04/29/2004 09:05 AM Senate FIN

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 284(STA)                                                                                            
     "An Act  relating to an optional  election to prevent  the name                                                            
     and address  of a permanent fund dividend applicant  from being                                                            
     disclosed,  except  to a local,  state,  or federal  government                                                            
     agency, or in compliance with a court order."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This  was the first  hearing  for this  bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken  stated  that  this  legislation  would  allow  the                                                            
Permanent  Fund Dividend Division  in the  Department of Revenue  to                                                            
keep applicant  information private,  except in those situations  in                                                            
which the disclosure  of the information  is required by  federal or                                                            
State government.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Green moved  to adopt  the Version  23-LS1596\I  committee                                                            
substitute as the working document.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Wilken,  hearing no objection,  announced that the  Version                                                            
"I" committee substitute would be the working document.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRETCHEN  GUESS,  the  bill's  sponsor,  stated  that  this                                                            
legislation  would mandate  that, with the  exception of a  person's                                                            
name,  all Permanent  Fund Dividend  (PFD)  application information                                                             
would be confidential.  In addition to providing a degree of privacy                                                            
to  individuals,  keeping  things  such as  a  person's residential                                                             
address confidential  is especially  important for those  threatened                                                            
by domestic  violence. This  would include  keeping Post Office  Box                                                            
addresses  private, as  someone could  locate a  person were  that a                                                            
known element.  Federal  and State  access to some  of the  dividend                                                            
application information  would apply in such cases  as child support                                                            
and jury duty communications.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Guess  noted that  currently,  a  person could  access  the                                                            
Permanent Fund  Dividend registry  via the Internet and download  it                                                            
in  its  entirety.  The  adoption  of  the  Version   "I"  committee                                                            
substitute would  reduce the original $15,000 Department  of Revenue                                                            
fiscal note #1, dated February 24, 2004.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SHARON   BARTON,  Director,   Permanent  Fund   Dividend   Division,                                                            
Department  of  Revenue,  confirmed  that  the  Department's  fiscal                                                            
expense associated  with the Version "I" committee  substitute would                                                            
be reduced to zero, as  no cost would be incurred by only publishing                                                            
individuals' names on the registry.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken   asked  for  further  information   regarding  the                                                            
Department's $15,000 fiscal note #1, dated February 24, 2004.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Barton  responded that limiting  the Permanent Fund registry  to                                                            
only applicants'  names, as specified  in the Version "I"  committee                                                            
substitute,  would incur no expense  to the Department, as  it would                                                            
be accomplished by a small  programming change. The previous version                                                            
of the bill  would have allowed people  to choose whether  or not to                                                            
include  their  name and  address  on the  Permanent  Fund  Dividend                                                            
registry. That ability  to choose, she informed, would have resulted                                                            
in an expense to the Department.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Wilken  understood therefore,  that a new zero fiscal  note                                                            
from the Department of Revenue would be forthcoming.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Barton concurred.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green  informed the Committee  that she had been  contacted                                                            
by a constituent  who told  her that, as a  result of being  on some                                                            
State registry,  her name had been  accessed by a mailing  list and,                                                            
as  a result,  she  had  received  a  volume  of  unsolicited  mail.                                                            
Therefore,  Co-Chair  Green  suggested   that  this  legislation  be                                                            
expanded  to  provide  privacy  coverage  to a  multitude  of  State                                                            
registries.  She  noted that  currently,  each  agency  has its  own                                                            
Statutes in this regard.  The issue regarding privacy of information                                                            
should  be further  expanded to  encompass all  State agencies.  She                                                            
stated that she would conduct further research in this regard.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken noted  that amending  this legislation  to  address                                                            
those  concerns could  be an option.  Therefore,  he asked  Co-Chair                                                            
Green to further her efforts.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green concurred that the privacy issue is important.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken commented  that were the  PFD database information                                                             
curtailed,   the  next  commonly   used  database  would   be  voter                                                            
registration lists.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green  responded that she would further efforts  to address                                                            
these concerns.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken  commented  that  public   officials  access  voter                                                            
registration lists to obtain constituency contacts.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Guess  voiced  willingness  to  amend  the  legislation  to                                                            
include  other  areas  of  concern.  She  understood  that  the  PFD                                                            
database is  the most commonly used  database as it is the  largest,                                                            
most accurate address registry available.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken ordered  the  bill HELD  in Committee  in order  to                                                            
address additional privacy concerns.