University of Alaska End of Session Report

After 90 days, the 27^th Alaska State Legislature adjourned ‘sine die’ in the early morning hours of April 16. This concludes the two-year session. Any legislation left in play is now ‘dead,’ meaning it will have to be reintroduced next year. 595 bills were introduced; 114 bills passed both houses, just a little over a 19% passage rate.

The Governor called the legislature back into a special session commencing April 18, specifically for legislation dealing with oil taxes, in-state gas line and human trafficking. The university issues and budget items are not part of the mix. We now await the Governor’s action on legislation and the FY13 operating and capital budgets.

Typically the legislature does not send the budget bills to the governor for signature or veto immediately after passage; instead the bills are held for a period of time, sometimes for more than a month. Once the operating and capital budgets have been sent to the governor he will have 20 days, Sundays excepted, to exercise vetoes on specific appropriations.

The university fared very well this year, thanks in a large part to the active advocacy efforts of UA supporters throughout the state. UA advocates came out strong at all public hearings on the operating and capital budgets. Over 20% of those that testified at all three statewide public hearings were supporting UA initiatives.

The following is a summary of legislative actions this year. The following lists the FY13 Operating Budget and FY13 Capital Budget. Details are found in the links.

FY13 operating budget status (PDF - detailed spreadsheet w/recommendations)

The Conference Committee report on the operating budget (CCS HB 284 and CCS HB 285) was adopted by the House and the Senate in the final hours of the session. This final version of the operating budget will now be sent to the governor for his signature and any line item vetoes. Below is a comparison of the different versions of the operating budget, including the final Conference Committee version.

The Governor’s proposed budget for UA is an $8.9 million increase (2.5%) over the current fiscal year. This number includes the budget originally submitted by the governor, as well as amendments to that budget submitted by the governor following our House Subcommittee hearings. The Conference Committee’s (CC) budget for UA is higher at a $12.2 million increase (3.5%). The $3.3 million difference is for priority programs added by the House and Senate.

Conference Committee members included:
Senators Stedman, Hoffman and Thomas
Representatives Thomas, Stoltze and Gara

Funded Initiatives in this operating budget include:

• Honors Program
• New initiatives to improve graduation rates
• Health/Bio Med programs
  UAA Nursing, UAA Physical Therapy, UAF Vet Medicine
• Teacher Ed programs
  ISER Alaska Education Policy Research, UAS Elementary Ed program
• Workforce Development
  UAA Process Tech; UAF Early Childhood Education; UAS Alaska Tech Center; UAS Fisheries Tech
• UA Research, Economic Development
  UAF Indigenous PhD Program
  UAF Resilience Adaptation Program
  
• Also includes:
  UAF Future Farmers of America/4H programs
  UAA AMIPA
  UAF National Guard Scholarships
  UAS Marine Transportation Program

FY13 Capital Budget status

The Senate concurred in the House amendments and this bill passed as one of the last actions this legislative session. This means that the capital budget will be sent to the Governor in its current form. It is not part of the package of legislation specified by the Governor for the special session commencing April 18.

The final Committee Substitute of SB 160 endorses the Senate Finance Committee numbers for the UA FY13 capital budget with one small addition. This includes:

$37,500,000 Deferred Maintenance
$ 6,250,000 Banfield Hall Dorm

$46,300,000 UAF Engineering Facility

$58,600,000 UAA Engineering Facility

$ 2,700,000 Ocean Acidification Research (+s $750,000 receipt authority)
$  5,000,000 UAF Research/Development of Unmanned Aerial Systems

$     450,000 UAF Kuskokwim Campus R&R

$    190,000 UAS Mining Workforce Development

$      50,000 UAA Katchemak Bay Campus Pioneer Ave. Bldg.
$    100,000 UAF Georgeson Botanical Gardens Research

$157,140,000    Total GF

There is intent language attached to the $5.0 million for Unmanned Aerial Systems:

“It is the intent of the Legislature that the University of Alaska collaborate with the Federal Aviation Administration in establishing a research and development program and possible test facility for Unmanned Aerial Systems in Alaska. Unmanned Aerial Systems are already being utilized in Alaska in many ways and as the Arctic race progresses they will become even more vital as a resource to the State and the Country.”

