Senate bill would codify executive administrator for Big Game Commercial Services Board

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman introduced Senate Bill 29 on Feb. 3, 2025, asking the Senate Resources Committee to codify an executive administrator position for the Alaska Big Game Commercial Services Board.

The bill would add a statutory executive administrator position, require the board to set the administrator’s qualifications and duties, and place the position within the partially exempt service list in statute, according to staff analysis presented to the committee. Bjorkman told the committee the board’s work—licensing hunting guides, administering exams and supporting investigations—requires a dedicated staff member and that guide licensing fees have been used to fund a temporary administrator since October 2024.

The board’s former chair Jason Bunch and current vice chair Mike Flores testified in support. Jason Bunch, who served on the board from February 2018 to February 2024 and was chair for three years, recounted repeated turnover among licensing examiners and said the administrative burden had become too great for a single lower‑level examiner. “We need a position that a division employee seeks to attain within the division to allow for consistency and longevity,” Bunch said, describing the executive administrator as a role that requires specialized, long‑term industry knowledge.

Mike Flores, vice chair of the Big Game Commercial Services Board, told the committee the board has had “over 20 people on probation and over 50 open cases,” a high volume of new guide testing and numerous regulatory proposals under development. He said turnover in the shared executive administrator role hampered the board’s work and supported creating a dedicated position for stability and productivity.

Division director Sylvain Robb described how the division determines which boarded programs receive executive administrators, noting the decision is driven by complexity and workload rather than licensee counts alone. Robb said the division now counts about 1,746 licensees in the guide program at the end of fiscal 2024 and that the program has been growing since the 2023 audit period. Robb also said six programs in the division currently have executive administrators and that the guide program’s many exams and reporting requirements generate substantial administrative work.

Committee members asked about the board’s financial position and the 2023 audit, which showed a surplus and recommended fee reductions. Robb and sponsors said the guide board has used designated license‑fee revenue to fund a temporary administrator and that the recent fee reductions should reduce the surplus; Robb said some buffer in fund balances is prudent because investigations and legal costs can be unpredictable. The committee was told a fiscal notice shows an ongoing cost of roughly $194,800 for the position in out years and that the net increase over the prior shared support is about $54,000 annually.

Chair Sen. Giesel set SB 29 aside for further consideration and public testimony at a later hearing; the committee did not take a final vote on the bill during the Feb. 3 session.