Legislature(2021 - 2022)ADAMS 519
04/05/2022 01:00 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB313 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 313 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE BILL NO. 313
"An Act requiring background investigations of village
public safety officer applicants by the Department of
Public Safety; relating to the village public safety
officer program; and providing for an effective date."
1:33:03 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TIFFANY ZULKOSKY, SPONSOR, introduced HB 313
and read the sponsor statement (copy on file):
This bill implements nine recommendations of the joint
legislative VPSO Working Group's 2020 report. Created
in the late 1970's, the Village Public Safety Officer
(VPSO) program's stated purpose is to assist in the
protection of "life and property" and coordinate
probation and parole in rural communities.
Currently ten entities operate VPSO grants. Eight of
the ten grantees are regionally based nonprofit
corporations whose missions are to cultivate self-
determination among local tribal citizens. One is a
federally recognized tribe, and the Northwest Arctic
Borough, a home rule regional government seated in
Kotzebue, is the only grantee organization that is a
municipal government.
While the VPSO program has provided valuable service
to participating areas, the past decade has seen
shrinking numbers of VPSOs, significant difficulty in
recruitment and retention of officers, and community
needs that surpass the current duties of VPSOs. There
is undoubtedly a need to address the crisis in public
safety infrastructure and service in rural Alaska.
On May 9th, 2019, Senate President Cathy Giessel and
House Speaker Bryce Edgmon announced the creation of a
Joint House/Senate Working Group to provide
substantive policy recommendations related to the VPSO
program. Appointed to the working group were: Senator
Donny Olson, Co-Chair; Representative Chuck Kopp, Co-
Chair; Senator Click Bishop; Senator Mike Shower;
Representative Bryce Edgmon; and Representative George
Rauscher.
The working group was assigned to coordinate with
stakeholders to examine the underlying causes of the
recruitment and retention obstacle and provide
proposals to turn around the epidemic rate of
personnel turnover within the VPSO program.
The working group held meetings, attended community
meetings, participated in listening sessions, and
worked with stakeholders to arrive at the proposals
outlined in this report. The proposals primarily
address the core problem of increasing the number of
VPSO's available to communities.
House Bill 313 incorporates eight of the nine Working
Group's short-term recommendations.
Representative Zulkosky indicated she would be happy to
review the sectional analysis but was aware the committee
was short on time.
Co-Chair Merrick suggested that the committee hear from
invited testifiers.
1:37:18 PM
JOEL HARD, DIRECTOR, VILLAGE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER
OPERATIONS, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY (DPS), ANCHORAGE
(via teleconference), spoke in support of the HB 313 and
discussed the flexibility that the bill provided. The
statute that authorized VPSOs had been interpreted in a
narrow manner, which he argued had contributed to the
difficulty in VPSO retention. He explained that the lack of
necessary infrastructure such as VPSO housing and office
space had discouraged retention. The bill allowed the
program to be interpreted more broadly and allowed more
funding to be dedicated to support VPSOs.
Mr. Hard added that the bill also enabled more flexibility
in staffing, such as the ability to assign more than one
officer to a single village and to permit more officers to
travel between village locations. He asserted that the
inclusion of language in the bill that specifically
permitted more staffing flexibility contributed to more
consistency for the program grantees and greater clarity
for DPS. Additionally, the bill provided for more advanced
VPSO training, which was a critical piece in ensuring that
officers were trained for the duties asked of them. He
thanked the committee.
1:41:42 PM
Co-Chair Foster appreciated Mr. Hard's perspective and his
support.
1:42:04 PM
RICHARD PETERSON, PRESIDENT, CENTRAL COUNCIL OF TLINGIT &
HAIDA, JUNEAU (via teleconference), spoke in favor of the
legislation. He indicated that VPSOs were critical in
Tlingit and Haida communities without direct access to
public safety infrastructure such as the Alaska State
Troopers. For this reason, VPSOs had been a vital partner
for DPS and the Alaska State Troopers. The DPS contributed
to the improvement of the VPSO program by implementing
enhancements to the program, elevating the program in the
commissioner's office, and improving the management of
grants. He asserted that while the role of VPSOs had
changed over the years, Alaska statutes had not evolved at
the same rate.
Mr. Peterson continued that the opportunity allotted by HB
313 to implement the recommendations of the VPSO working
group would contribute toward improved village safety in
rural Alaska. The VPSOs were committed to improved public
safety and played an integral role in providing public
safety services. He emphasized that updating the VPSO
program to specifically allow expenditures for equipment,
infrastructure, transportation, facility upkeep, and the
maintenance of an increased geographic presence would
contribute to the productivity and longevity of the
program. He appreciated the opportunity to testify before
the committee.