In addition to the general fund appropriations, the bill contains the $15,000,000 in receipt authority for capital projects that was requested in the Regents' budget. These are funds the legislature gives the university ‘permission’ to receive, i.e. grants and contacts, indirect cost recovery, private dollars, etc.

The bill also contains a $20,743,999 GF appropriation to the Department of Law for the purpose of paying judgments and settlements. This amount is supposed to include the full ORP settlement, among other things.

Legislation:

Many pieces of legislation dealing with some aspect of the University of Alaska were introduced these past two years. The following highlights those bills that passed in 2012. (See complete list of legislation affecting UA.) Any legislation not passed by the end of session ‘dies’ at the end of this legislative session. 

These were the bills in play during the 2012 session:

HCR 18 – House Special Committee on Fisheries
Status: Awaiting transmittal to the Governor

Relating to an examination of fisheries-related programs to facilitate the entry of young Alaskans into commercial fisheries careers and to collaboration with the University of Alaska fisheries, seafood, and maritime initiative.

The Alaska State Legislature endorses and encourages the continuing work of the University of Alaska fisheries, seafood, and maritime initiative. The resolution directs the president of the senate to appoint one senator and the speaker of the house to appoint one representative as liaisons to the University of Alaska fisheries, seafood, and maritime initiative so that the Alaska State Legislature is kept well apprised of the initiative's progress. The appointed legislators shall provide quarterly reports to the legislature on the initiative's progress, and submit recommendations to the legislature by January 20, 2013.

HCR 23 – Alaska Arctic Policy Commission by request of the Northern Waters Task Force
Status: Awaiting transmittal to the Governor

This resolution was created to address one of the top three recommendations of the Alaska Northern Waters Task Force to continue the work in Arctic Policy. This 20-member commission is tasked with proving a preliminary report of their findings and recommendations by January 2014, and the final report by January 2015. The University of Alaska will hold one seat on the commission.

HCR 24 State Food Resource Development Group by Representative Stoltze
Status: died in the final hour of session

This resolution requests the Governor to establish a state food resource development working group to work with the Alaska Food Policy Council to identify resources and set policies to build a strong, sustainable healthy food system in the state; to identify new or expanded economic opportunities for state residents in new food production, food processing, and food distribution businesses; review existing or proposed programs, policies, and regulations that affect the state's food system and recommend to policymakers methods to improve the coordination and implementation of the programs, policies, and regulations.

The resolution encourages the governor to involve all state agencies, as well as the University of Alaska and the National Future Farmers of America organization, the National 4H Council, the Alaska Farm Bureau, and other farming groups, and to work cooperatively with the Rasmuson Foundation, Native organizations, etc., to address food production, nutrition, sustainability, availability in Alaska, and use of state grown food for the betterment of Alaskans.

HB 6 Removal of a Regent by Rep. Gruenberg
Status: awaiting transmittal to the Governor

This bill creates a statutory due process procedures under which the governor may suspend or remove a University of Alaska regent for good cause. It will protect both the regent's interests and the university's interests.

HB 104   Alaska performance scholarship by the Rules Committee by request of the Governor
Status: Conference Committee CS passed both bodies – awaiting transmittal to Governor

This bill makes amendments to the current Alaska Performance Scholarship to address requirements of eligibility of program to allow school districts more time to incorporate the necessary components into their schools’ course offerings, and to offer students opportunities to complete the eligibility requirements. It also makes funding adjustments on a pro-rata basis dependent upon availability of funds.

HB 282 /SB 150 ‘An Act relating to applying military education, training, and service credit to occupational licensing and certain postsecondary education and employment training requirements’ by Rep. Bill Thomas
Status : died in last hour of session

HB 282 requires the Division of Professional Licensing, University of Alaska and vocational educational facilities to examine the credentials of related military experience. Relevant military experience would be credited for licensing requirements and educational credit would be granted for appropriate training. 

