[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6085510,"mediaKeyId","2903153-ac68ae73ca8e5b80df1f1119cfb875a4","parentId",2903153,"title","Committee hears HB 28 to pilot student-loan repayment for returning Alaskans to recruit teachers and state workers","audioSeconds",1388,"startMs",6538000,"endMs",7926000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903153-ac68ae73ca8e5b80df1f1119cfb875a4&start=6538&end=7926","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903153-ac68ae73ca8e5b80df1f1119cfb875a4/thumbnail_6538000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6085510/Alaska/Committee-hears-HB-28-to-pilot-student-loan-repayment-for-returning-Alaskans-to-recruit-teachers-and-state-workers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085510-ba595b8f54884e2083064daf466ef2cc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162784&Signature=gbNIHs6upHdSWyw~CatbR8NhawwJk9mDHy88dZpBh38TX2Irv6vu8fht7s87WT9lz-rp99TU29ZZVuo9zid1nyFBLa0Z5GitigVJUZBL0~P1zW8OgG8oHys0tmxlyC7VCpPwK6zdWSw-Pb~LdUtnfiFeeMBawZjhSUeOoprcn~sW9aIwShskRq7~pRzVdnN328nBSeObK0smQ~TP-afyF7Y5946-ABl2afihh9irBptK8-PUiISeYYLdXcdMNLfZ104m-9GGGRAy3lRSg8hvKafGltsZFIemSoa4oi4agitZ5PISuW5~ZpFTQC1H2x36XaLBGvSZ9dpRyOHQx0-wFg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Andy Story presented House Bill 28 to the House Finance Committee on April 8, proposing a three-year pilot student-loan repayment program to encourage former Alaska residents with out-of-state postsecondary credentials to return and work as full-time state employees or public-school teachers.

Under the bill as described to the committee, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) would administer a pilot program that could award up to 125 grants per fiscal year, each payable only after a participant completes one year of full-time state or public-school employment. Grants would be paid in up to three annual installments of no more than $8,000 per year, with a total per-participant cap of $24,000. The program would be subject to appropriation and capped at $1,000,000 per fiscal year ($3,000,000 total across three years). Participants might be required to refinance loans through the commission as part of program rules.

Acting ACPE Executive Director Carrie Thomas described student-loan repayment as an employer-sponsored benefit that differs from loan forgiveness; Thomas told the committee repayment programs provide a clearer return on investment for the state and have lower administrative and collection costs than forgiveness programs. Thomas cited national adoption trends and survey data indicating loan-repayment benefits aid recruitment and retention: employers with loan-repayment benefits hire faster and retain employees longer, and many graduates say they would commit to work longer in exchange for loan assistance.

Representative Story and ACPE said the program would draw on the Alaska Higher Education Investment Fund (HEAF) for the pilot\u0000draws; ACPE and Department of Revenue staff noted recent programmatic draws on HEAF (WWAMI medical program increases and Alaska Performance Scholarship/Alaska Education Grant adjustments) have put pressure on the fund\u0000and that adding $1,000,000 per year for three years would modestly increase projected expenditures but not fundamentally alter the fund\u0000s long-term sustainability, according to ACPE testimony.

ACPE\u0000s fiscal note included initial administrative costs: a partial range-16 position in FY26 (personal services $38,000 in FY26 and $22,000 in subsequent years), $6,000 for regulatory work in FY26, and $10,000 in FY28 for the required program evaluation and reporting. The fiscal note listed a FY26 total of approximately $1,044,000 funded from HEAF, with later years reflecting the $1,000,000 annual grant cap.

An invited testifier, Ricardo Wuerl of Juneau, described returning to Alaska after college and said earlier state loan-forgiveness programs influenced his decision; he urged the committee to approve the pilot as a recruitment tool. Representative Story framed the measure as a targeted tool to attract former residents who already have ties to Alaska and are more likely to remain.

Committee members asked about HEAF capacity, the commission\u0000s administration of the pilot, and whether the program should prioritize particular shortage areas. Carrie Thomas and Department of Revenue staff (Chief Investment Officer Zach Hanna was available for questions) explained ACPE would administer the program and that HEAF draws for the pilot would be feasible but would modestly increase projected spending pressure on the fund given recent programmatic changes.

