Legislature(2023 - 2024)ANCH LIO DENALI Rm

01/09/2024 08:30 AM House SELECT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE ETHICS

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08:32:33 AM Start
12:44:57 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ 1. PUBLIC COMMENT TELECONFERENCED
+ 2. ELECTION OF HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE VICE CHAIR TELECONFERENCED
2024-2025
a. Article 3 Ethics Committee Election Procedure
+ 3.CHAIR / STAFF REPORTS TELECONFERENCED
a. Public Committee Appointment Update
b. Staff Report - Informal Advice
c. Ethics Disclosures
i. Total Disclosures by Type in 2023
ii. Yearly Comparison of Total Disclosures
(2020-2023)
+ 4. PUBLICATIONS TELECONFERENCED
a. 2023 Public Decisions Booklet -
AS 24.60.150(a)(2)
b. 2023 Advisory Opinion Booklet -
AS 24.60.150(a)(2)
c. 2024 Standards of Conduct Handbook -
AS 24.60.150(a)(3)
+ 5.ETHICS TRAINING TELECONFERENCED
+ 6. RULES OF PROCEDURE TELECONFERENCED
a. Sections 15 Complaints - Investigations: (c)
Investigative Interviews
b. Section 17 Complaints - Decisions: (g) Waiver
of Confidentiality
+ 7. GIFT DISCLOSURES FOR TRAVEL TELECONFERENCED
a. Cover Sheet
b. Excerpt of Committee Meeting Minutes Requiring
Agendas
c. Example of Email with Screenshot Agendas
d. Example of a Screenshot
+ 8. INTERNS - UPDATED FORMS, INSTRUCTIONS, AND TELECONFERENCED
WEBSITE
a. General Information
b. Application for internship program approval by
the Ethics Committee
c. Internship notification of intent to hire an
intern.
d. Intern agreement
9. EXECUTIVE SESSION
+ 10. PUBLIC SESSION TELECONFERENCED
+ 11. BUDGET TELECONFERENCED
a. FY24 Budget Summary
b. FY25 Budget Request Detail
+ 12. CONTRACT REPORT TELECONFERENCED
a. Contractor Report
b. Investigator 2
+ 13. COGEL CONFERENCE RECAP TELECONFERENCED
+ 14. OTHER BUSINESS TELECONFERENCED
Meeting will be teleconferenced
Anchorage Only: 907-563-9085
Juneau Only: 907-586-9085
Outside Anchorage or Juneau: 1-844-586-9085
                  ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                    
           SELECT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE ETHICS                                                                             
                       JANUARY 9, 2024                                                                                        
                           8:30 AM                                                                                            
                                                                                                                              