HB 302  ‘Contributions to UA from PFD Pick-Click-Give program’ by Rep Seaton
Status: Died in Senate Rules Committee

This bill requires each campus of the university to pay a yearly administrative fee of $450 to be included in the PFD Pick-Click-Give program.

SB 130 – Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council by Senator Donny Olson
Status: Awaiting transmittal to the Governor

The intent of this legislation is to preserve and maintain Alaska Native languages. It creates a Council to assess the current status of Alaska Native Languages, evaluate programs within the state in this regard and to make recommendations to the legislature and governor to establish new programs or re-organize existing programs.

Special note: Now would be a good time to send letters of thanks to the co-chairs of the House and Senate Finance Committees for their support of the university, as well as Rep. Anna Fairclough, Senator Joe Thomas and Senator Johnny Ellis. The university has fared very well this year thanks to the efforts of many active advocates and legislators who understood the importance of funding the university requests. However, until the Governor signs the budget, everything is still in play.

Many thanks to all UA supporters who actively participated in advocating for the University of Alaska. Whether you provided public testimony on budget initiatives, wrote letters, sent emails or met with legislators and staff, the collective actions of all encouraged legislators to include many operating budget increments and capital budget funding for the coming fiscal year. Thank you for supporting your university!

April 4, 2012

With less than two weeks left in the 90-day session scheduled to adjourn April 15, here is where UA stands:

FY13 operating budget status (PDF)
Tthe Senate Finance Committee has passed out their version of this budget and has endorsed the House numbers as well as add on a few more increments for the university. Overall, the Senate budget is $4.9 million above the Governor’s proposed amended budget and $.6 million above the House budget.

The Senate passed the FY13 operating budget on April 4. The next step is for a Conference Committee on the operating budget to be appointed. The six-member committee consists of both co-chairs of the House and Senate Finance Committees as well as one other member from each body. Senators Hoffman and Stedman will represent the Senate, and Representatives Thomas and Stoltze will be on the House side.

Once the Conference Committee is appointed, the legislature goes under the ’24 hour’ rule, meaning bills will be moving very quickly out of committees and passed over to the other body if they are to pass this session.

FY13 Capital Budget status
The Senate is currently holding onto the capital budget for the time being, and the House is waiting for them to reveal what is included in this bill. The House will still need to act on their version once it is passed over to them. Expect action on this budget late in the session. This is one of the key pieces for adjournment, and it is typically acted upon as one of the last items on the adjournment calendar.

The Senate Finance Committee is reviewing oil and gas issues at the present time, and no resolution has been reached. There is speculation of a special session or an extension of the current session to deal with this issue.

Special note: Now would be a good time to send letters of thanks to the co-chairs of the House and Senate Finance Committees for their support of the university. The university has fared very well this year thanks to the efforts of many active advocates and legislators who understood the importance of funding the requests; however, until the Governor signs the budget, everything is still in play.

March 23

Today marks the 67th day of session. There are 23 days remaining before adjournment on April 15. Legislators are focused on oil and gas tax structures, operating and capital budgets, and pushing towards adjournment holding many hearings to get through the large number of bills still outstanding. Once the session adjourns this year, all legislation not passed ‘dies’.

We are focused on the FY13 Operating and Capital budgets right now, and are pleased to see so many university advocates take an active part in public testimony opportunities, as well as submitting letters and emails of support for university budget items. Keep up the good work! This support makes the difference in the outcome of our budget appropriations for both capital and operating funds, and legislators take note of what they are hearing from their constituencies, especially in an important election year.

FY13 Capital Budget

The FY13 Capital Budget is also underway, and includes funding for 'tangible' items such as buildings, deferred maintenance and research funding. The Senate Finance Committee is currently in possession of this budget and is working on recommendations prior to sending it over to the House. The capital budget is typically used as 'trading stock' in the final adjournment package between the House and Senate, and is usually one of the last pieces of the adjournment package at the very end of the legislative session.

