[{"_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",6085534,"mediaKeyId","2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6","parentId",2903107,"title","Committee adopts substitute resolution urging wildfire preparedness, clarifies public education language","audioSeconds",448,"startMs",6796000,"endMs",7244000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6&start=6796&end=7244","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6/thumbnail_6796000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6085534/Alaska/Committee-adopts-substitute-resolution-urging-wildfire-preparedness-clarifies-public-education-language","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085534-d5ce489cc22ce47fb0280bc8d45e867e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160114&Signature=P6FwSij8F-wAvgO-NfqLve0Pluy5aQMiJYK4JJRVcnkgwNnDvqT4yyiHwTc0vZL4h6mrIRf4Wy5-Q0CH4hjZRb2OO93Xi7H7G7-L6hujRKESMD5BZK0j4DdFAe~mssigF8tR-lm3KRWnZYGrzA1E0nuiekYvm4GKTwvYDCiTGrXAwEdU4PDZ55OP5ietWdssGZZ9NKa7Yw6kxcxPS5D6soYLtVP7Ft9958gSNfB3XVxwxTBJvp2bT1RiRggSFLaeNZ3U7FyQuwZ556vY2zOpybzopj1LYV6Rj4qn0xkonGuHQXjf0Fo7fnPDxKJfFHkNGIFbSfdLtcegxlbC~cVIIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","article","On April 8, 2025 the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee adopted a committee substitute for House Joint Resolution 15, a resolution urging statewide wildfire preparedness and public education.

Corbin Morrison, committee staff, walked the committee through edits in the CS that primarily reworded public‑outreach provisions and removed a hard May 1 deadline for multi‑agency tabletop exercises and live evacuation drills. Morrison said the CS added Southeast Alaska to the list of high‑risk places and replaced some language (\"immediate and severe\") with \"increased\" to moderate diction. The CS also expands the public‑education direction to ask public information offices and agencies to encourage residents to enroll in home‑defense and evacuation preparedness programs, citing Firewise USA and Ready, Set, Go as examples.

Representative Kai Holland, sponsor of the resolution, said she welcomed the collaborative work with other members and staff to reach the CS language. Committee members asked whether agencies have capacity to carry out drills; staff and the sponsor said some multi‑agency preparedness work is already underway and that the CS removes an unrealistic hard deadline while preserving the call for public education and multi‑agency planning.

Cochair Donna Mears moved the committee substitute with the attached fiscal note and individual recommendations; no roll‑call vote was recorded. The committee adopted the CS and moved it from committee with the fiscal note and recommendations attached.

Committee staff set an amendment deadline and said they will notify members about next steps.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04/08/2025 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS","oneSentenceSummary","The committee adopted a committee substitute to HJR 15 that broadens public education language, names Southeast Alaska among at‑risk areas and removes a hard date for drills; the CS was approved with an attached fiscal note and recommendations.","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},6085538,"Committee adopts zero‑cost committee substitute for AI task force, removes per diem",376,6349000,6725000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6&start=6349&end=6725","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6/thumbnail_6349000.jpg","/articles/6085538/Alaska/Committee-adopts-zerocost-committee-substitute-for-AI-task-force-removes-per-diem","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085538-0806da8ea618fbc071f3ba9b0d7a4913/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160114&Signature=F6afaKm3ByduPqLLn-OZBisEf1o90oUvypibfx3Zuj449aBMHxHggZ8xZ39iELSsdplpU4zI~h5Qo4WFuIXICTrq6xn1yoYl71KPYHsfykM2LQEVijYtXw1MAeU3dfOq6D1zl3YvUQmJfWIiJ4JB6O7bJmvLLz0qL592qCF2y51Ve1OWh5MqpzSXQ9DefikWjvuzncCVdG4FDQZuFG29q~YNRyhFMZdBrcUn9H5VYwX~M51q0ajVBu0xJ~DL8eL~j6888706qe7NQeqU2PpDjyO~kO3XlUbHB1K5meU9PP1N1UiqYnY1KI2HRkd~mELrJx47iBEfH8Oh9fGGC6~0jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee adopted a committee substitute for HCR 3 on April 8, 2025, creating a legislative task force to study artificial intelligence and its implications for state and local government.

Thatcher Brower, staff to the committee, said the CS makes three principal changes: it explicitly includes generated images within the definition of artificial intelligence tools; it asks the task force to begin by setting a common set of terms and definitions; and it removes language that would have allowed per diem for task force members so the draft reads as a zero‑cost task force and permits virtual participation. \"The first one was to include generated images as part of artificial intelligence,\" Brower told the committee.

