I call the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee meeting to order.
Today is Tuesday, January 27th, and the time is 8.04 AM.
Members present are...
Full House, we have Representative Kai Holland,
Representative Mike Prox, Representative Carolyn Hall,
Representative Steve St. Clair,
Representative Garrett Nelson,
co-chair Rebecca Hymshoot, and myself,
co chair Donamiers,
we've have a full house on Quorum to do business.
I'd like to remind members, staff and folks in the audience
who are allowing members to use electronic devices
during committee meetings,
but please silence your cell phones
and be subtle about it.
As a reminder, staff and members of the audience may not approach the table if you need to pass a note to committee members
Please get the attention of my lovely committee aid Talia Ames and she will take care of it
Thank you Talian. Thank You to co-chair him shoots committee aide. That's your brow
Before we get started, I'd also like to thank recording secretary
So if he had any and helping us from the Juneau LIO
Chloe Miller, welcome to see you. Hi, Chloe
We have one bill on our agenda today, which is HB 255,
Senior Citizen Grants, dividend raffles,
sponsored by Representative Stap.
This is the bill's introductory hearing.
But before we welcome Representative Staff to the table,
we'd first like to welcome our two newest committee members
and give them time to introduce themselves,
Representative Garrett Nelson, Representative Saint Claire.
Please take a couple minutes to tell us about yourself,
Anything about your interest and serving on this committee?
They were aware
Representative Nelson, yes, thank you madam chair
My name is Garrett Nelson represent district 29 which goes from fish hook to Valdez
essentially and I've served on the Sutton Community Council for
the last I think seven years and i chaired that for the Last Five and
You know, a lot of the issues that come before this particular committee are ones that we've dealt with between, I mean, just the multitude of issues, and so I'm honored to be part of this committee and honored
to represent District 29 and look forward to working together with everybody.
Thank you. I've got a community council background myself. Yeah.
In a nutshell, spent 20 years in the military, then various things, and then 2016 co-authored
a budget book, came down and worked for now Senator Tilton for six years.
In the seventh year, I was asked to be Chief of Staff for Thomas Baker, who was appointed
out of Kotzebue.
I'm happy to here and ready to go to work.
Still our presentation, I am sure, from Representative Stapp.
We are looking forward to working with you gentlemen in this session.
HB 255, Representative Staff and Staff Liz Rexford, please welcome to the committee this morning.
Please approach the testifier table, put yourself on the record and proceed with your bill introduction.
Well thank you Madam Chair for the record. My name is Representative Will Stapp,
Representative East Freerbank's Fort Wayne Wright in Badger up at Freersbank,
House District 32 and this is my staff. Good morning. Let's with Braxford staff to
represent his staff and thanks for
Hi, praise. I don't know if I can follow up the stellar presentation comments, but I'll do the best I
can with HB 255. So with your permission, Madam Chair, I'd just like to give a quick
overview of the bill and kind of what it does and why I introduced it. And then for this section,
I will kick it over to my staff, Mr. Rexford. Thank you, madam chair.
So HB255. Most of folks I think are familiar with the PFD education raffle.
This bill is fundamentally designed to kind of work the same way except for the topic was a little different.
It's going to be for senior support services.
So, HP 255 creates a new voluntarily way for Alaskans who, you know, most Alascans love our seniors and our elders,
and they want to support them.
It creates the voluntary way, for everyday Alasking to Support Senior Citizen Services.
It builds on a system that Alaskans know and trust,
i.e. the permanent fund dividend,
and the ability to kind of click give portions of that
for different programs.
And kind the why I introduced this bill,
I've constituent up at Fairbanks,
her name's Miss Vivian Steiner.
She runs homes for seniors.
And as most of you are well aware,
Alaska has a ever-increasing senior population,
therefore more folks generally require
a higher need of services.
And demand for core services for seniors like Mills on Wheels,
transportation support housing is outpacing our current occupancy and
ability to provide those level of state level services.