The Senate Finance Committee members are keeping their recommendations close to the chest for the moment, and encourage supporters to send in their letters of support regarding capital budget requests. This past Wednesday night, an overwhelming number of university supporters took time out of their busy lives to spend three hours waiting to testify to the Senate Finance Committee on FY13 capital budget items. Thank you for your efforts. These will pay off in many ways!

FY13 Operating Budget

We are pleased to announce the Senate Finance Committee has closed out the UA FY13 Operating Budget, and the results for the university are very positive.

Thanks to strong advocacy efforts statewide, the Senate Finance Committee members chose to accept the House Finance Committee recommendations for the upcoming years' operating budget, to include the Governor's recommendations of funding salary increases, fixed costs and the Honors Program at UAA and UAF, as well as the addition of many increments requested by the Board of Regents.

Here is what the FY13 operating budget process looks like to date:

• UA Board of Regents submit budget proposal – November 2011
• Governor submits recommendations to legislature – December 2011
• House Finance Committee/House Floor action on operating budget – February/March 2012
• Senate Finance Committee action – closeout March 22, 2012
• Senate Finance Committee public testimony – March 28 (see schedule below)
• Senate Finance Committee action – after public testimony
• Senate Floor action on FY13 Operating Budget – towards end of session
• Conference Committee action just before adjournment April 15

Senate Finance Committee FY13 Operating Budget recommendations to date:

House Budget: Governor’s recommendations plus $4.3 million in state support for the following program areas: improving graduation rates ($1.3 million); engineering retention ($400.0 thousand); health/bio-medical – nursing, vet-med ($939.9 thousand); workforce programs ($749.1 thousand); Alaska research ($300 thousand); and additional legislative priority programs ($590.0 thousand).

The Senate Finance Subcommittee’s (SFS) proposed budget for UA is an $8.0 million (general fund) increase, 2.3%, above the current fiscal year (before one-time item reversals). The proposed Senate Finance Committee budget is $4.9 million above the Governor's proposed amended budget and $.6 million above the House budget.

Senate Finance Subcommittee Proposed FY13 Operating Budget (PDF): House plus $580.6 thousand in state support for: UAA ISER- Alaska education policy research ($250.0 thousand); UAF indigenous studies PhD and Alaska native knowledge network ($250.0 thousand); and UAS honors program ($80.6 thousand).

Wednesday, March 28
Public Testimony - Senate Finance Committee re: FY13 Operating Budget

Note: This is the last opportunity to participate in public testimony on the FY13 Operating Budget. Funding in the operating budget includes salaries, fixed costs and program expenditures. 

Note testimony will be taken only from local legislative information offices at designated times – ‘Offnet’ option available only to participants without a legislative information office in their communities.

Special note: Two-minute time limit per person. Testimony will be closed 15 minutes early if there are no further testifiers.

FY13 State Operating Budget public testimony
Wednesday, March 28 at the following times/locations:

• 8:45 - 9:45 a.m. Juneau
• 10 - 10:45 a.m. Kenai, Valdez, Kodiak, Seward, Matsu, Glennallen, Tok,
• 1 - 2:15 p.m. Anchorage
• 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Fairbanks
• 3:30 - 4:15 p.m. Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, Homer, Dillingham,Cordova
• 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. Bethel, Kotzebue, Barrow, Nome, Delta Junction, Unalaska, Offnets

March 14, 2012

With five weeks left in the session, there is much activity in the capitol building.

The House Finance Committee passed out their version of the FY13 Operating Budget on March 13th and it’s good news for the university!

The House Finance Subcommittee on the UA Budget (a subcommittee of the whole) recommended the Governor’s numbers, meaning fixed costs, compliance issues and the Honors program funding to base. When the full committee met on March 13, Representative Anna Fairclough and Representative Bill Thomas offered a large amendment to include multiple agency amendments, including the following for UAF:

MAU  Program   GF $ Other $

Student Success 
UAF   Trio Program   $600,000 $273,200
UAF  National Guard tuition  $  80,000

Workforce Development
UAF  Vet Med   $200,000 $200,000
UAF  Early Childhood Ed  $144,000
UAF   CEM (Engineering)  $400,000  $400,000

Research
UAF  RAP   $300,000 $472,600

Other funding
UAF   CES 4-H/FFA  $250,000 $750,000

The FY13 operating budget is scheduled for House floor action on March 15 and will then head to the Senate Finance Committee where it will receive numerous hearings, including another opportunity for public testimony.

