House Bill 123 would add the Southwest Alaska Vocational & Education Center in King Salmon, to the roster of entities eligible for allocated funding under the Alaska Workforce Invest-ment Board. SAVEC is not currently among the program participants afforded a regular alloca-tion under the AWIB. In the case of the Center at King Salmon, it is a struggling regional training center in the heart of the worst failed salmon fishery in Alaska. This bill would require the expenditure of no new money, only reallocate whatever funds are appropriated to the program. As a result of action in the Senate Finance Committee, the Yuut Elitnaurviat People's Learning Center in Bethel was added back into the bill.

SAVEC provides ongoing skill development and retraining services in several areas of potential reemployment for local residents, including skills in the construction trades, energy de-velopment, heavy equipment operation, computer hardware, commercial operators' licenses, refrigeration, and welding, just to name a few. The center is uniquely positioned to train the workforce likely needed to support oil and gas development now identified in this region. SAVEC has officially been in existence since May of 2002, and between that time and January of 2003, it has served just over 900 students, many of whom have received formal credits through the Bristol Bay Campus of the University of Alaska. The average active student count is about 45 individu-als per month.

SAVEC has obtained funding from the Denali Training Fund, and other federal and private sources for specific program development, but needs this proposed allocation for assistance with operational expenses. The University of Alaska does not oppose reducing their share of funding.

BILL SECTION 1: Adds the Southwest Alaska Vocational & Education Center at King Salmon (SAVEC) and the Yuut Elitnaurviat People's Learning Center at Bethel to the list of entities receiving allocation percentages of appropriations to the Alaska Work-force Investment Board. These institutions would each receive 4% of the alloca-tion, and 8% would be deducted from the University of Alaska's share, reducing it from 63% to 55%.

Section 1 also extends the sunset date for the program from June 30, 2006 to June 30, 2010.