So I just try to look for solutions and the ability
to facilitate those types of things in most of the efficient matter possible.
Some key design principles in HP 255 which my staff will get into more in depth is just to let everyone know on the committee
This this bill doesn't require any new general fund appropriation
It doesnít oppose new fees or taxes and it's entirely voluntary if Alaskans choose to participate or not participate
How it works very simply folks that are over the age of 18 can donate portions of their PFD for senior benefits raffle
Donations are in increments of $100 just like they are with most other things on the PFD website and
Contribution contributors may also
Inter the raffle which is structured very similarly to the 50 education raffle and
For the rest of I think the sectional analysis and more into the detailed nature of the bill. I'll move over my staff. Mr. Xford
Thank you, Representative said this record
Good morning
I'd like to present the sexual analysis.
So if we go through the bill, the first section amends
the statutory definition of gambling
in Alaska statute 1166-280 subsection 3
to explicitly exclude the permanent fund dividend
Raffles authorized under AS43-23 230 and 238.
So this clarifies that the education dividend raffle
and the newly created senior citizen grants
dividend raffle are lawful and not subject to criminal gambling prohibitions.
Section two updates the duties of the Department of Revenue outlined in statute 43-23-55
to reflect the administration of multiple PFD donations and raffle options,
including prioritization of contributions when a donor's elections exceeds the amount of
the dividend.
So this ensures proper administration accounting and prioritisation of
the PFD donation and Raffle entries.
Just a quick explanation outlined in that section for prioritization.
If a donor donates, say, the amount of dividend that is declared for that year,
the prioritisation is for a split-click give, which includes the Peace Officers
and Firefighters Survivors Fund, Crime Victim Compensation Fund.
Second is the Education Fund and third would be the Senior Citizen Grants Dividend Raffle.
So, sections three through six include technical conforming changes, and this section just
maintains consistency and clarity in existing, for the existing education raffle provisions
to preserve the existence distribution and framework for education-related PFD donations.
This section establishes the statutory authority for the permanent fund dividend raffle program
related to senior citizen grants
This creates two funds first is a senior citizens grants endowment fund which establishes a separate account in the general fund
the investments are managed by the commissioner of revenue and
This generates grant funding for organizations providing services to seniors citizens when fund thresholds are met
The second fund is the Senior Citizen Grants Dividend Raffle Fund.
This receives voluntary PFD donations.
It funds raffle prizes and the administration of the fund,
and it transfers excess balances to the endowment fund.
This section also establishes the donation structure,
raffal entry mechanism, grant allocation percentages,
annual public drawing requirements,
This section creates a voluntary, sustainable funding mechanism to support senior services
while providing an incentive through a PFD-based raffle.
Section 8 just establishes the effective date of January 1st, 2027.
Thank you and I'd like to note for committee members there's a flow chart and
the materials that was handed out that describes that flowchart and the
prioritization. Thank You Representative Staff, do you have any more comments
before our your invited testimony? I'll be happy to take questions at any time
I'm out of chair and that's all I have for now. Any questions prior to
We do, just for committee members,
notice more hand waving than mics up.
It's a little different than on the floor for that.
I know different committees have got different traditions around that,
then we will go to our invited testimony.
We have Vivian Stiver.
She's the private citizen with
a background providing services for seniors.
Ms. Stivers, are you on
the phone and ready to testify?
Thank you. Please introduce yourself and provide your testimony.
Thank You. I'm Vivian Stuyler and I am testifying today as the private citizen
and full disclosure I do sit on the Alaska Commission on Aging. And so as I go through the readout
read my written word please give me grace because I tend to get really halting and
Art of old co-chairs, mirrors, and hymns books and members of the committee.
The Alaska Senior Raffle Bill is designed to create a dedicated revenue stream
to support seniors who choose to remain in Alaska and age in their home,
communities surrounded by family, culture,
and community connections.