Many, many thanks to all those active advocates who took time to write letters, meet with legislators and attend the House Finance Committee’s public hearing on the operating budget. Your voice was heard, and it incentivized House Finance Committee members to vote for the UA amendments.

On the capital budget front, UA was on the schedule March 13 in the Senate Finance Committee. UA President Gamble presented the UA capital budget request to include the deferred maintenance request as well as the research requests.

UAA and UAF governance students came back to Juneau this week to encourage positive action on the UA FY13 operating budget. Confirmation hearings will take place for UA Student Regent Mari Frietag on March 16.

Several members of the UAF Alumni Board will be in Juneau from March 17 - 20 to advocate for UAF. Joe Hayes, Jim Dixon and Tania Clucas will also meet with the UAF Student Investment Fund leaders and attend their presentation to the House Labor & Commerce Committee on March 19.

Gwen Holdmann, Director of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, will give a luncheon presentation March 20 in the state capitol to legislators and staff. She will be focusing on "Diversifying Alaska’s Economy through Applied Energy Resources" to give legislators an overview of UAF research in this area.

Please note: Expect to see another ‘call to action’ from the Senate Finance Committee within the next couple of weeks to support UA FY13 operating budget.

We appreciate all the hard work of our active advocates and encourage you to keep up the good work!

ALERT: ACTION NEEDED!

House Finance Committee announces public testimony on March 6-7 for FY13 Operating Budget

Date	Time	Location
Tuesday, March 6	1:30-2:30 p.m.	Juneau
	2:45-3:45 p.m.	Bethel, Kotzebue, Barrow, Nome, Delta Junction, Offnets
	4-5:15 p.m.	Anchorage
Wednesday, March 7	1:30-2:45 p.m.	Fairbanks
	3-4 p.m.	Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, Dillingham, Cordova, Unalaska
	4:15-5 p.m.	Homer, Kenai, Valdez, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su, Glennallen, Tok, Seward

Legislative Information Office locations

UA FY13 operating budget:

The House Finance Subcommittee for the University has endorsied the Governor’s numbers to maintain a ‘hold the line’ budget for the FY13 UA operating budget.

However, Representative Fairclough has indicated there may possible amendments to include funding for student success initiatives, and a number of high-demand workforce programs including engineering and nursing in the Board of Regents’FY13 operating budget request. These amendments may be offered when the full budget comes before the House Finance Committee in mid-March.

These amendments have a better chance of making it into the University budget IF the House Finance Committee hears from supporters of the initiatives to back up their actions. This is where the public testimony becomes very important. Legislators keep a tally of how many individuals support the initiative, the names of those that testify and the compelling stories they hear.

The House Finance Committee will take public testimony on March 6 and 7.  Participants must go to their local legislative information office (LIO) to testify, and will have two minutes to make their case.   The Committee will close out the hearings if testimony has ended 15 minutes before the allotted time ends.

What do I say?

(Note: You will have two minutes to make your case)

• Identify yourself by giving your name and affiliation. If you know your House District even better!
• State why you are testifying.
• Pick two or three bullet points about the importance of the initiative.
• Then Tell Your Own Story!

What are the currently unfunded university   FY13 operating budget initiatives?
(See Pages 36-47 of FY13 UA BOR request book)

New Initiatives to Improve Graduation Rates 
These requests support UA’s responsibility during students “the 3 critical years”. They include supporting UA’s part in the joint effort for insuring college readiness and student success during their three key decision and high attrition years (last year of high school and year 1 and year 2 of college). Specific focus placed on improving retention, timely completion, removing student obstacles, establishing much better performance facts, and creating a common database for student decision making.

Funding to accommodate the growing demand for trained professional in the areas of Engineering, Health/Bio-Medical, Teacher Education, and Workforce Development continues to be a top priority for UA. Only through continued investment in these areas will we keep up with the State’s need. The alternatives are to recruit from outside or go without.

