[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_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",6296369,"mediaKeyId","2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc","parentId",2516398,"title","Committee amends and reports out small‑business tax exemption bill after three amendments","audioSeconds",1214,"startMs",5482000,"endMs",6696000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc&start=5482&end=6696","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc/thumbnail_5482000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6296369/Alaska/Committee-amends-and-reports-out-smallbusiness-tax-exemption-bill-after-three-amendments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296369-047b0c5e77e766234627a77258b4f6b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770342191&Signature=QB8emL5~IQqOQESvYDKIXbBUfjq7KSR8HGz0KCp7z6~-TMLTu73IDI8mM7mpn0pVpPxDo0I1VWt6o-5M5bnqzhJOphaGP39XVXp8FH38xj5I7o6nP5Ed1WorJPIcZmzwv8mORL3i7MVPeb-MRSSq2G8I8tIUAJuvGtR4U1VQO3SJThwLR-d8fAnebUQzE5QgA85SGXPX0SOsRW-AXGWsnNFYf~mlJIqRC2lyJ2jRqgTOozcRLaqwPkHg5dSFNDMgb98ZmhBtozrD85Zw0S2sQrm~qljhHynHJki4-BgylubomKUaXtD-Y-Y75qSrToo6eZ9-HTSgkicn2VDM3f2nZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska State Legislature","date","2025-03-05T15:15:00Z","article","The House Labor and Commerce Committee considered and amended House Bill 113, a measure to reinstate a small‑business tax exemption. Committee members adopted three amendments and then voted to report the bill out of committee as amended with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes.

Nut graf: The committee adopted (1) Amendment 1 (Representative Sadler) requiring Department of Revenue notification to previously participating businesses and a 10‑year sunset on the exemption; (2) Amendment 3 (Representative Fields), with a conceptual modification to expand the rural population threshold from 4,500 to 7,500, to add a film production tax credit modeled on a prior program; and (3) Amendment 4 (Representative Kerrick) capping total foregone revenue from the exemption at $2,700,000. After adopting the amendments the committee approved reporting the bill out of committee as amended.

Amendment actions and roll calls: Representative Sadler moved amendment 1 (134LS064\\Alpha.1); the committee adopted it by unanimous consent. Representative Fields moved amendment 3 (conceptual amendment adopted to change the rural population threshold from 4,500 to 7,500); the roll call recorded 4 yeas and 3 nays with the yeas from Representatives Burke, Kerrick, Fields and Hall and nays from Representatives Nelson, Colom and Sadler. Representative Kerrick moved amendment 4 to cap the amount of foregone revenue at $2,700,000; a roll call also passed 4 yeas and 3 nays (Kerrick, Burke, Fields, Hall in favor; Colom, Nelson, Sadler opposed).

Final committee action: After amendment votes the committee accepted the motion to report HB 113 out of committee as amended with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes; no roll call was recorded on the final motion and co‑chairs declared the bill reported with no objections.

Questions and debate: Members debated the efficacy and cost of resurrecting the film tax credit, whether film credits were transferable and could be purchased (a point members asked to have the administration confirm after the hearing), and the business impacts of a renewed exemption. Representative Sadler objected to the film tax credit amendment on fiscal and policy grounds, while Representative Fields and others said prior beneficiaries reported work and jobs when a film credit existed previously.

