Committee revisits funding and staffing questions for proposed Office of Entrepreneurship (HB 30)

The Alaska House Finance Committee on April 24 resumed discussion of House Bill 30, which would establish an Office for Entrepreneurship, and focused on staffing levels and reporting obligations.

Representative Kai Holland, sponsor, and Hannah Lager of the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED) answered members’ questions about the bill’s personnel and reporting burdens. Representative Galvin asked why the bill lists three PCNs (position control numbers) when comparable offices in other states often have one or two positions.

Holland said the original fiscal note from DCCED listed six staff; the bill was rescaled during drafting to three positions, but the sponsor emphasized the legislation focuses on policy and leaves final staffing structure to the department. Lager said DCCED “doesn't have a large function for this currently, and so it is standing up from the ground up,” and confirmed that one of the positions had been described as a research analyst focused on reporting requirements in the legislation.

Representative Galvin noted a fiscal note figure he had seen—about $500,000—and questioned the apparent mismatch between that number and the work described for a single research analyst. Lager replied that the bill contains two separate reporting requirements: one the responsibility of the Department of Administration and one for the Department of Commerce, which explains part of the cost and workload distribution.

Later questions to Ms. Lager clarified that multiple positions had been deleted in prior reorganizations and that one PCN remains in the DCCED commissioner's office handling trade assistance and several grant programs. Representative Robson of Hammond asked whether any of the earlier positions moved to the governor’s office still exist; Lager said she could not speak precisely to the governor’s office staffing but recalled “possibly 2” there and one in the commissioner’s office with duties equal to roughly 1.5 FTE covering trade assistance and other programs.

The committee did not vote on HB 30; Co-chair Foster announced the panel would set the bill aside and take it up again at a later meeting.