Alaska research, economic development, intellectual property
These requests support UA’s newly initiated efforts to create economic value from UA intellectual property commercialization and focused research.

FY13 budget status update as of February 27

FY13 operating budget:
The House Finance Subcommittee on the UA FY13 operating budget has "closed out" with their recommendations of supporting the Governor's recommendations. No amendments were added in this process. However, the full House Finance Committee may take amendments when they meet to deliberate on the full FY13 operating budget.

If you are interested in supporting an increment in the OPERATING BUDGET, now is the time to send in letters of support to all House Finance Committee members:

Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak)
Representative Bill Thomas (Haines)
Representative Anna Fairclough (Eagle River)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (Dilllingham)
Representative Reggie Joule (Kotzebue)
Representative Mark Neuman (MatSu)
Representative Tammie Wilson (North Pole)
Representative Mia Costello (South Anchorage)
Representative David Guttenberg (Fairbanks)
Representative Les Gara (East Anchorage)
Representatie Mike Doogan (West Anchorage)
Representative Mike Hawker (Alt.) (Anchorage Hillside)

Also note - the House Finance Committee will announce a statewide teleconference on the FY13 operating budget for March 6-7, and times will be posted when we are notified of specifics. This is a perfect opportunity for RAP advocates to provide their testimony for this program. The more students and supporters you can send on that day, the better!

FY13 capital budget status:

Although the operating budget is taking center stage in the Alaska House right now, work is quietly underway on the Senate side to input information on all capital budget priorities to include the requested projects, letters and resolutions of support and backup documentation. The Governor has recommended funding $37.5 million in deferred maintenance projects as part of his five-year pledge to address critical items in this category. 

The UA Board of Regents have also asked for an additional $50 million for renewal and repurposing funding, as well as $100 million to address the backlog of necessary repairs, maintenance, renewal and replacement projects for the university statewide.

Also key in the FY13 capital budget request are a number of UAF research projects to be considered, including a  $10 million request for energy projects (PDF), $2 million for an  Oil Spill Research Center (PDF) (with a potential $25 million competitive grant in the mix), and  $2.5 million for studies involving ocean acidification (PDF). The last two projects have been endorsed in the recent Alaska Northern Waters Task Force recommendations (PDF). Note that for every dollar of state general funds, UA can leverage an average of $5 of other funds in research project funding.

Here is a sample letter of support (PDF) for consideration. Use the fact sheets highlighted above to insert a few salient bullet points, and then give a paragraph about why you support the project in your own words.  Letters should be a page in length and addressed to:

Senator_Joe_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us

Letters of support DO MATTER, especially when written by 'outside' advocates.

February 13, 2012

Time to Gear UP!

Anchorage legislators are headed home on Saturday, Feb. 18 to hold a Town Hall meeting at the ZJ Loussac Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon.

A number of Interior Delegation legislators are also headed home, and have their Town Hall meeting on Sunday, February 19 at West Valley High School from 1 to 3 p.m.

House Finance Committee Statewide Teleconference on the FY13 operating budget – helpful tips to make it easy!

Within the next several weeks, the House Finance Committee will be calendaring their statewide teleconference on the FY13 operating budget.  This is a great opportunity to actively participate in the process. 

How does this teleconference work?
Notice will be posted on the legislative calendar as to the date and times the House Finance Committee will be taking public testimony on the FY13 operating budget.  Typically, time is allotted for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, rural and offnet sites throughout the day. The public is invited to attend these meetings at their local legislative information office where they will sign up to present their supportive testimony.  Once the committee receives the roster of speakers, they will call upon each person to come to the table to give a two-minute presentation.  And they are serious about this time constraint!

Note: We will send out a notice on our legislative update enewsletter as soon as the dates/times are posted.

What if I can’t make it to the hearing?
House Finance Committee members will also accept written testimony sent by email, US Postal Service or fax. It’s also a great idea to ‘cc’ your own legislators so they know what you are supporting.

