The State of Alaska will begin accepting applications for commercial marijuana licenses on February 24, but some are wondering if the departments vetting those will be affected by the current hiring freeze.
Department of Administration Commissioner Sheldon Fisher…
Comm. Fisher: “This restriction as the governor highlighted, does have the ability to request waivers and exceptions. The Chief of Staff will play that role, examining whether a labor is appropriate. We have attempted with this policy to balance the need to both be efficient while saving money.”
He says some of the jobs having to do with the state’s new marijuana industry in Alaska may fall under the revenue generating exception of the hiring freeze.
Comm. Fisher: “there’s a variety of agencies that have a revenue collecting function, some of those might be in Natural Resources, Fish & Game, or even in the Department of Motor Vehicles. And the point that we’re making there is that we don’t want to be penny wise but pound foolish, so that we cut positions and actually reduce revenue where we could be collecting revenue.”
Governor Bill Walker’s administration implemented a hiring and travel freeze for state agencies on January 5.