Alaska's older residents consistently identify access to food,
transportation and housing among their top concerns.
The legislation addresses these priorities by establishing stable, ongoing funding to meet those needs.
The last thing experienced the fastest growing per capita growth in senior population at any state, making current funding levels in sufficient.
This bill is intended as an additional revenue source, not a replacement for existing funds, to help me be increasing demand for services and the rising costs.
By 2050, Alaska Senior 60 and older is projected to be to comprise 24% of the state's population.
By 2030, seniors 80 and over are estimated to grow from 20,228 to over 29,000.
in-home services such as housekeeping and limited transportation crime.
In Fairbank at any given time, the Fairbanks Senior Centers' Nils on Wheels program
has a 20 to 30 weightless switch seniors in need of food.
Please note that the weight-less numbers can be misleading as numerous seniors
when there is a weight lift are discouraged and do not sign up.
In your bill packet is a copy of the 2024 Senior Snapshot,
which is an excellent source of more detailed information,
which it's easy to read and covers many senior issues.
The updated 2025 snapshot will be out next month.
Currently in the state, we have two sources of income for senior state services,
collateral funding, and constrained state funding depending on the year.
A third option is needed to not only serve current seniors, but to address increases
in costs of labor through transportation and the expansion of these services to meet the
rapidly growing needs going forward.
All these service would adequately available to our senior population about seniors to
remain in their community, home communities, surrounded by family culture and familiar
connections.
These funds will ultimately benefit every Alaskan,
either by meeting the needs of some of
grandmother or grandfather, mother or father,
and eventually every one of us here today.
As the same goes in a blink of an eye.
Let's prepare for the new diversity
now to ensure dignity in the aging process
by being prepared to deliver these basic services.
I want to thank you for
the opportunity today to speak regarding HB 255.
Communication is not a one-time event.
I look forward to an ongoing dialogue which will result in successfully addressing the need for funding of CDH services.
Thank you, and I hope you have any questions.
Thank you very much. You did great. So we do not have this new snapshot at the moment
in our packages, but we will get that from Representative Staff's office and share that
with committee members. Today is not a one and done on the hearing, so we'll have time
to review that. Are there any questions from Stiver? Thank
you so much, sir.
We'll open it up to general questions.
I'd like to note that we also have Tony Newman,
the Director of Division of Senior and Disability Services
from the Department of Health in the room
to help with questions,
I don't see any hands going up.
Oh, Representative Holland.
There we go, thank you, good morning.
And Jeremy, I thank for bringing this before us
and representing staff.
I've got two things I was curious about.
I don't myself participate in the education raffle, so I
don t kind of know the details of it, although I found the
material in this and reading through the bill helpful.
But I'm curious about where the senior citizens grant
raffle kind sits into the fabric of supporting senior
programs. I went to pick, click, give and noted that we have,
I think seven or eight senior
programs that are available for direct benefit so that anything given through
PICLIP give is going to go 100% to the senior programs including a Fairbanks
program and others around the state and I guess it just seems like if we're
trying to give people the option to put permanent fund money that they would
like to share with somebody else out there that encouraging and expanding
to those beneficiary programs.
And I noted there are also, I think,
a dozen or two food-related programs
that I'm sure also benefit seniors,
and I give a fair amount of my PFD
to one of the food pantry programs,
so kind of curious where the raffle fits into the ethos
and the fabric, as opposed to just expanding
pick, click, give, and putting more of that money directly
into those hands.
Thank you, Madam Chair, through the chair to Representative Hall,
hey, excellent question, right?
So basically the Raffle concept is an incentive structure
to get more participants in the program.
So there are a lot of folks, like you've mentioned
yourself, representative who are just kind of wired
to just want to do a direct contribution.
Other people have different kind
of motivations.
Education Raffles is very popular
because you have the ability to win something, you know?
So this is, there's kind
So, really, it's just to create an incentive structure so more people actually contribute
or think about contributing to these types of programs who would else wise not do the
chair.