Why is this hearing important?
Legislators WANT to hear from their constituents! They will be listening intently to take notes of what is said and what budget items have the most vocal support. The more people that show up to testify on the budget, the better, especially when it comes to the University.

What’s in the UA FY13 operating budget? (PDF)
The UA Board of Regents have addressed the most pressing funding requirements for the University, i.e. fixed costs, salary increases, and high priority program initiatives.  It is important to note here that the Governor has reviewed the UA Regents’ request, recommending funding of fixed costs, salary increases and the Honors Program.  No funding was provided for the high-priority program requests.

However, it is very appropriate to advocate for anything in the UA Regents’ FY13 operating request, and support is needed for any of the program requests to succeed. This opportunity to provide testimony is a very effective way of getting your messages to legislators. It is especially important for ‘outside’ advocates, that is, private citizens, students, alumni, business and industry leaders, and UA partners. 

This is a proven method of advocacy – in years gone by, legislators were swayed by passionate testimony for various programs, and funding was included in the final budgets. In fact, the more people that testify to promote a program, the better!

What UA Board of Regents’ FY13 operating budget program initiatives are not funded to date? (See BOR FY13 Operating Request details - PDF)

• New initiatives to improve graduation rates
  These requests support UA’s responsibility during students “the 3 critical years”. They include supporting UA’s part in the joint effort for insuring college readiness and student success during their three key decision and high attrition years (last year of high school and year 1 and year 2 of college). Specific focus placed on improving retention, timely completion, removing student obstacles, establishing much better performance facts, and creating a common database for student decision making.
• Response to state high-demand jobs
  Funding to accommodate the growing demand for trained professional in the areas of Engineering, Health/Bio-Medical, Teacher Education, and Workforce Development continues to be a top priority for UA. Only through continued investment in these areas will we keep up with the State’s need. The alternatives are to recruit from outside or go without.
• Alaska Research, Economic Development, Intellectual Property
  These requests support UA’s newly initiated efforts to create economic value from UA intellectual property commercialization and focused research.
  

What points should I cover during my testimony?
You will have two minutes to convey your message, so short bullet points are essential in this case. This hearing is on the operating budget only.

Note: Two opportunities will be provided for public testimony for capital budget (infrastructure and building) requests. The capital budget deliberations typically happen towards the end of session in late March/early April. 

You will be asked to identify yourself, including your name, affiliation, and legislative district. This will really get the legislators’ attention if they are at the table.

Legislators are not so much interested in the financial details of the budget request as they want to hear your own story. Tell them what program initiatives you are supporting and why – what will this provide to the state, to Alaskans, to enhance workforce development, student achievements, etc. What will happen if the initiative is not funded?

At the end of your short testimony, make sure to thank the legislators for their time and ask them for their support of your request.

Who are the House Finance Committee members?

Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak)
Representative Bill Thomas (Haines)
Representative Anna Fairclough (Eagle River)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (Dilllingham)
Representative Reggie Joule (Kotzebue)
Representative Mark Neuman (MatSu)
Representative Tammie Wilson (North Pole)
Representative Mia Costello (South Anchorage)
Representative David Guttenberg (Fairbanks)
Representative Les Gara (East Anchorage)
Representatie Mike Doogan (West Anchorage)
Representative Mike Hawker (Alt.) (Anchorage Hillside)

What’s happening on the Hill? 

All three Chancellors have been invited by Senator Johnny Ellis to present to the UA Boosters Caucus on Feb. 28 to discuss collaborative and cooperative efforts between campuses. The Chancellors will also be presenting to the Juneau Downtown Rotary on the same date. This hearing may be available on Gavel or Gavel or Alaska Legislative TV.

The UA Board of Regents will be meeting in Fairbanks on February 15 and 16.  Public testimony will be taken on both days from 10 am to 11 am. Testimony is taken in-person only. During this meeting, a ribbon-cutting event will take place for the new ACEP Lab Modules. Senator Lesil McGuire is expected to make a few remarks at this ceremony.

Governor’s Cup Hockey! February 24 in Anchorage and February 25 in Fairbanks.  Come cheer on UAA or UAF in this final tournament of the season.