Legislature(2007 - 2008)BUTROVICH 205

02/28/2008 01:00 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= SB 265 SEX OFFENDERS, KIDNAPPERS DRIVERS LICENSE TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 265(TRA) Out of Committee
+= SB 190 MINORS TRAVELING ALONE BY AIR TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+= SB 189 APPROP.: BRIDGES, SERVICE ROADS, TRAILS TELECONFERENCED
Moved SB 189 Out of Committee
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
            SB 265-SEX OFFENDERS & CHILD  KIDNAPPERS                                                                        
                                                                                                                              
1:05:41 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   ALBERT  KOOKESH   announced   SB  265   to   be  up   for                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  LESIL MCGUIRE,  sponsor of  SB 265,  said she  brought a                                                               
committee substitute version E.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BILL  WIELECHOWSKI moved to  adopt CSSB 265,  labeled 25-                                                               
LS1449\E. There were no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MCGUIRE said  the goal of the bill is  to try and capture                                                               
the 1 out of 10 sex offenders who are not registering.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:06:06 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MCGUIRE said  her first attempt was  modeled after Nevada                                                               
that said  when you  into the Division  of Motor  Vehicles (DMV),                                                               
you would have to be sure  you were in compliance with state law,                                                               
which is  why it  was originally  referred to  the Transportation                                                               
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MCGUIRE  said neither  the  DMV  nor the  Department  of                                                               
Administration (DOA) support  the Nevada model, so  she looked at                                                               
other ways to get compliance  for the outstanding 11 percent. She                                                               
and staff  came up with  using the Permanent Fund  Dividend (PFD)                                                               
application process  as a tool,  because it would  probably bring                                                               
more people into  compliance than using a  driver's license would                                                               
and the  administrative costs would  be minimized. She  said this                                                               
new CS  also addressed the fact  that rural Alaska does  not have                                                               
DMV offices located in all of Alaska's small communities.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOOKESH  said since SB  265 no longer had  a transportation                                                               
component,  he  wanted  to  move  it  on  to  the  State  Affairs                                                               
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DONALD  OLSON asked  why they decided  not to  follow the                                                               
Nevada model.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MCGUIRE  replied  that   the  concerns  raised  centered                                                               
primarily around  rural Alaska  and how people  would be  able to                                                               
get in on an annual basis  to get their drivers' license renewed.                                                               
It would  be a hardship for  them. The other concern  was more of                                                               
an administrative issue. DMV is  actually under the Department of                                                               
Administration  (DOA) and  not the  Department  of Public  Safety                                                               
(DPS)  and DOA  had  concerns  about how  this  program would  be                                                               
administered.     However,  she   said  the  Nevada   has  worked                                                               
incredibly  well  there and  it  might  be something  they  could                                                               
consider in the future.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked  if the bill needs a  resolution for a                                                               
title change.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MCGUIRE replied  that could  be addressed  in the  State                                                               
Affairs Committee.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:09:33 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR JOHN COWDERY asked how many offenders receive PFDs.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MCGUIRE  replied that statistics  show between 10  and 11                                                               
percent of all felony sex  offenders required to register are not                                                               
complying.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
KATHRYN  MONFREDA,  Chief,  Criminal Records  and  Identification                                                               
Bureau,  Division of  Statewide  Services,  Department of  Public                                                               
Safety (DPS), said  her duties include administration  of the sex                                                               
offender registry  and between 195  and 305 offenders are  out of                                                               
compliance with  the registration  process. A  quick study  of 40                                                               
out-of-compliance   offenders  indicated   that  two-thirds   had                                                               
applied for PFDs where half of  them had a valid driver's license                                                               
or ID                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  COWDERY asked  if people  who  apply for  PFDs were  now                                                               
going  to have  to go  through  some sort  of screening  process,                                                               
because that's what her sponsor statement sounded like.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MCGUIRE answered  that they  are working  on the  actual                                                               
process, but she  didn't envision a background  check. Rather she                                                               
thought  if   someone's  name  popped   up  as  someone   out  of                                                               
compliance, that  would initiate  a verification process  at that                                                               
level.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
TREVOR  FULTON,  staff to  Senator  McGuire,  responded that  the                                                               
sponsor statement was  referring to the Nevada  model where every                                                               
time a  person renewed his  driver's license an  electronic query                                                               
would be sent to the sex  offender registry. The query would come                                                               
back  as either  a  zero, a  one  or  a two.  A  two indicates  a                                                               
convicted sex offender who is out of compliance.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  asked if the  Permanent Fund and if  it had                                                               
taken a position on this bill and if it had a fiscal note.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOOKESH replied that a  fiscal note had been requested, but                                                               
it hadn't arrived yet.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MCGUIRE  also replied  that  the  Permanent Fund  didn't                                                               
oppose the bill, but they were  working with her to make sure the                                                               
administrative process was  set up in a way that  would work with                                                               
their business practices.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:14:05 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI   moved  to   report  CSSB   265(TRA)  from                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal                                                               
note(s). There being no objection, the motion carried.                                                                          

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