Thanks.
Thank you for all of them.
One of the aspects of that proposed legislation is the fund, and I believe as proposed the
in terms of the Corpus before it started spinning off some additional funds to go into additional grants.
When I look at the education raffle system, its total Corpus now is at about two point something million.
It looks like it will take hundreds of years.
before this might get to the billion dollar threshold.
I'm wondering if you could share a little bit about the choice
of the $1 billion capitalization, unless I am mistaken
about how this functions and perhaps, you know,
is this one going to get there that a lot faster
We could have many generations of folks
that are seniors before that one kicks off money.
I'm wondering what the thought process is there.
Yeah, through the chair to Representative Holland.
Yeah. Fun capitalization, obviously,
if you looked at long-term sustainability,
it's a nice number to use as a benchmark.
It's probably unrealistic to think
that you'd be able to capitalize the fund in a billion.
But, you know, we could pick a different number.
We can make it pay endowment at 50 million or 100 million
through to the Chair, that's...
more of a mechanism question and I don't have a problem of changing the number
but typically you know when you're in the bill drafting phase you just kind of look at
on my little fiscal conservative brain being on finance committee I think what's the most
sustainable number I could get to that would make sure that you could offer these services
independently in perpetuity so in short seemed like a very safe number to pick through the chair
To finish up on the fiscal situation, I noted the physical notes are indeterminate because
of the sizes of this and yet there's looks like a modest amount of activity going on
here to make this work.
I'm wondering, is there a set of fiscal anticipated costs if we were to look at the education
the amount of time, energy, and expense departments are putting in to manage the
education raffle that would allow us to put some sort of estimate on the fiscal
note for this program rather than just leaving it indeterminate when we have
potentially a parallel program we could look right at and say this is a starting
point to understand the impact.
Yeah, through the chair to represent Hall.
Excellent question, and luckily for me,
I have our wonderful folks from the Department of Health,
and I don't know if we have anyone from revenue here.
That's a revenue question.
And I mean, I think on a comparative notion,
I could certainly go back and kind of look.
I was an old Senator Bishop Bill at PFD Education Raffles.
So I can kind look at what the initial startup costs were
and try to make comparison.
But I, can't answer you without
consulting with revenue to kind of see where their methodology is coming from
Through the chair. Thank you
Thank You is that one of our fiscal notes was from you are
To the Chair I believe so I think the first one is Department of Revenue Taxation and Treasury appropriation and the second one
looks like it's
Perhaps the same and a third one as Department Of Health that I have in my package
Representative staff. Yeah, thank you Madam Chair through the chair actually
I'm gonna take a second buying it repolence question my excellent staff actually put the initial fiscal note from
28 to from the education raffle in front of me because that was in my little binder here and I did not notice so to answer
Representative Collins question directly initially as a
$4,000 operating startup cost
And follow-up. Oh, I appreciate that. I am curious though whether or not we could get
And I recognize it may not be here today some actual data
since we don't really need to work off
of the original estimated fiscal note.
Now it was, education raffle was started.
We might be able to get some information
on what really went into it.
And over the last couple of years of administering it,
what has been the actual deployment,
as opposed to guesstimating from the past?
For sure.
administering a raffle with the same structure
might not be double the cost since that infrastructure
is already in place, but it's a good number to have.
So we'll make sure that before you come
before the committee again,
we've got that number up for folks.
So did I see a report of Prox?
You did, yes.
Please go ahead with your question.
Thank you, through the chair.
I just, I support the idea.
People want to give?
I don't want to get in their way.
So the next thing is to structure everything
to have the maximum maximizing incentive
to give and operate and all that.
But could you go over just briefly again,
kind of how this works in where am I at?
Well, just how it works.
Somebody can donate up 100 bucks per ticket.
And then it builds a fun and get the details of how it works again, please
Yeah, thank you through the chair to represent a procs
So just clarification. Would you like me to articulate? Obviously the
I think the raffle portion is a little self-explanatory
Are you talking about this badge of statutory splits?
