News from The Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
716 West 4th Avenue, Suite 510
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Phone: 907/258-8184
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

New Senate Finance Human Resources Subcommittee to Meet Wednesday, November 19

For Immediate Release: November 17, 1997 Contact: Krag Johnson at (907) 258-8185

Anchorage -- Members of the new Senate Finance Human Resources subcommittee will hold their first committee meeting on Wednesday, November 19 from 1-4 p.m. at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office (716 W. Fourth Ave.). Committee members will examine functions of the Human Resource Council including its job training partnership programs, Welfare to Work, School to Work, vocational education, and job placement and tracking systems that are currently in use.

More than 20 thousand Alaskans are served through state operated education, employment and job training programs under the umbrella of the Human Resources Council. The Council advises state leaders of human investment needs and recommends ways to meet those needs.

Chairman Senator John Torgerson (R-Kasilof), noted that this subcommittee expands the Senate Finance Committee’s focus on reviewing state budgets from a program based perspective. The committee has requested information on all state vocational education and job training programs.

"Our first meeting will serve as a fact finding mission," said Torgerson. "We will listen to overviews from program directors, industry council representatives, leaders from the University of Alaska and the Department of Labor to review state allocated training funds in various agencies. Our goal is to determine whether these programs are working to best serve the vocational and training needs of Alaskans."

The following participants will each make a fifteen minute presentation to the committee:

• Marylou Madden, 1997 Status Report VocEd in Alaska (via video teleconference)
• Mike Andrews, Executive Director AHRIC
• JoAnne Henderson, AHRIC Council Chair
• Arbe Williams, Department of Labor
• Wendy Redman, Vice President, University of Alaska
• Fred Esposito, Director AVTEC
• Walter Hall, Alaska Job Corp
• Sally Saddler, School-to-Work
• Alaska Temporary Assistance Program Representative (TBA)
• Jim Bosshart, Aurora Electric (Private Industry)
• Local Hire Representative (TBA)

Senators appointed to the new subcommittee include: John Torgerson -- Chair, Drue Pearce, Dave Donley, Tim Kelly, Gary Wilken, and Al Adams.

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