4:31 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
House:
Representative Andy Josephson, Chair
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Calvin Schrage
Senate:
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Vice-Chair
Senator James Kaufman
Senator Bert Stedman
MEMBERS ABSENT
ALSO PRESENT:
Alexei Painter, Director, Legislative Finance Division
SUMMARY
HB 53 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET; CAP; SUPP
HB 53 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 55 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET
HB 55 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 53(FIN) am(brf sup maj fld)(efd fld)
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
loan program expenses of state government and for
certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending
appropriations; and making supplemental
appropriations."
SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 53(FIN) am S
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
loan program expenses of state government and for
certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending
appropriations; making supplemental appropriations;
and providing for an effective date."
and
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 55(FIN)
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; and providing for
an effective date."
SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 55(FIN) am S
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; and providing for
an effective date."
4:32:11 PM
Chair Josephson invited Alexei Painter, Director of the
Legislative Finance Division, to join the committee at the
table. He stated that the committee would be addressing
items in House Bill 53 and House Bill 55 based on the
motion sheets dated May 16th. The meeting would cover items
in the departments of:
ADMINISTRATION
COMMERCE, COMMUNITY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CORRECTIONS
EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
FISH AND GAME
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
LAW
NATURAL RESOURCES
PUBLIC SAFETY
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES
UNIVERSITY
JUDICIARY
LEGISLATURE
DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Administration budget:
Items 1 through 7 Senate, all items
Item 8 House
Items 9 through 12 Senate, all items
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Administration
budget.
4:33:50 PM
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Commerce, Community
and Economic Development budget:
Item 1 House, both lines
Item 2 Senate
Item 3 House
Item 4 House, modify to One-Time Increment
Item 5 House
Items 6-9 Open
Items 10-12 House, all items
Items 13-14 Senate, both items
Item 15 House minus $248.7 thousand UGF
Item 16 House
Item 17 Senate
Item 18 Line 1, House, modify fund source to
UGF, Line 2, House
Item 19 House
Item 20 Senate
Items 21-22 House, both items
4:35:37 PM
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed
conferenceable items 1 through 5 and 10 through 22 for the
Department of Commerce, Community, & Economic Development,
and left items 6 through 9 open.
4:35:52 PM
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Corrections budget:
Items 1-2 House, both items
Item 3 Open
Item 4 House
Items 5-7 Open
Items 8-12 House, all items
Items 13-14 Senate, both items
Items 15-16 House, both items
Item 17 Senate
Items 18-27 House, all items
Items 28-29 Senate, both items
Items 30-36 House, all items
Items 37-38 Senate, both items
Item 39 Senate, plus $525.0 thousand UGF
Item 40 Senate
Item 41 Open
Items 42-44 House, all items
Item 45 Senate
4:37:45 PM
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed
conferenceable items 1, 2, 4, 8 through 40, and 42 through
45 in the Department of Corrections. He noted that items 3,
5, 6, 7 and 41 remained open.
4:38:16 PM
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Education and Early
Development budget:
Items 1-9 Senate, all items
Item 10 House minus $277.0 thousand UGF
Items 11-12 Senate, both items
Item 13 House
Items 14-22 Senate, all items
Senator Kaufman OBJECTED to item 15. He stated that based
on his conversations with the Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), it was his understanding that the
funding being decremented helped the department onboard
foreign teachers and get them certified. He stated it
helped fill the teacher deficit currently facing the state.
He was interested in discussing whether it was an effective
cut considering it was helping the state obtain staff for
education.
4:39:13 PM
AT EASE
4:40:49 PM
RECONVENED
Chair Josephson relayed that all items above with the
exception of item 15 were adopted.
Vice-Chair Hoffman addressed the objection to item 15. He
stated it was a judgment call; however, a reduction had not
been taken for item 13 related to teacher certification. He
stated there had been reductions that were very difficult
to make. He remarked that education was a priority. He was
amenable to leaving item 15 open for the time being. He
added that they had done the best they could, and it was
not possible to do everything they wanted to do in
education. He relayed that the dialog went back to all of
the arguments individuals had made on the Base Student
Allocation (BSA) from $700 to $1,000. He stated that the
current budgetary times were difficult, but he would agree
to leave the item open.
Chair Josephson MOVED to leave item 15 in the DEED budget
open.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items with the exception of item 15 in the
Department of Education and Early Development.
4:43:02 PM
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Environmental
Conservation budget:
Items 1-3 House, all items
Item 4 Senate
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Environmental
Conservation.
4:43:43 PM
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Family and Community
Services budget:
Item 1 House
Item 2 House, minus 2 million, 184.3 thousand
dollars UGF
Item 3 Senate
Item 4 House
Items 5-9 Senate, all items, all lines
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Family and
Community Services.
4:44:31 PM
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Fish and Game budget:
Item 1 Senate
Item 2 Line 1, House minus $80.0 thousand UGF
Line 2, House minus $20.0 thousand
GF/Match
Item 3 House
Items 4-6 Senate, all items
Item 7 House minus $225.0 thousand UGF
Item 8 House, minus $316.5 thousand UGF
Items 9-13 Senate, all items, all lines
Item 14 House
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable in the Department of Fish and Game.
4:45:54 PM
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following budget items for the Office of the Governor:
Item 1 Senate
Item 2 House, both lines
Item 3 House, with modified intent language to
direct the Office of Management and
Budget to use zero-based budgeting
principles to prepare the budget for
one agency and to provide a report to
the Finance Committees and the
Legislative Finance Division.