1:45:11 PM
BRIAN RIDLEY, CHIEF/CHAIRMAN, TANANA CHIEFS CONFERENCE
(TCC), TANANA (via teleconference), spoke in support of HB
313. He provided detail about the TCC region that included
42 communities and 37 federally recognized tribes. He
detailed that TCC provided VPSO services through an annual
grant with DPS. He shared that TCC was united in its
approval of the legislation. Additionally, he expressed
support for the legislation on behalf of the Alaska
Regional Coalition. Over the years, the expectations of
VPSOs had changed beyond the original scope of the program,
but these changes would be codified with the passage of the
bill. He echoed that retention and recruitment of VPSOs
would be aided by HB 313. The reform to the VPSO program
was one of TCC's highest priorities in 2022, and he
expressed TCC's appreciation to Representative Zulkosky and
Representative Edgmon for working on the legislation.
Mr. Ridley explained that prior to the formation of the
2016 legislative working group, TCC identified a need for a
VPSO contractor caucus. The caucus facilitated discussion
between all VPSO grantees on proposed solutions to the VPSO
contract. It was clear through the caucus discussions that
the program needed to be standardized to allow for more
flexibility, reflect the needs of rural Alaska, and ensure
the safety of community members. He expressed his
appreciation to the legislature for its willingness to work
with the tribes and attend stakeholder meetings such as the
Alaska Tribal Unity Gathering and the Alaska Federation of
Natives' Annual Convention. It was exemplary of good reform
work being done through tribal consultation.
Mr. Ridley furthered that although VPSO hires had already
increased due to the work, there were still VPSOs in only
27 percent of communities that needed officers. He offered
an example of a first responder who managed a public safety
situation with "two men with their rifles" in lieu of law
enforcement. He speculated that the presence of a VPSO in
the community would have negated such measures. He urged
members to support HB 313. He also asked members to keep
the items related to the VPSO program in the FY 23
operating budget.
1:50:52 PM
Co-Chair Merrick OPENED public testimony.
1:51:12 PM
JACKIE BOYER, NATIVE PEOPLES ACTION (NPA), EAGLE RIVER (via
teleconference), spoke in support of HB 313. She relayed
NPA's appreciation for the work done by Representative
Zulkosky, Senator Olson, and DPS. The next step was to
implement the recommendations of the VPSO working group,
such as increased flexibility in the program, modified
funding, and added clarification and codification in
statute. She asserted that implementing these
recommendations would strengthen public safety in rural
Alaska as well as address VPSO retention and recruitment
issues. The legislature had heard powerful stories of how
VPSOs helped communities in Alaska, and she implored
members to support community members by passing the
legislation.
1:52:45 PM
Co-Chair Merrick CLOSED public testimony.
1:52:59 PM
AT EASE
1:53:23 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Merrick invited DPS to review the fiscal notes.
1:53:41 PM
KELLY HOWELL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE COMMISSIONER,
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, reviewed the fiscal note with
the control code AxkeY. It required the Criminal Records
and Identification Bureau within the DPS to audit the
grantee organizations. She explained that the grantees
would be recipients of background check information and
would therefore be required to comply with the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal justice information
security policies. She offered clarification that because
there were only 10 grantee organizations, DPS was to absorb
the audits that would be required for compliance.
Ms. Howell reviewed the second fiscal note with the control
code zvsTO. The fiscal note required long-term non-
permanent funding for one additional Alaska State Trooper
who would be responsible for conducting the required
background checks. It also required funding for
psychological examinations for existing firearm carrying
VPSOs as well as psychological examinations for future
hires.
1:55:48 PM
Representative Thompson was curious about travel related to
the new position.
Ms. Howell responded that generally the state hired retired
state troopers to be background investigators and travel
was not normally required. The troopers conducted the
investigations through phone interviews and other online
research. She emphasized that travel was not necessary for
the position.
Representative Thompson asked how the process of obtaining
a firearm certification worked without requiring officers
to travel.
Ms. Howell responded that all VPSOs receive that training
at the Public Safety Training Academy in Sitka, Alaska.
Co-Chair Merrick invited Representative Zulkosky to make
closing comments.
1:57:46 PM
Representative Zulkosky appreciated the opportunity to
present HB 313. She thanked several people who came
together to negotiate the resources. She expressed that
every Alaskan should feel safe where they lived.
1:58:48 PM
Representative LeBon thanked Representative Zulkosky for
bringing the legislation forward. He hoped the bill moved
quickly through the body.
Co-Chair Merrick reviewed the agenda for the following
meeting.
HB 313 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 313 Sectional Analysis version B.pdf |
HFIN 4/5/2022 1:00:00 PM |
HB 313 |
| HB 313 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HFIN 4/5/2022 1:00:00 PM |
HB 313 |
| HB313 Version B Explanation of changes.pdf |
HFIN 4/5/2022 1:00:00 PM |
HB 313 |