Representative George Rauscher, the bill sponsor, told the committee he did not oppose the changes and expects the bill to move forward with them. Representative Prox initially objected to the CS to ask whether removing per diem would undermine the task force’s work, but later withdrew the objection after sponsors explained the intent to rely on virtual participation and volunteer participation by stakeholders.

The committee adopted the CS as its working document and set the amendment deadline as announced in committee materials.","The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee adopted a committee substitute for HCR 3 to form a legislative AI task force; the CS removes per diem and emphasizes virtual participation and definitions work, and the sponsor signaled support for the edits.",{"_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},6085544,"Committee reviews bill to speed state payments to nonprofits, tribes and municipalities",283,3507000,3790000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6&start=3507&end=3790","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6/thumbnail_3507000.jpg","/articles/6085544/Alaska/Committee-reviews-bill-to-speed-state-payments-to-nonprofits-tribes-and-municipalities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085544-2aa3279caf592286224fd7a18383f684/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160114&Signature=HDvCopG7DTsCvzjuuNL~Xbez8RSY0YviLNMJoM6eQkz3HCe6dpszQ0IBzoROmh5h-grqjhCUiyGADiZk9-zCOVpwjKmHVb1Pi4B9eNwAWE5nSV2ZqO5Zu6hZiu51nh5VKh88ETdaZTeol72pYK0INE-VxsUrHnZWOsQsr6IoPVY1IVUYuX5sTCrw7rRNcK0dHFqoMtnrqh50I3biKB0LnWW0lAmKg3PyfzRJCUiBrbb4Ryk0M5u7ndlBARJPf1wfl94w4AmA9xzZpi3sRcRPcyTUAw-OFhie3PwzdD9qdpF-MA5EwAiYsHvXHkQe1dmhM8B6qgZ5y9YI7Bs2KVJuyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Community and Regional Affairs took a full hearing on House Bill 133 on April 8, 2025, a measure to bring \"parity\" for nonprofits, Alaska Native organizations and municipalities in prompt state payments for contracts, grants and reimbursements.

Ella Lubin, staff to Cochair Rebecca Hemshutt, summarized the bill as aimed at addressing long‑standing delays that force low‑revenue service providers to front expenses they cannot absorb. The Department of Health, which provided multiple fiscal notes, said delays are driven by high volume, staff capacity and the complexity of juggling federal funding streams.

Pam Halloran, assistant commissioner for the Department of Health, told the committee the department manages hundreds of grants and contracts across divisions and identified turnover, invoice quality and budgetary timing as contributors to payment delays. \"We are very committed to timely payments,\" Halloran said, and described recent steps including new grants leadership and requests for additional positions to speed processing.

Zoe Olsen, grants administration manager for the Department of Health, said the department is administering approximately a hundred and $40,000,000 in FY25 and currently has eight full‑time grants employees. She told the committee the department processes roughly 440 awards across some 80 grant programs in a typical year and that grants are often issued on a multi‑year cycle but require year‑by‑year administration.

Jason Grove, procurement manager for the Department of Health, said the department’s standard is to pay within 30 days of receipt of a proper invoice once the invoice is reviewed against the contract. He said timing is often negotiated in contracts but the typical performance standard and expectation is payment within 30 days.

Committee members pressed for specifics: Representative Ruffridge asked whether the bill’s provisions would merely duplicate internal reforms or whether statute is necessary. Halloran and Olsen described systems work under way — including a new procurement module (Periscope), plans to integrate grants and accounting systems, and consideration of a new grants management system — but said those projects are one to two years from full implementation. The Department of Health’s fiscal work estimated roughly $1.5 million in annualized interest that would have been charged at a 10.5% rate on the late payments identified in their notes; Halloran said the department instead proposed adding staff (PCNs) targeted at accounting and grants capacity to reduce delays.

Other agencies said their exposures varied. Bonnie Jensen, administrative services director for the Department of Fish and Game, estimated the department’s exposure would be low and said late payments typically stem from isolated issues such as a vacant position or an employee on leave. Hannah Lager, administrative services director for the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, said her department’s fiscal note was indeterminate because it was difficult to predict which future invoices might be late; she noted a small potential revenue change tied to advance payments in the bill’s section three. Angela Laflamme of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said the department manages large disaster funding portfolios and requested additional grants administration capacity for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management because disaster reimbursements can be complex and time‑sensitive.

Committee members acknowledged the need to balance due diligence and internal controls with timeliness. Several members encouraged continued departmental work on systems integration and process improvement while considering whether statutory requirements or administrative investments (or both) would be most effective.

