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Committee backs substitute to create Welcoming Alaska office to centralize refugee and newcomer services
Summary
The committee reported a substitute for SB169 to place a Welcoming Alaska Office in the Department of Labor, transfer certain refugee program administration to the state (per ORR guidance), and expand an advisory committee; invited testimony emphasized meeting new federal requirements and workforce benefits.
The Senate State Affairs Committee voted May 5 to report a committee substitute for Senate Bill 169, a proposal to establish a Welcoming Alaska Office to coordinate immigrant and refugee services.
Joe Hayes, staff to the committee, summarized changes in the committee substitute: replace the phrase "new immigrants" with "immigrants," move the office into the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and expand duties to coordinate licensing, employment, housing and medical support for refugees and newcomers. The CS also enlarges and diversifies the advisory committee.
Mike Mason (staff to Senator Tobin) told the committee the CS replaces the underused Office of Citizenship Assistance and responds to federal direction shifting refugee resettlement from a replacement‑designee model to a state‑administered one.
Sarah Sheinkfield, Alaska State Refugee Coordinator with Catholic Social Services, told the committee the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement issued guidance (policy letter 25‑04, March 2025) requiring states to move to a state‑administered resettlement system by federal fiscal year 2028, with program administration moved to the state beginning in FY2026; she said SB169 provides needed structure to comply with the federal timeline and preserve continuity of services.
Supporters including education and workforce groups said a centralized office would help align services for employers and school districts that rely on international workers. Mike Zimmer of World Education Services described best practices from an Office of New Americans network and urged adoption.
Senator Grama Jackson moved the CS be reported from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal notes; there were no objections and the CS (LS0125H) was reported.
The committee’s action responds to federal administrative changes and aims to create a state office to manage refugee resettlement and broader immigrant integration work.