I am in the bill on page seven of the way the kind of waterfall the nations work
I
Think so. Yes that some of it's going to go into the
endowment funds, some of it I think is going to be redistributed every year.
Go ahead.
Correctly.
Yeah.
Through the chair to represent Brock.
So yeah, ideally in the flow chart we created and the status short split space seven you're
going to find 25% is going ideally go to the endowment fund, 25 percent is gonna go
to raffle fund and then 50, the remaining 50 percent's going be distributed through
the grant of facilitation through the Department of Health to programs like Mills on Wheels
and stuff like that through chair.
I am not married to any of those by the way, again those are just nice.
Happy numbers 25 25 and 50 so folks at the committee want to put some time and thought and maybe changing some of those
Mechanisms, I'm totally open that just to let you know madam chair
Yes, and then this is discrete amounts on the dividend
Application that people fill out between now and the end of March I think
And who knows what the
Legislature is going to actually appropriate this year this so if we don't
appropriate enough to cover all of the
Contributions that somebody would make when they do their pick click it
Yeah, through the chair to represent box my staff mentioned that earlier happy to go over again
So mr. Rickford will you talk about what happens in the event somebody?
pick clicks gives more than they have PFD amount for the chair.
Yes, through the Chair, Representative Prox.
In section two, it outlines what happens in the event
that someone donates over the declared amount of the dividend.
There's a prioritization written in section 2.
So say if someone does donate in $100 increments over,
say, if they declared $1,000 dividend,
then they would prioritize it first to the hit-click-give
program, which includes the peace officers and firefighters,
survivors fund, victim compensation fund.
Second to already existing education fund and this fund
would be set third on the prioritization.
in the event that someone does over donate, donate over the set amount.
Does that, does that answer your question?
So I, I think it does, but just I'm thinking correctly.
Um, the pick, click, give has priority one and that's all,
a go through all of the pic, like give, then the next one is the peace officers fund.
Officers fund is in click click give then the education raffle is next and then if there's some leftover goes into the senior citizens
Well, that's great through the chair. Yes represent Brock. Thank you. Okay, thank you
Coach, I'm sure thank You chair mirrors. Um, Thank You represent stop excited about this bill
Infographic talks about home-delivered meals, transportation services, and supportive housing.
So are these all programs in Department of Health, says so on the infographic?
Is it then up to the Department Of Health which programs get supported and where?
So for example, what is the geographic distribution?
Through the chair representative Hinshu, just a minor detail. It's the Department of Health.
It distributes the funds to third parties through grants and then and now how they pick and choose
Be an excellent question for my folks at the health department. I'm not entirely sure. Hopefully you guys know if you'd like me to bring them up
Madam chair, yes, please.
I'll vacate the seat for a moment
We'll miss you
Good morning. My name is Tony Newman. I'm the Director of the Division of Senior and Disability Services at the Alaska Department of Health.
And to respond to Representative Hymn Shoots question, yes, the Department
of health, Division on Senior Disability services currently distributes about 18 million dollars in grants,
primarily for seniors, but also for other populations with disability.
One of the largest grant programs we operate is called the nutrition transportation and support grant program.
That's around $7 million, and that is a combination of federal and state funds,
the federal funding sources, the Older Americans Act.
We follow a funding formula to ensure statewide distribution of those funds
that we work up with our colleagues at the Alaska Commission on Aging.
Thanks, this is Sarah Dippett as I have so many questions about how we fund programs
for aging folks and some grateful for your time today.
When you say that it's through a formula, I've communities with senior centers, without
senior center, so home delivered meals is kind of hit and miss if there's a senior
But if there's not an entity making those meals, then that community does not benefit.
Through the chair representing whom, not necessarily, there are a variety of agencies that receive these funds from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Some of the meals can be delivered in congregate settings, so people actually come and either sit with others and enjoy a meal, or they can pick up a
And then there's other services that the local agency may be able to offer
homemaker services, outreach information referral services.