No final committee vote was taken on HB 133 at the hearing. Committee staff said a committee substitute (CS) was being developed and that members have an amendment deadline; the discussion will continue in subsequent committee work.","House Bill 133 would extend prompt‑payment parity to nonprofits, Alaska Native organizations and municipalities; departments described high workload, systems limits and proposed staff increases to meet timely payment goals.",{"_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},6085549,"Alaska committee hears bill to expand 'right to repair' for digital products",2914,576000,3490000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6&start=576&end=3490","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903107-72a5c6774a1b681074937ce345ad7ef6/thumbnail_576000.jpg","/articles/6085549/Alaska/Alaska-committee-hears-bill-to-expand-right-to-repair-for-digital-products","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085549-cb892ebcf8175348b0e37c97bacade03/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160114&Signature=QH41XpOI-K8sGN~xcKfS2YtoWIssiYFFQRn56xTMzEIfe~DEYYFGMAjDoeqb3xwEsMbEd2f389hQuD7SmChf7ple9jnkLb4Sq-v1yTW5LILi-WNRsVHNbTxAZPcp5kjPFGHAni7lt3ufSwP5y1oADM8Mc5o3L63jRUBt7yBhE1Cu~kyAfVjJMomwfmvV6uEeALIX2y1JDwUteQTDw~wm98f~ElHTgXpMw8Gj~Kw8nXXoJukpdZ06mp6RIxfg1GrywHzRqywvo8k4gkVRur869nma3tAGx3-2VoPuiX42iJCvbc87uyJNkReOMN5dO6lCTIkzEiYAnz1GeDq06M4EpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Community and Regional Affairs held the first hearing on House Bill 162 on April 8, 2025, a measure that would require digital product manufacturers to make repair documentation, parts and diagnostic tools available to independent service providers and product owners in Alaska.

The bill’s sponsor office was represented by staff who told the committee the aim is to give “individual Alaskans the means to repair the digital components that are currently incorporated into most modern equipment.” Kipan Nayak, legislative intern to Representative Maxine Deibert, said the measure would make manuals, parts and specialized tools available at market prices and allow small independent service businesses to operate in-state.

Joe Torma, general manager of Green Star of Interior Alaska, described the local recycling and reuse work his nonprofit does and said manufacturers’ restrictions currently prevent reuse of many devices. “Our mission is to encourage and enable our communities to reduce waste and increase recycling,” Torma said, and he added that phones and tablets are often unusable for reuse because data‑removal and manufacturer locks block refurbishing.

Committee members asked detailed questions about scope, warranty language and software access. Representative Kai Holland asked whether the bill’s exclusion for \"motor vehicles required to be registered\" would include off‑road vehicles and motorcycles; staff said they are working with Senator Dunbar’s office on carve‑outs and modifications for automobiles, farm equipment and some off‑road vehicles. Howard Maxwell, staff to Representative Deibert, and other staff said the bill includes protections for trade secrets and does not require disclosure of trade secrets except as necessary to make parts and documentation available.

Committee members also raised security and warranty concerns, including whether the bill would require manufacturers to disclose firmware or source code and how resetting or disabling security features would be handled. Staff acknowledged those are key issues and said the bill as drafted would allow certain software or reset capabilities without requiring disclosure of source code; they said further amendments and clarifying language are expected. Benjamin Hedges, a repair technician who works with Green Star, noted many manufacturers will not honor a warranty unless the original owner requests it.

Witnesses and staff emphasized the bill’s potential to reduce e‑waste and improve access to repairs in remote Alaska communities where authorized service providers are scarce. Staff presented a sectional analysis that would add a new article to AS 45.45 (trade practices) with sections (as presented to the committee) that include requirements to make documentation, parts and tools available (AS 45.45.800–.890 as drafted), definitions, a prohibition on contract terms that waive the manufacturer’s obligations, and an effective date provision (January 1, 2026).

No formal committee vote was taken on HB 162 at the hearing; staff and the sponsor’s office said they will work on amendments addressing vehicle carve‑outs, medical device exceptions and software/security language before further committee action.

The committee set HB 162 aside and moved on to other agenda items.","A first hearing on House Bill 162 proposed requiring manufacturers to provide parts, tools and documentation to independent repairers and owners; sponsors and witnesses emphasized reduced e‑waste and rural access while staff said carve‑outs for vehicles and some equipment are being negotiated.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee adopts substitute resolution urging wildfire preparedness, clarifies public education language

Committee adopts zero‑cost committee substitute for AI task force, removes per diem

Committee reviews bill to speed state payments to nonprofits, tribes and municipalities

Alaska committee hears bill to expand 'right to repair' for digital products