[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6328349,"mediaKeyId","2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a","parentId",2320442,"title","Public testimony on HB 80 divides Alaska builders and mayors over statewide residential building code","audioSeconds",2145,"startMs",2525000,"endMs",4670000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a&start=2525&end=4670","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a/thumbnail_2525000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6328349/Alaska/Public-testimony-on-HB-80-divides-Alaska-builders-and-mayors-over-statewide-residential-building-code","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328349-080945ac856afd3ed8d1588dbe1d25c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194702&Signature=TMllmGzZ3rD20eIQaan~yj-68cZdwyh~OS~cUHOvY9RXnsleag3ToiSxESVITK-rkGwn5X7bayhvOD9nSxPeYV1HERGHLtscGPBMhw~OoaFVOAViltJrbxNM27a567xY7hNxJAAtAV3j03l-Nt680k-Hf8aD7Fca9sugzPLLCOVxJs1ruaAQybc9Sty4l75nI4ra6NQ4uGOmSdtoAQQleWn60Exv5taEXSjgY9QApEW1NEHdfkUnMV45NMyHwxeZmGY5qFW-GojAQfgZNl-fmDN6uVODAwPTGzgvr5GOAQMbh4uexYsdx0-vBNeImpaoWT8~U3lkrhUPFPQDlFyiyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-02-12T00:00:00Z","article","Public testimony at the House Labor and Commerce Committee hearing presented sharply different views on House Bill 80, which would establish a statewide minimum residential building code with local options.

Proponents said a baseline tailored to Alaska’s climate and permitting regimes would protect consumers and reduce duplication of work for local governments; opponents said a statewide code could raise costs, create enforcement burdens and slow construction in fast‑growing boroughs already struggling with housing shortages.

Aaron Welterlund, a Fairbanks builder and vice president of the Alaska State Home Builders Association, told the committee the association supports a statewide code as a consumer protection measure and said most builders exceed the minimum standard. “This bill creates a statewide building code… there is some consumer protectionism,” Welterlund said.

But builders from the Matanuska‑Susitna Borough urged caution. David Miller, a Mat‑Su builder, said the borough has one of the state’s fastest growth rates and that a statewide mandate could increase permit times and enforcement costs. “If this code was adopted at a statewide level at this point, what that would necessitate is eventually there would be a need to enforce that,” Miller told the committee, and he said his Mat‑Su association currently opposes the bill as written.

Housing researcher Mia (Leah) Winters of the Full Employment Housing Research Center testified in favor of HB 80’s approach to provide an Alaska‑specific starting point and to preserve local flexibility where needed. She told the committee the bill is written to allow local amendments and explicitly exempts owner‑builders and recreational cabins, a provision Winters said protects Alaskans who build independently while providing a consistent baseline elsewhere.

Several borough mayors testified against immediate statewide adoption. Mat‑Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries said the bill would remove local control and could force boroughs without building departments to create new enforcement structures. “It takes away the local control,” DeVries said.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche described his jurisdiction’s geography and argued current local options better fit many residents. “We have the choice for those that choose to live in our cities that have building codes to live in those codes … more of my constituents are moving out away from those areas because of the cost of building,” Micciche said, and he urged legislators to consider housing shortages before adopting new mandates.

One public witness argued passionately against statewide standards. Dean Barch, speaking for himself, criticized state interference in builders’ choices and said local residents should control how they build. His testimony included strongly worded remarks about personal authority and government limits.

Committee members asked about enforcement, flexibility for remote communities and exemptions for owner‑builders; witnesses pointed to existing local codes, AHFC work on Alaska‑specific standards and the practical differences across Alaska’s climates and settlement patterns. Representative Fields closed public testimony saying the committee will hold more hearings and invited additional information and proposed amendments from stakeholders.