So there are a variety of different programs that agency small and
large can use with that funding.
Follow-up representative.
Thanks.
So on the money flow chart, three things are specified.
But there is actually a wider range of services
for seniors or a variety of programs.
And so just because these are what's named here doesn't mean this is the only place
that senior benefits would go.
Through the chair, Representative Hymshoot, we will be eager to make a determination as to how we supplement the existing programs with this funding or
whether we would need to establish new supports depending on the amount of money that comes in the door.
We may need, to established new program.
So we have questions that we'll have to develop as the bill moves through its journey.
Thank you Madam Coach here. I'm curious to know what qualifies as supportive
housing services for seniors.
Through the Chair, Representative Hall, that's an excellent question.
And I think that we would like to discuss more with the sponsor about that effort,
about the particular language in the bill.
Does it mean assisted living support?
Does that mean in-home support only, in your own home?
Is it meant to include rental assistance?
These are some of the questions that, we think we could stand to develop further.
Thank you.
I can represent a hymn to you.
My question is for a representative staff.
Okay.
Any further questions for department help?
I'll defer.
You're next in the queue.
No, yeah, I've been there to go for it.
Okay, thank you, Madam Chair.
On the 50, 25,25 good numbers,
is that the priority of the
50% for the home delivered meals
and then 25 per transportation,
25 for housing services?
Is that based on numbers that you're seeing already?
Like how did you come up with that priority of the 50% being the home delivered meals being
the highest priority, I would assume, does that make sense when I'm asking it?
It does represent it of Nelson to the chair.
I, would defer to this sponsor to answer that question.
Okay.
Okay, anything else for that?
Department.
Yeah.
Representative Holmes.
Through the Chair, Mr. Newman, thank you for being here.
Curious since you are here and we're looking at, you know,
trying to help fill some needs within the senior organizations,
what's your view of where the most dire needs are right now?
And if we had some more money, whether it came in through this grant program,
or we just became aware of other funding, we should be devoting.
What's your view of what's happening right now in the funding?
How could this funding, where would you want to put it first
if you had the opportunity to use it?
And kind of as a segue perhaps, I'm curious
if the rural health transformation money is in play
with senior services.
So kind a specific question about this,
but in a little broader place to go if want.
Sure, through the Chair Representative Holland,
Ms. Stiver and Representative Stapp have done a really good job of placing the emphasis in this bill where it's needed.
Nutrition, we hear that there are wait lists for services for meal services.
We hear some senior centers are having to reduce the amount of meals that they can offer seniors.
I hear a lot about transportation needs around the state and the fact that caravan type services
are getting harder and harder to operate.
So I think they've chosen well.
Thank you.
Any further questions for Mr. Newman?
Are we bringing representative staff back up?
Representative Prox?
Yes.
Thank You.
Through the Chair, just to clarify, the intent is to distribute the funds to these specific
programs, or is that going to be developed in regulation?
Through the Chair, Representative Prax, I don't think regulation would be needed to develop
it, but the division would have to make a determination.
Again, do we supplement existing programs?
Do we create a new type of grant based out of this?
Those are questions we'll have the resolve.
Okay.
Eventually there would be, it be formula-driven.
Through the Chair, Representative Prakce,
to ensure that there's a consistent
and transparent process we would want to establish
some kind of formula like that, yes.
Okay, very good, thank you.
Thank you, and Representative Stapp,
I believe there are additional questions for you?
Thank you, madam chair, it's good to know everyone you have to committee missed me while I was away, so
And I think I can take them in detail unless you'd like to put them on the record again madame chair
Where you're gonna start?