Ending: Committee members were asked to stay to sign the committee report for HB 113; the committee concluded business for the day.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/05/2025 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 113, the small business tax exemption bill, was amended three times in committee — including a sunset/notification amendment, a resurrected film tax credit amendment, and a cap on foregone revenue — and was reported out of committee as amended.","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},6296373,"Sponsor urges statewide ban on polystyrene food service ware; committee sets amendment deadline",1844,2724000,4568000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc&start=2724&end=4568","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc/thumbnail_2724000.jpg","/articles/6296373/Alaska/Sponsor-urges-statewide-ban-on-polystyrene-food-service-ware-committee-sets-amendment-deadline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296373-59fdd61a303708b3183a2d0a18f2eaee/orig.mp4?Expires=1770342191&Signature=VXgUBBQ8HAFatrCQHBeoa7XZhNoO58~qZjawOsjiiNe8-WXg6RBpcGkji4G40iDktCHEZJAb~j7gJUsur6QTV0VnYiisozyMbxx7w6TqtCFgiBgiavSZaHDrdfDu80NVUq5cLbvqKsau9xDgK-s9ay9N0fFZAZ~DipzpvScBZlZyloAlT6dktEw8pIgDMb-2-8bDCYTPhOO3XAaByf7qll2dmlnwhMYWNvPMh9yEmAmXLv56sVIC0XJPFMZvbPH56cjheYPW0GqCA21lIKUKt7JxqS6tphFdbHpHwFZ8fDgVZR0UBwiduJGDKuI4-NZtOXBKyCWnxu4ZCk5FxcByqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Andy Josephson presented House Bill 25 on March 5, a first hearing to prohibit disposable expanded and extruded polystyrene (commonly called Styrofoam) food service ware in restaurants, food wagons and on the state ferry system. Josephson and invited experts told the House Labor and Commerce Committee that the product is a persistent pollutant and that styrene, the monomer in polystyrene, has documented health risks.

Nut graf: The bill would prohibit polystyrene food service packaging statewide, allow exemptions for packaged food prepared out of state and for businesses demonstrating that affordable alternatives are unavailable or that compliance would create undue hardship, and direct DEC (the Department of Environmental Conservation) to enforce violations under existing sanitary code procedures and fines.

Sponsor testimony: Josephson said many jurisdictions have banned polystyrene and that alternatives (paper, wood, bamboo, compostable plant‑fiber containers) are available. \"It is known to be a human carcinogen that can contribute to leukemia and lymphoma,\" Josephson said during his presentation, describing studies on styrene and listing organ systems that research has associated with exposure. He also cited local testing that found microplastics in multiple water sources in Southcentral Alaska.

Invited testimony: Pamela Miller, executive director and senior scientist with Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT), testified in support, saying polystyrene is hazardous, leaches styrene into hot, acidic or fatty foods, and fragments into microplastics that persist and travel long distances. Miller said plant‑based compostable alternatives are available in Alaska and cited Green Alaska Solutions as a local supplier.

Committee questions and concerns: Committee members focused on enforcement, definitions of affordability and undue hardship for small vendors and street vendors, and potential cost impacts to small businesses, especially in rural areas and among food‑wagon vendors. Representative Sadler asked how the department would define affordability or undue hardship; Josephson said the department would need to develop regulations and definitions in the Alaska Administrative Code if the statute passes. Representative Colom and others pressed about which products the bill would cover; ACAT and the sponsor clarified the bill targets polystyrene food packaging (cups, clamshells, trays).

Process: The committee set an amendment deadline for HB 25 at 10 a.m. on March 13. No vote to report the bill out of committee was taken at the hearing; the bill was set aside for future consideration.

Ending: The committee heard multiple perspectives on small business impacts and rural enforcement, and the sponsor and invited experts offered to provide additional product and cost information to the committee before the amendment deadline.","Representative Andy Josephson introduced HB 25, which would ban disposable polystyrene food service containers statewide; sponsor and environmental advocates cited human health and marine pollution concerns. The committee set an amendment deadline for March 13 at 10 a.m.",{"_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},6296376,"Committee adopts substitute for money‑transmission bill, raises maximum civil penalty and sets amendment deadline",121,1368000,1489000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc&start=1368&end=1489","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc/thumbnail_1368000.jpg","/articles/6296376/Alaska/Committee-adopts-substitute-for-moneytransmission-bill-raises-maximum-civil-penalty-and-sets-amendment-deadline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296376-bc0887114c761ae0f824621400033e66/orig.mp4?Expires=1770342191&Signature=TBRuJhGA-1tgWrPrCxYVOiGtvHEQp8UW6m-IudLKdAkVKBrpn~uJj9SxDDmEI0ubBhIkCo1UPxcYtMuGWdQg9mfxzQg7dTAnI0OLrUV2DIX4rVIrXgCSbPsd91JQLLegp1RsfoCi3LKBSooNFuragwo79xpJu-vel64Ak0Ek4fbgsKjVDSSW8vdAP-rJbWoWquA7c8CfG0LwpaL6b6PW76Kqlg-QgKMgnJE6Nm1CCDkQHqaU0DfwV5GjwUjcd-dJQFJ8fq3-6MsxqzVtx9Tcdg0BvCzbT-dPMVgPNk7885wU1VexGvwxJcCX3Mbo6W1pJaw8dYD0pRMEgakhMtpDYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Labor and Commerce Committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 99, a measure that would regulate money transmission and virtual currency, and set an amendment deadline for Monday, March 10 at 10 a.m., co‑chair Fields said. The committee substitute includes changes that raise a civil penalty to $10,000 and gives the department authority to adopt transition regulations and to delay the bill's effective date by six months.