Ending: The committee did not act on HB 80 during the session. Lawmakers signaled they will continue hearings to weigh local control, enforcement cost and the bill’s effect on housing affordability before advancing any statutory changes.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House LABOR & COMMERCE 02/12/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public testimony at the House Labor and Commerce Committee hearing presented sharply different views on House Bill 80, which would establish a statewide minimum residential building code with local options.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328353,"Lawmakers hear that apprenticeships give Alaskans debt-free career starts but face risks from federal funding pauses",2180,346000,2526000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a&start=346&end=2526","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a/thumbnail_346000.jpg","/articles/6328353/Alaska/Lawmakers-hear-that-apprenticeships-give-Alaskans-debt-free-career-starts-but-face-risks-from-federal-funding-pauses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328353-8bdf5488268fa52be0c9b2080a10852d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194702&Signature=O7ajQAZt35qkMEChXNRl51H8BY44nYULVhO4vMommv2eii9acI5lpqx1QhoftosuaEp44QOXlmvkaupztPS9wprPAe4eXMAFHsaci-x0AUiDl6Dil02Hivhm36ZUWFfOsHud5YKcqsfDoZ6ANqgQ777Mol2p-OV7hE8hllK-3fSOBJEHss9BLyf3gAnV7OOL-yQPRWDRta3~3yDGNMZKTVxq-4n6lBlyYkoevwfNGOTCzQ8xU1r1j~4NyiKPNEiAM1BFFS8a8PYZ2aFzGRjPRYsv7VFCMaqNAgKH48RR16k2bhgIYNcVTiR-5UIqwis-vrImLzZX~HBai8okKoOl6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a meeting of the Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee, trade, health-care and higher-education representatives described how apprenticeship programs give participants wages, benefits and career credentials from day one while helping employers recruit, train and retain workers.

Speakers told committee members the programs create debt‑free entry to careers, stabilize communities and produce workers who can maintain critical infrastructure such as power and telecommunications — but they warned the pipeline is sensitive to funding and project disruptions.

Doug Tanzi, business manager for IBEW Local 1547, described starting an apprenticeship immediately after high school and said the program’s combination of on‑the‑job experience and classroom time paid off. “I was able to start my program right out of high school,” Tanzi said, adding that apprentices earn wages and benefits while training. He told the committee the union‑contract trusts administered jointly with National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) chapters fund training and provide what he described as “approximately a $50,000 scholarship” to each apprentice to cover school, labs and materials.

Tanzi gave program details and timeframes the committee can use to evaluate pipeline capacity: many electrical apprenticeship tracks require about 8,000 hours of on‑the‑job work plus roughly 1,500 hours of classroom instruction. He said the union’s Alaska apprenticeship programs are at a historic high for enrollments in both Anchorage and Fairbanks and that graduates serve long careers maintaining power generation, transmission and telecommunications across the state.

But funding interruptions pose a direct operational risk, Tanzi and several legislators warned. Representative Carey noted recent shortfalls in federal transportation funding under the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and asked how that affects apprentices. Tanzi said contractors have been told to “pump the brakes” on some projects and warned that if expected federal or energy dollars do not materialize, contractors will postpone work, apprentices will lose placement opportunities and programs may have to start over — resetting multi‑year training clocks and producing workforce shortages years later.

Health‑sector apprenticeship sponsors told lawmakers their programs face different capacity constraints but the same need for flexibility. Nancy Merriman, chief executive officer of the Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA), described the association’s apprenticeship work and said APCA became a multi‑employer registered apprenticeship sponsor in 2017 in partnership with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to help Alaska’s community health centers recruit and retain staff.

APCA chief program officer Terry O’Connor said the association currently has nearly 100 apprentices employed by more than 25 employers, including community health centers, hospitals, tribal health organizations and social‑service providers. “We have almost a hundred apprentices in training right now in our apprenticeship programs, and they're employed by more than 25 different employers,” O’Connor said. APCA sponsors nine registered apprenticeship programs and has added shorter, non‑registered earn‑and‑learn trains that are distance delivered, to meet rural scheduling and pacing needs while still awarding credentials.

Alaska Pacific University (APU) described how higher education can be integrated with apprenticeship. Hilton Hallock, provost of Alaska Pacific University, told the committee APU has stacked and stackable credentials, and is working with APCA and other partners to offer academic credit for industry training so apprentices gain transferable credentials. Hallock said APU holds a $5,000,000 Department of Labor grant to expand the nursing workforce and is adapting enrollment and credentialing to help employers get trained staff quickly. “Our goal is to provide academic programs and educational growth opportunities that meet Alaska’s critical needs,” Hallock said.

Committee members pressed presenters on supervision and mentor ratios, especially for health‑care apprentices whose work can include patient contact. O’Connor said supervisor/mentor capacity can limit how many apprentices a site can host because one experienced clinician can only safely mentor a limited number of trainees.

Speakers and members repeatedly tied apprenticeship outcomes to broader funding decisions. Testimony linked federal infrastructure and energy grants, USDA rural programs and state capital budgets to employers’ ability to put apprentices to work; several witnesses said delays or pauses in federal funding would shrink placement opportunities and could force programs to scale back intake until projects return.

The committee did not take formal action. Members signaled interest in follow‑up hearings to explore apprenticeship models for other occupations and to examine how state outreach, school‑to‑apprenticeship pipelines and agency grants can support scalable, flexible apprenticeships for rural Alaska.