Representative Nelson excellent, please do thank you madem chair through the chair representative Nelson
So the percentages numbers again those are
I'm kind of working with my my experts on this topic in Fairbanks kind
of the percentages that we thought were best fit and I said I mentioned this
a little bit earlier but kind by no means are they like mechanically things
that are required like if somebody at the on the committee's table wanted to do
27 and 23 and 47 percent instead I mean I would think those numbers would be a
little weird but I don't think that would change the mechanics of
Follow-up representing Nelson.
Yes, ma'am, I guess just to clarify,
thank you, Madam Chair.
So, and as you've been researching this,
it's just the home delivered meals
are the highest priority or the greatest need.
Yeah, just for the record, madam chair,
I do, if Vivian is still on the line,
she can certainly articulate the reasoning,
probably more in depth than I can, good chair.
Thank you representative Nelson,
would you like her to provide more information?
Okay, thank-you.
Representative Holland.
Great, thank you through the chair.
Representative Stapp, following up
on Representative Prax's question,
I think the answer to some of the inquiry
is on page seven in section C.
It appears that this proposed statute.
has specific formulaic allocation of the Department of Health distributing the grants.
I believe it's 50% to the meals, 25% of transportation, and 25 percent to housing services.
So I think might clarify whether or not there's some sort of formulaics structure already
in place.
I understand the intent here, you are providing specific guidance to Department Health on
Thank you, Representative Stein.
Yeah, through the chair, to Representative Al-Haul.
Yes, I've mentioned that section in the bill a few times now
about the percentage that's correct.
That's the formula, and also like I'll reiterate,
not super married to how it's in there.
I think it is the most efficient.
I mean, when I chatted with Ms. Diver,
well, we kind of came to the conclusion that it would be
the best way to meet the need, but again,
certainly open to The Will of Committee.
Coach, your handshoot.
Thanks, Representative Stepp.
I was curious why you're aiming it at the Department of Health.
I mean, we have a state senior benefits program.
And would you consider having the funds flow there?
Because those senior citizens qualify
to receive whatever benefits the state can provide.
And it's generally a really small amount.
But you're seeing that being really helpful.
Yeah, through the chair to representative him, shoot.
So the mechanics of senior benefits program are a little different.
They have more kind of stringent, let's say, financial requirements on recipients and stuff
like that than some of the other grant services.
And I'm just kind a big believer in if individuals want to help seniors, I'd rather really empower
private sector organizations to do that, then government do the nature of cost and efficiency.
And this is just a really easy and kind of fun way for people to get involved in helping seniors through grant distribution for the chair.
And one last one.
You follow up?
Yeah, just quick question.
Why does it start at age 18?
I assume the education raffles that way, too.
We don't trust the caregivers of the children to make these decisions.
Yeah.
Through the Chair, represent me.
Excellent question, I do not know the answer.
I will say.
I don' know.
I'm in.
If there's probably a legal reason I was I wasn't able to join the infantry in 18
So, you know, I'm hopefully people could give like a kid their PFD ideally at 16, right?
But I don't know through the chair
Thank you. That does seem to follow. I am guessing some established policies for the P FD
Anyone else before I start going representative Prox
Yes, thank you, um
Just trying to think ahead of
If we determine the amounts of the three services here and something happens in the market five, ten years down the road,
One or the other of the services is provided some other way.
Let's go for transportation services.
The Fairbanks Narsar Burrow runs a bus service
and they have a van Tran and I think seniors can ride that
when there's space available.
I forget how that works, but I don't have an answer,
just something we should think about going in the future
if that needs to be looked.
through the chair to Representative Prox.
If I think I understand the question being,
let me use kind of Meals on Wheels
as a more practical example,
because I thinks it's easier to contemplate.
You're basically saying like what happens
if eight years from now, the Fairbanks North Star
Bureau basically runs the MeALS on wheels program itself
with bro money or something like that.
And this distribution would be different.
