Senate Labor and Commerce hears audits, testimony supporting extensions for three licensing boards

Senator Greg Bjorkman, chair of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, opened a Feb. 7 committee hearing in Juneau on Senate Bill 80, which would extend statutory sunset dates for three state licensing boards.

The committee heard a legislative audit and invited testimony from board chairs and industry representatives explaining why those boards should remain in place.

Legislative Auditor Chris Curtis told the committee that each board met the public-interest standard in the most recent audits and offered targeted recommendations. Curtis said the audit recommended a shorter extension for the Marijuana Control Board to allow time to review a recent Governor’s advisory task force report and a new licensing information system, while recommending longer extensions for the Board of Massage Therapists and the Big Game Commercial Services Board to provide regulatory stability.

“The Marijuana Control Board was operating in the public’s interest,” Chris Curtis said as she described findings and recommendations in the audit report. Curtis listed recommendations including…