Ending: Witnesses urged lawmakers to promote apprenticeship awareness and to consider outreach and coordination with school districts, employers and higher‑education partners so Alaska can expand training while limiting the risks created when public funding or project pipelines pause.","Representatives from electrical trades, health centers and Alaska Pacific University told the House Labor and Commerce Committee that apprenticeships provide wages, benefits and career pipelines but that interrupted federal infrastructure funding and contractor slowdowns could cut placements and stall training pipelines.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328344,"Sponsor, industry urge Alaska to criminalize counterfeit and nonfunctional airbags in HB 74",1153,4715000,5868000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a&start=4715&end=5868","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2320442-65d64079d5264b0463cc698a505b424a/thumbnail_4715000.jpg","/articles/6328344/Alaska/Sponsor-industry-urge-Alaska-to-criminalize-counterfeit-and-nonfunctional-airbags-in-HB-74","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328344-03e2de36f6691bcf18444848229d991a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194702&Signature=X4uSCyUK5SPpeuRPBi-V4y3LGFjlvvA2mfYig7FxVaa2QU8-08hk8~9OY01Kr3q~5db4ouqFP~LDZoXlUfPsZAqVysmX4vIxO-3oys5fRxT6nN8xDbW5zvxPP64Cd-qq~WkTvMAerk8~D8nE6yLv1aYuPkcQgtS-uViNm-hIrVK9Adp0igSiHHWaxTR187nEgusPriumwg1XoB4Idb~vGXQI0REEM8U3OpWqUD6inCSOidTXyq1d1mWdonOIdDuvEvfQlwxYpgw6jnylY95OIGZQnnw1MYkICPkurFhafefnQFU058CivJjj8gxWQt10qLcdnFiUMsCVPN9tEJ56GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 74, introduced to the House Labor and Commerce Committee, would add a section to Alaska law making it a crime to knowingly sell, install, manufacture or reinstall counterfeit or nonfunctional airbags. The sponsor and invited industry witnesses said the measure aims to prevent dangerous devices from entering vehicles and to give law enforcement tools to act.

Representative Frank Tomaszewski, sponsor of HB 74, told the committee the bill would amend Alaska Statutes to define and criminalize “airbag fraud” and said similar legislation has passed in more than 30 states. Tomaszewski said the measure covers both counterfeit airbags (replacements that display unauthorized manufacturer marks) and nonfunctional airbags (inoperable, previously deployed or otherwise unsafe devices). He described the crime as a class A misdemeanor and said it becomes a class C felony if death or serious physical injury results from the device; specific penalty amounts and jail terms were not specified in the committee testimony.

David Goff, staff to Representative Tomaszewski, summarized the bill’s sections for the committee. Goff said the draft would not impose a duty to inspect vehicles before sale and would exempt certain parties from criminal liability if they lack knowledge that an airbag is counterfeit or nonfunctional, including dealership employees and insurers disposing of vehicles under lawful authority.

Industry witness Craig Walling, director of state and local government affairs for American Honda Motor Company, described the safety problem with examples and investigations. “We’ve seen airbags that are filled with all sorts of debris, such as sawdust, newspaper, rag, trash bags, and other debris,” Walling told the committee. He said some counterfeit inflators have been so dangerous they required bomb‑squad handling during seizure and that nationwide reporting has linked counterfeit airbags to deaths and injuries. Walling said most counterfeit airbags originate overseas and are imported into U.S. supply chains; he urged a state law to supplement the limited authority of federal agencies and to help remove listings from e‑commerce platforms.

Lawmakers asked about scope and enforcement. Representative Sadler asked whether most counterfeit airbags are imported or produced domestically; Tomaszewski and the industry witness said imports are a major source but that trafficking and domestic resale also occur. Representative Klum asked about penalties; the sponsor said the bill sets misdemeanor and felony tiers but did not supply statutory fine or jail ranges during the hearing. The committee set an amendment deadline and scheduled further consideration of HB 74 at a subsequent meeting.

Ending: Supporters said HB 74 would give Alaska prosecutors and federal partners additional tools to remove counterfeit airbags from circulation and warn consumers and repair shops. No formal action was taken at the hearing.","House Bill 74 would make knowingly selling, installing or manufacturing counterfeit or nonfunctional airbags a crime. The sponsor and an industry witness from Honda described examples of dangerous knockoffs and said similar laws in many states help law enforcement and e‑commerce platforms remove illegal products.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public testimony on HB 80 divides Alaska builders and mayors over statewide residential building code

Lawmakers hear that apprenticeships give Alaskans debt-free career starts but face risks from federal funding pauses

Sponsor, industry urge Alaska to criminalize counterfeit and nonfunctional airbags in HB 74