Nut graf: The substitute aligns civil penalties for money service businesses with penalties used in the mortgage statute and moves the effective date to July to allow rulemaking, public comment and a renewal period; the division director said the change will make the division self‑sustaining by enabling volume‑based fees tied to business size.

Summary of key changes: Evan Anderson, staff to co‑chair Fields, summarized the committee substitute. \"On section 37, page 38, we are removing a fine, for, that says a thousand dollars and adding in a fine for $10,000,\" Anderson said. Section 68 allows the department to adopt transition regulations after the bill's effective date. Section 71 pushes the effective date back from January to July to give the department more time for rulemaking, public comment, and licensing renewals.

Administration testimony and fiscal note: Director Robert Schmidt of the Division of Banking and Securities told the committee the bill is intended to make the division self‑sufficient by permitting volume‑based licensing fees (\"volume equals risk\") and to expand examination and enforcement capacity. Schmidt said the division's examiners have been understaffed given industry growth and proposed five new positions (PCNs) over two years. Dawn Hanish, division operations manager, said the fiscal note requested five new PCNs (three in year one, two in year two) and one‑time equipment costs for onboarding and telework needs.

Penalty rationale and enforcement: When asked what conduct could trigger civil penalties up to the maximum, Schmidt said the mortgage statute allows civil penalties of up to $10,000 and that the maximum would attach to the \"most egregious conduct\" such as criminal activity or other large‑scale misconduct. \"You heard me right when I said that there are bad people that do bad things,\" Schmidt added, noting monthly reports of elder scams involving cryptocurrency that often move funds offshore.

Committee process: The committee adopted the substitute as the working document after Representative Fields moved to adopt it and there being \"no objection.\" The committee set an amendment deadline for Monday, March 10 at 10 a.m.; co‑chair Fields said the deadline could be extended if members needed LegisLegal's assistance to draft changes.

Ending: Committee members said they would review the fiscal note and proposed fee schedule; the committee did not vote to report the bill out at this meeting and left the bill for future consideration.","The Labor and Commerce Committee adopted a committee substitute to House Bill 99, increasing a proposed civil penalty from $1,000 to $10,000 to align with mortgage civil penalties and authorizing transition regulations; the committee set an amendment deadline of March 10.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6296378,"DMV to begin issuing non‑domiciled commercial driver licenses after statutory updates",590,681000,1271000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc&start=681&end=1271","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2516398-4962022e024c4cf3bd3ce77eb66cd0cc/thumbnail_681000.jpg","/articles/6296378/Alaska/DMV-to-begin-issuing-nondomiciled-commercial-driver-licenses-after-statutory-updates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296378-59be5b806ef409eb60d2c5d60adfde6c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770342191&Signature=aZoiYjwcc6Wlo-pA8TgkaZ4j~YGef9sZCC8GNehLCWFWDpiA6R7kYy-mBR~cpam-HR9rG~BgeUOmG1pUUXkXf6u-He9~2Exz~oZo5PREP8DHL~cH76r7KvkpuvE9YUKKAlZgbWy04kjw0GAmc5n4t4ZDhNcvA0PksAbNkJnMPs2y33LUQutFOAY~VSXMtWnYZoVQGZczFwymI8BHxwXQMNeXNifX2Zx6ljPkYlK74yjZWr9Cdtd86sC74pojoba35eP8FoLzBbymT98yW78L88IF~HiNPsNgvhg7PE5eOWOefnDfl3DVvwF~kq8QoU3JT1hYlCTmLG3MCjvjH59tmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing official non‑domiciled commercial learner permits (CLPs) and commercial driver licenses (CDLs) in April, DMV Director Kathleen Wallace told the House Labor and Commerce Committee on March 5. Tatiana Robbins, executive director of Project Alaska Inc., and labor representatives said the change should allow refugees and other newcomers with prior CDL experience to enter Alaska's truck driver workforce sooner.