Item 4 Senate
Item 5 Senate
Chair Josephson asked for verification that the governor's
office would have the discretion to choose the agency
[pertaining to item 3].
Vice-Chair Hoffman replied affirmatively.
Senator Kaufman OBJECTED to item 4. He stated the intent
had been to get reporting on the "efficient frontier" on
staffing bonuses versus overtime. He thought it may have
been over articulated and too well defined, but he believed
there was some good intent. He would like to consider the
item and leave the item open.
Vice-Chair Hoffman remarked that the decision to reach the
current proposal had been very cumbersome; however, he did
not have a problem leaving the item open.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that with the exception of item 4,
all other conferenceable items for the Office of the
Governor budget were closed.
4:48:11 PM
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development budget:
Item 1 Senate
Item 2 House
Items 3-6 Senate
Item 7 House, adjust fund source to STEP funds,
fund code 1054
Senator Kaufman OBJECTED to item 3. He stated that SB 147
had created the position within the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development (DLWD), which the department had told
the legislature had been filled and trained. He explained
that the decrement would result in the deletion of the
position. The purpose of the position was to break the
backlog in workers' compensation where the system had been
ineffective, and people were not getting back to work. He
elaborated that the system had not been working because it
did not have the navigator needed to get people through the
system. The legislation also fixed the outdated references
to the job descriptions. He wanted to further consider the
item to see if anything could be done.
4:50:04 PM
AT EASE
4:50:29 PM
RECONVENED
Vice-Chair Hoffman remarked that item 3 was $125,000 and he
was amenable to leaving it open for further dialogue. He
restated the motion to leave item 4 open.
Chair Josephson asked for clarification on which item
should be left open.
Senator Kaufman answered he was requesting to leave item 3
open.
Vice-Chair Hoffman restated the motion, which would close
all other items with the exception of item 3.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development.
4:52:29 PM
AT EASE
4:52:47 PM
RECONVENED
DEPARTMENT OF LAW
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Law budget:
Items 1-5 Senate, all items
Item 6 Senate, change fund source to UGF (fund code
1004)
Items 7-8 Senate, both items, all lines
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Law.
4:53:38 PM
DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Military and Veterans'
Affairs budget:
Items 1-5 Senate, all items
Item 6 House
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Military and
Veterans' Affairs.
4:54:03 PM
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Natural Resources
budget:
Items 1-3 Senate, all items
Item 4 House minus $218.8 thousand
Items 5-7 House, all items
Items 8-9 Senate, both items
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Natural
Resources.
4:54:52 PM
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Public Safety budget:
Items 1-4 Senate, all items
Item 5 House minus 1 million 348 thousand
dollars UGF
Items 6-8 Senate, all items
Item 9 House, minus $537.8 thousand UGF and
minus 1 position
Item 10 House, minus $90.0 thousand UGF
Item 11 House
Items 12-16 Senate, all items
Item 17 House
Items 18-21 Senate, all items
Chair Josephson OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Johnson requested to revisit items 3, 13,
and 14 associated with the Talkeetna trooper post.
Chair Josephson asked Mr. Painter to describe the items.
}Alexei Painter, Director, Legislative Finance Division{
clarified that the related items were 3, 4, 8, 13, and 14.
The items were all related to establishing the Talkeetna
trooper post in the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska
Wildlife Troopers.
Representative Johnson asked if all of the items had to go
together or if it was possible to fund only some of them.
Mr. Painter replied that the subcommittee in the House
originally funded items 3, 4, 13, and 14. He explained that
item 8 had been added back on the House floor. He stated it
was easily possible to take only items 3, 4, 13, and 14. He
noted it may be a bit difficult on the fly to partially
reopen the trooper post beyond that.
4:58:36 PM
Representative Johnson asked if it was possible to leave
the items open.
Vice-Chair Hoffman stated that the items regarding the
trooper position were in excess of $2 million annually. He
stated items 3, 4, 8, 13, and 14 would remain open.
Chair Josephson WITHDREW the OBJECTION. He stated that
items 3, 4, 8, 13, and 14 would be left open and the
remainder of the items were closed within the Department of
Public Safety.
5:00:18 PM
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities budget:
Items 1-9 Senate, all items
Item 10 House
Items 11-36 Senate, all items, all lines
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items in the Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities budget.
5:01:13 PM
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the University of Alaska budget:
Items 1-6 Senate, all items, all lines
Items 7-9 House, all items, all lines
Items 10-11 Senate, both items
Items 12-13 House, both items, all lines
Items 14-15 Senate, both items
Items 16-20 House, all items, all lines
Items 21-24 Senate, all items
Items 25-28 House, all items, all lines
Item 29 Senate
Items 30-32 House, all items, all lines
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated the action closed all conferenceable
items for the University of Alaska.
JUDICIARY
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Judiciary budget:
Item 1 House, minus $113.5 thousand
Item 2 Senate
Items 3-5 House, all items
Item 6 Senate, both lines
Item 7 House
Item 8 Senate
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items for the Judiciary.
LEGISLATURE
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED that the committee adopt the
following items in the Legislature's budget:
Items 1-2 Senate
Item 3 House, minus $290.0 thousand UGF
Item 4 House
Items 5-6 Senate
Item 7 House
Item 8 Senate plus $500.0 thousand UGF
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Chair Josephson stated that the action closed all
conferenceable items for the Legislature.
Chair Josephson concluded the meeting. He noted the date
and time of the next meeting would be posted on BASIS.
Vice-Chair Hoffman MOVED to adjourn the meeting.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
HB 53 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 55 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
ADJOURNMENT
5:05:00 PM
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