Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

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                                         SENATE BILL NO. 203
                       IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
                        THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
     BY SENATOR OLSON
     Introduced: 2/19/20
     Referred: Education, Labor and Commerce
                                                 A BILL
                                        FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
 "An Act relating to instruction in a language other than English; relating to limited
 teacher certificates; renaming the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory
 Council as the Council for Alaska Native Languages; and relating to the membership of
 the Council for Alaska Native Languages."
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
  * Section 1. AS 14.20.025 is repealed and reenacted to read:
                Sec.   14.20.025.    Limited    teacher     certificates.   (a)   Notwithstanding
        AS 14.20.020(b) and 14.20.022, the department may issue a limited teacher certificate,
        valid only in the area of expertise for which it is issued, to a person qualified under (b)
        of this section to teach
                        (1) Alaska Native Culture;
                        (2) military science;
                        (3) vocational or technical education;
                        (4) any subject if the language of instruction is not English.
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                 (b) A person may apply for a limited teacher certificate under this section if
          the person is the subject of a request made under (c) of this section and demonstrates,
          as required by regulations adopted by the board, instructional skills and subject matter
          expertise sufficient to assure the public that the person is competent as a teacher. The
          board may require a person issued a limited teacher certificate under this section to
          undertake academic training as may be required by the board by regulation and make
          satisfactory progress in the academic training.
                 (c) The department may issue a limited teacher certificate under this section
          only if the school board of the district or regional educational attendance area in which
          an applicant for a limited teacher certificate will be teaching submits a request to the
          department for the limited teacher certificate to be issued to the applicant. A request
          for a limited teacher certificate under (a)(4) of this section must specify the subject
          and instructional language for which the certificate is valid.
                 (d) The board may adopt regulations necessary to implement this section. The
          regulations may not require an applicant under (a)(4) of this section to achieve a
          minimum score on an examination unless the examination is given in the instructional
          language for which the limited certificate is valid.
                 (e) A limited teacher certificate issued under this section is initially valid for
          one year. The department may, in accordance with regulations adopted by the board,
          extend or renew a limited teacher certificate issued under this section if the school
          board that initially requested the issuance of the limited teacher certificate requests
          that the certificate be extended or renewed and certifies that the person has
          demonstrated skills in classroom instruction and student assessment.
  * Sec. 2. AS 44.33.520(a) is amended to read:
                 (a)    The Council for Alaska Native Languages [ALASKA NATIVE
          LANGUAGE PRESERVATION AND ADVISORY COUNCIL] is established in the
          department for the purpose of recommending the establishment or reorganization of
          programs to support the preservation, restoration, and revitalization of Alaska Native
          languages.
  * Sec. 3. AS 44.33.520(c) is amended to read:
                 (c) The governor shall appoint to the council established in this section seven
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         [FIVE] voting members who are professional language experts and who represent
         diverse regions of the state. In addition, one member of the senate appointed by the
         president of the senate and one member of the house of representatives appointed by
         the speaker of the house of representatives shall serve on the council as nonvoting
         members. In appointing the nonvoting members of the council, the president of the
         senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint a member of the
         bush caucus, if a bush caucus exists. In this subsection, "bush caucus" means a group
         of legislators that represents rural areas of the state.
  * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to
 read:
         REVISOR'S INSTRUCTIONS. The revisor of statutes is requested to change the
                 (1) heading of art. 9 of AS 44.33 from "Alaska Native Language Preservation
 and Advisory Council" to "Council for Alaska Native Languages";
                 (2) catch line of AS 44.33.520 from "Alaska Native Language Preservation
 and Advisory Council" to "Council for Alaska Native Languages."
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Statutes affected: 
SB0203A, AM SB 203, introduced 02/19/2020: 14.20.025, 14.20.020, 14.20.022, 44.33.520