The update came after Representative Julie Colom described a barrier that prevented Ukrainian refugees and other newcomers from getting CDLs because Alaska law previously required a one‑year wait after obtaining an Alaska driver's license. \"In 2023, which removed the amount of years residency requirement,\" Representative Colom said, and Representative Colom and others then pursued further statutory alignment so non‑domiciled statuses would be eligible for CDLs.

Nut graf: The change implements statutes passed in 2023 and 2024 (including a 2024 law that Representative Robbins said was signed on 08/30/2024) that removed residency-year requirements and allowed non‑domiciled CLP/CDL issuance for people with Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Committee testimony said Alaska faces a shortage of roughly 500 truck drivers; committee members and workforce trainers said earlier DMV practices were slowing placement of trained drivers into jobs.

Committee testimony: Tatiana Robbins, executive director of Project Alaska Inc., told the committee that Project Alaska had served more than 2,000 Ukrainians and other newcomers since 2022 and that many have heavy‑equipment and truck experience but were unable to obtain CDLs under prior DMV practice. \"We were waiting since August for that joyful news, which we received yesterday that we finally will be able to help our clients to apply for CDL license,\" Robbins said.

Patrick Fitzgerald of Teamsters Local 959 explained how apprenticeship and third‑party testing interact with DMV licensing, noting apprentices typically must hold a personal driver's license for one year under the Teamsters' program before entering apprenticeship steps that lead to CDL road testing. Fitzgerald described the union and its training trust as a third‑party testing provider that submits results to the DMV so trainees can receive a physical CDL at DMV offices.

DMV implementation: DMV director Kathleen Wallace told the committee the division currently has a workaround allowing issuance of a CDL or CLP now, and that beginning in April the division will issue the official non‑domiciled CLP or CDL. \"Currently, we have a workaround where these folks could be issued, a CDL or CLP right now. In April, beginning in April, they will be able to be issued the official non domiciled CLP or CDL,\" Wallace said. The committee was told staff training and processing work remains and that full implementation timelines are being finalized.

Impact and next steps: Committee members asked for clarification about the immediate availability for people who already hold CDLs from other states and are returning to Alaska; Robbins and others said people who hold an out‑of‑state CDL may be able to obtain an Alaska CDL now via the workaround and that full training and permit issuance should be in place within roughly two weeks to a month. Committee members did not take formal action on this update; staff and administration officials said they will continue coordinating implementation and training.

Ending: Committee staff noted administration contacts are available for follow‑up and no committee vote was required for this informational update. The committee moved on to the next agenda item after setting no new deadlines related to this presentation.","The House Labor and Commerce Committee heard an update that the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing non‑domiciled commercial driver permits and licenses in April, implementing 2023–2024 statutory changes that removed residency barriers for UHP and TPS holders.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee amends and reports out small‑business tax exemption bill after three amendments

Sponsor urges statewide ban on polystyrene food service ware; committee sets amendment deadline

Committee adopts substitute for money‑transmission bill, raises maximum civil penalty and sets amendment deadline

DMV to begin issuing non‑domiciled commercial driver licenses after statutory updates