05/08/1997 02:10 PM House FIN

  HOUSE BILL 47                                                                
                                                                               
       "An Act  relating  to  authorizing  the  Department  of                 
       Corrections to provide an automated victim notification                 
       and prisoner information system."                                       
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE ALLEN KEMPLEN  noted that each day,  over 600                 
  concerned  Alaskans  call  the   State  institution  seeking                 
  information  on inmates.    Alaska's  prisons and  pre-trial                 
  facilities house 2,990  inmates, 49% of whom  are considered                 
  violent.    Clearly,  proper  and  timely  notifications  to                 
  victims about the release or escape of their attackers could                 
  improve their sense of safety.                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                6                                              
                                                                               
                                                                               
  A   state-of-the-art   computer   system,    called   Victim                 
  Information and  Notification Everyday (VINE)  was developed                 
  to  keep crime victims  informed of  inmate activity.   VINE                 
  provides two important services which enhance the vital link                 
  of communication between the justice  system and the victim.                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
       1.   VINE provides automatic notification calls to                      
            a  crime  victim   when  an  inmate's  status                      
            changes.                                                           
                                                                               
       2.   VINE provides critical inmate  information 24                      
            hours  a  day,  7 days  a  week,  through the                      
            automated telephone system.                                        
                                                                               
  Representative  Kemplen  reiterated  that  the  goal of  the                 
  legislation  was to meet the need  for timely, efficient and                 
  reliable  notification  to  a  victim  about  the  offenders                 
  status.   The  legislation  would provide  for  the  use  of                 
  innovative technology  that will  assist  the Department  of                 
  Corrections staff who  are responsible  for notifying  crime                 
  victims who  have moved.    The legislation  would give  the                 
  victims more control.                                                        
                                                                               
  Co-Chair Therriault  questioned if the  $150 thousand dollar                 
  fiscal note  was essential.   Representative  Kemplen stated                 
  that those are one  time costs.  He recommended  moving some                 
  of  the  general  fund  expenditures  to  program  receipts.                 
  Program receipts  in the out  years would be  generated from                 
  individuals calling into the system and assessed  a fee each                 
  time.                                                                        
                                                                               
  Representative Mulder recommended providing authorization to                 
  establish  the request  without providing a  funding source.                 
  Co-Chair Therriault pointed  out that  fiscal action on  the                 
  bill  could   be  addressed  during   Conference  Committee.                 
  Discussion followed  about  possible shifts  to the  funding                 
  source.                                                                      
                                                                               
  (Tape Change HFC 97-130, Side 2).                                            
                                                                               
  JAYNE  ANDREEN,  EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR,  COUNCIL  ON  DOMESTIC                 
  VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, ANCHORAGE, testified in support                 
  of HB  47.  Many  states have been  looking at how  they can                 
  improve notification to  victims.  In 1994,  Alaskans passed                 
  the  Victim's  Right  amendment.     Victims  now  have  the                 
  constitutional right to  be notified of the  status of their                 
  offenders as  well as the right to be able to participate in                 
  the process.   Combined with the new  Domestic Violence Law,                 
  as well as  HB 9,  will increase the  responsibility of  the                 
  Department of Corrections to maintain  and notify the victim                 
  of the status  of their offenders.   She explained that  the                 
                                                                               
                                7                                              
                                                                               
                                                                               
  legislation would accomplish two things:                                     
                                                                               
       1.   Once the change of status is entered into the                      
            computer,  the  victim will  be automatically                      
            notified by telephone of that status change.                       
                                                                               
       2.   Victims will be given a  pin telephone number                      
            which they will  be able  to call at  anytime                      
            regarding the status of their offender.                            
                                                                               
  ROBERT COLE, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE  SERVICES,                 
  DEPARTMENT OF  CORRECTIONS, stated  that the  assumption was                 
  that the Department  would use  general funding to  initiate                 
  the system and  for first year operations.   He spoke to the                 
  implementation  costs  and  suggested that  the  fiscal note                 
  could be slightly reduced.                                                   
                                                                               
  Representative J. Davies  MOVED to add $20  thousand dollars                 
  to  the program  receipt line  in anticipation  that  in the                 
  fourth  quarter the system would be out of funds, and then a                 
  fraction  of  the need  would be  corrected.   There  was NO                 
  OBJECTION to the fiscal note change.                                         
                                                                               
  Representative Foster MOVED to report HB 47 out of Committee                 
  with individual recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal                 
  notes.  There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                         
                                                                               
  HB 47 was reported out of Committee with "no recommendation"                 
  and with a  House Finance Committee  fiscal note and a  zero                 
  fiscal note by the Department of Public Safety.