You know, I would think, oh,
Whoever is in this body years from now would and I'm sure the Department of Health when they're just
interpreting the grants would kind of mention that hey like this this type of program or services outmoded or changed and
You just updated it at the time or rather
fairly certain that the department would let us know that that they could distribute grants
And even that, they had the funding is also but you never know maybe they wouldn't so but I don't have a crystal ball
Thank you. I've got a couple questions. So I don't recall what kind of income the
education Ralph will brings in per year. Do you have a ballpark on that? Through
the chair to Representative Mears, I do not know.
I could do the math based on the person who just won though. If you gave me a
little bit of time. But it is a good question. It seems relatively popular,
Basically permanent funding of appropriation from last year and then you'd kind of break it down by the awardee and the education split.
Excellent question. I think I'd have to defer to revenue, which I don't have through the chair.
Right.
I would imagine, and I, I do not have much of a basis for this, but in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Representative Holland seems like you have an answer for us.
It's just a little under a million dollars in last year.
It was $900,000 and so on.
$1,0000 last
year and the total amount of the 25% that's been carved off over
the years into the main fund is now about $2.3 million.
So basically the
total has been lately a
million a year that is then split into three.
Thank you very much, I appreciate that.
So I represented as a staff,
I wanted to talk a little bit more about the endowment fund
and going off of Representative Holland's question earlier.
It seems like establishing that fund
has got a long, long time to meet a point
where we've got that spin off.
very much appreciate that the state has benefited from endowment funds and that structure, but
I guess I have some math to do,
but it feels like that's going to be a place where we've got a fund or we have money that we're not touching.
So we are growing the wealth of the State that is not actually
benefiting anybody until it gets large enough. Do you have any philosophical thoughts on that you want to share?
Through the Chair, Representative Mears, I mean, we can kind of certainly take a look
at the capitalization of the fund, you know, all defer to the will of a committee, again,
if we want the funds, typically, and down that you want to have a healthy kind
of corpus before you have kind distribution methodology to make it sustaining, but given
We can certainly make changes to that if you think of if
you have or the committee has a strong feeling that they'd
like to see funds distributed sooner, usually an endowment
you had like target capitalization.
But again, this is again meant to augment existing services,
not replace them.
So it's really not that critical when we talk about baseline
capitalizations compared to other types of things the state
does.
And I think that's pretty much my answer.
So, Representative Stock, what do you think about not having the Endowment Fund as part of this?
Through to the chair, interesting question.
I'm going to have to ponder the mechanics of that, and then I'd have get back to you.
But thanks for putting me on a spot.
I feel like I've got to stop really good today.
So it's a really, really
good question.
Strong, good to hear.
Yeah.
So my thoughts on that being that question of, you know,
like where does the money buy?
So taking money and holding it in state coffers
rather than having it either distributed to services
or to folks directly.
So I think some of that's the math problem
of like, what would we be able to get to for a.
for a fund that we'd be able to get some benefit off of,
which I get and I think the state is benefited
from those types of programs versus, you know,
what it could potentially be otherwise.
So we've got some things to continue to talk about.
Any last questions from the committee?
Thank you all for our wonderful discussion today.
So I'll go back and make sure that I am.
Dodding my eyes and crossing my teas for what I need to do here. Thank you rep stop.
Thank You Ms. Rexford. With that we will set the bill aside until later date.
That concludes our business for today. On Thursday we'll be conducting a joint hearing
with the House Tribal Affairs Committee to hear a presentation titled Alaska State Emergency
Operations Center Update by Brian Fisher, the Director of the Division of Homeland Security
Please note that we will be meeting
in the Davis room 106.
It is our intention for the committee
to work with the House Tribal Affairs Committee
to do a deeper dive into all of things,
disaster response and emergency management this session.
So this presentation will
be foundational starting point for things to follow.
So that's what we're looking for
for our informational hearings.
I'd also like to note Representative Ruffridge
has gone over to Tribal affairs.
So we are chasing him down the hall.
He can't escape us that quickly.
So, seeing no further business before the committee, this meeting is adjourned.
It is 8.50 a.m.