Ending: The committee heard HB 28, received invited testimony and fiscal analysis, and did not take a final vote. Sponsors and ACPE said they would supply additional detail if requested; the measure remains at the committee stage for further consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04/08/2025 01:30 PM House FINANCE","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Andy Story presented a three-year pilot that would offer up to 125 grants paying up to $8,000 per year (maximum $24,000) to returning Alaskans who take full-time state or public school jobs; funding proposed from the Alaska Higher Education Investment Fund and ACPE would administer the program.","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},6085515,"House committee hears bill to raise Alaska—s age of consent to 18, sponsors and advocates say change would protect 16- and 17-year-olds",5723,852000,6575000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903153-ac68ae73ca8e5b80df1f1119cfb875a4&start=852&end=6575","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903153-ac68ae73ca8e5b80df1f1119cfb875a4/thumbnail_852000.jpg","/articles/6085515/Alaska/House-committee-hears-bill-to-raise-Alaskas-age-of-consent-to-18-sponsors-and-advocates-say-change-would-protect-16-and-17-year-olds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085515-a85134df5b579acdece9415a00843254/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162784&Signature=FB3iv3-QXEIOTXCamPMxx6cadXTfH5VsowzWViXEB68FNrYHq3uukzyKqu8VQLnOS3mErdnXL30dmEbeMSEI1xq9YMjO~UxXgpChyrKCNYIHJr8V8pd2r8YjKVQRUBNyyDpVOicrAUmYgH0E~SqMYmtr85EHY9jo02VzjDusWjhBS0xr1YIombr~MHKJRY-QuzWfiNjGRCijg1WZC1cPcD2K2fPHbhkGjSCqsAG~Mr3UBsq9tcgUefITo2sc4L23cB8t2fA4RA2ZYCcnKve7LBZCYE-lpLYkMqJ611BsUJGFd3~ks6-Co5NE~yboowhrst9NmMPyxFOeHeM2AMBUcw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Andrew Gray, sponsor of House Bill 101, told the House Finance Committee on April 8 that the bill would raise the legal age for sexual consent in Alaska from 16 to 18 and amend multiple criminal statutes so that a minor is anyone under 18.

Supporters at the hearing said the current statutory framework leaves 16- and 17-year-olds vulnerable to predatory adults and makes prosecution difficult when victims must prove lack of consent. Gray said the bill includes a four-year \"close-in-age\" exemption often called a \"Romeo and Juliet\" clause and that he is open to committee amendments to adjust that range.

Advocates including Keely Olsen, executive director of STAR; Randy Breger of AWAKE (Abused Women\u0000s Aid in Crisis); and youth advocate Eleanor Dolganos provided invited testimony describing cases they said illustrate gaps in legal protection for older teens. Olsen cited a 2020 UAA Justice Center victimization survey figure cited in testimony that more than 35% of Alaska women reported sexual abuse before age 18 and said local crisis lines receive calls from families whose teens were manipulated by older adults. Olsen and Breger said raising the age would reduce barriers to holding predators accountable. Dolganos described her own experience seeking justice after sexual assault and said being above the current age of consent affected how law enforcement treated her case.

State officials who presented fiscal notes and legal analysis told the committee they could not provide a precise projection of case increases that might follow the change, and most submitted 0 fiscal notes while saying they would monitor impacts. Nancy Mead (Alaska Court System), James Stinson (Office of Public Advocacy), Ariel Toft (Alaska Public Defender Agency), Kevin Worley (Department of Corrections), Diana Thornton (Department of Public Safety), David Blanton (Division of Juvenile Justice), and Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore each said the number of additional prosecutions is unknown; Skidmore noted a 2023 Uniform Crime Report showing a recent decline in reported sexual-assault offenses statewide.

Committee members asked about practical issues raised in testimony, including whether DNA from a pregnancy could be used to identify an alleged perpetrator. Skidmore and several witnesses explained that, where probable cause exists, law enforcement can obtain warrants to collect and test genetic material, but they said testing every pregnancy or fetal tissue without an allegation would not be practicable. Witnesses also raised concerns that mandatory reporting rules and investigative processes could subject 16- and 17-year-olds in otherwise consensual relationships to criminal investigation; Brenda Stanfill of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault told the committee her network\u0000s members were not unanimous about the four-year window and recommended further study of the exemption\u0000range.

No formal vote was taken at the hearing. Representative Gray said he would accept amendments and committee members asked departments to stay available while fiscal impacts are monitored. The bill remains at its initial hearing stage; committee chairs indicated more opportunities to question agencies and invited witnesses at subsequent meetings.

The hearing contained multiple references that committee members said they wanted to reconcile, including department fiscal notes flagged as 0 despite testimony that some jurisdictions might see a small number of additional prosecutions. Skidmore summarized the departments\u0000position: changes will likely generate additional cases, but because statewide reports of sexual-assault offenses fell in 2023 and because agencies previously received additional resources for related statutory changes, the departments currently view the fiscal impact as uncertain and will monitor and report back if workloads increase.

Ending: The committee concluded the HB 101 hearing without action, leaving the bill available for amendment and further review of fiscal notes and enforcement questions. Several committee members signaled support for the bill\u0000in principle while requesting clarification on the close-in-age exemption and operational details of investigations and evidence collection.","At a first hearing, sponsor Rep. Andrew Gray and invited witnesses urged the House Finance Committee to back House Bill 101, which would raise the statutory age of consent from 16 to 18 with a four-year close-in-age exemption; state agencies reported 0 fiscal notes but said they would monitor implementation.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears HB 28 to pilot student-loan repayment for returning Alaskans to recruit teachers and state workers

House committee hears bill to raise Alaska—s age of consent to 18, sponsors and advocates say change would protect 16- and 17-year-olds