                    FULL COMMITTEE                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:32:33 AM                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SKIP COOK called together the full committee meeting                                                                      
on January 9, 2024, at 8:34 a.m. He directed MS. MADDOX to                                                                      
conduct roll call.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Roll Call                                                                                                                     
Senator David Wilson                                                                                                            
Senator Löki Tobin                                                                                                              
Representative Sara Hannan                                                                                                      
Chair Skip Cook                                                                                                                 
Deb Fancher                                                                                                                     
Conner Thomas                                                                                                                   
Jerry McBeath                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Quorum present.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained a motion to approve the agenda.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN so moved.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained objections. Hearing none, the agenda was                                                                 
approved.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
2. PUBLIC COMMENT                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK opened public comment. There was no public                                                                           
comment.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3. ELECTION OF HOUSE SUBCOMMITEE VICE CHAIR 2024-2025                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
       a. Article 3 Ethics Committee Election Procedure                                                                         
CHAIR COOK announced the need to elect a house committee                                                                        
vice chair for 2024/2025. He read,  "Under AS 24.60.130,                                                                        
members of each subcommittee shall  elect a chair and a                                                                         
vice-chair, who will serve a two-year  term. The statute                                                                        
also stipules that the chair and  vice-chair must be public                                                                     
members, and an officer may not serve more than two                                                                             
consecutive terms."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK explained that currently  the house subcommittee                                                                     
is without a vice chair. The chairs  change next week when                                                                      
the legislature is in the session.  DEB FANCHER will be the                                                                     
full committee chair at that time.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS added the committee only needed to fill House                                                                        
subcommittee vice chair position.  The only member without a                                                                    
position is MR. McBEATH, so he is the obvious choice to                                                                         
fill the position.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked MR. THOMAS if he was nominating MR.                                                                            
McBEATH for the position.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS affirmed that it was a nomination.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained other nominations.  Hearing none and                                                                     
hearing no objection, MR. McBEATH  was selected to fill the                                                                     
House Subcommittee vice-chair position.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4. CHAIR/STAFF REPORTS (+)                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed MS. MADDOX to address the chair/staff                                                                       
report.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     a. Public Committee Appointment Update                                                                                     
MS. MADDOX announced two of the public members expressed                                                                        
interest in reappointment when their  terms expire. Supreme                                                                     
Court Chief Justice Peter Maassen appoints the public                                                                           
members and he is aware that the members would like                                                                             
reappointment. There is also a vacant  alternate position,                                                                      
and the Chief Justice is considering  applications for that                                                                     
position. Chief Justice Maassen is expected to make a                                                                           
decision by the beginning of the legislative session. He                                                                        
will send a letter with his selections to the Senate                                                                            
President and Speaker of the House. The House and Senate                                                                        
will vote on the appointments. With  two-thirds vote of each                                                                    
body, the appointments will be ratified.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS asked how many people applied to assume the                                                                          
alternate public member position.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX replied there was one applicant when she had                                                                         
contact with the Chief Justice. The applicant is from                                                                           
Southeast Alaska. MS. MADDOX mentioned there was also                                                                           
possibly a former legislator interested.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN noted the deadline for the                                                                                
ratification of the members needs  to be done prior to the                                                                      
March meeting, adding that sometimes the need to be                                                                             
ratified might mean sometime in  the future and she thinks                                                                      
it would behoove the committee to make sure the explicit                                                                        
timeline for the work product is  delineated to the people                                                                      
along the way, not just the Chief  Justice but the presiding                                                                    
officers of each body.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK thanked REPRESENTATIVE  HANNAN for her suggestion                                                                    
and asked for clarification of the process involved.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON replied that the nominees usually appear                                                                           
before the State Affairs committee  of each body, at which                                                                      
time there is a hearing and the  committees either move the                                                                     
names forward or not.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN added there  are a number of new house                                                                    
members chairing committees and  scheduling the meetings can                                                                    
be complicated, and they may not  be aware of the timeframe                                                                     
in which the ratifications must happen.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed MS. MADDOX to ensure that happens.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     b. Staff Report  Informal Advice                                                                                           
MS. MADDOX addressed the staff reports,  the first being a                                                                      
standard report and the second, which circles back to                                                                           
informal advice that was provided  at the November 29, 2023,                                                                    
meeting. She added the dates on  the first report would be                                                                      
amended to November 29, 2023, to December 31, 2023. She                                                                         
entertained questions about the first report.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON joined the meeting.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH addressed the question  of whether a legislator                                                                     
may send a newsletter to constituents  via Every Door Direct                                                                    
Mail (EDDM), a U.S.P.S program with  reduced mailing fees,                                                                      
if the newsletter would also reach  individuals outside of                                                                      
the legislator's district. The answer said that it was                                                                          
permissible to send a limited number of newsletters to                                                                          
people outside the legislative district.  It was estimated                                                                      
about 8,000 constituents living  in the legislative district                                                                    
would receive the newsletter as  well as about 1,000 people                                                                     
living outside of the district, which to MR. McBEATH seemed                                                                     
to be more than a limited number.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX asked MS. ANDERSON to respond to the question                                                                        
posed by MR. McBEATH.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON replied that Advisory Opinion AO 13-03                                                                             
addresses EDDM. The committee did not define a limited                                                                          
number in the opinion because it would be situation                                                                             
specific. In this case, about 9,000 mailers would be sent.                                                                      
Looking at that as a percentage seemed to be a limited                                                                          
number. EDDM reduces the cost of mailing. She asked the                                                                         
committee for their feedback.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TOBIN said EDDM is based  on zip code, and it is not                                                                    
possible to mail only people in the district. Her district                                                                      
includes people in two zip code areas and she would not be                                                                      
able to use the more affordable option if she was limited                                                                       
to mailing within her district.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS recalled a similar question involving                                                                                
reapportionment. The answer at that time was no because                                                                         
some of the recipients would be in the new district.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON responded this situation does not involve                                                                          
redistricting. That, she remembers, is why the committee                                                                        
decided not to define a limited number and keep it fact                                                                         
specific. During redistricting, 1,000 may be seen as                                                                            
considerable because the legislator could be campaigning in                                                                     
the area.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS offered the answer should include the exception                                                                      
[during redistricting]. MS. ANDERSON agreed.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK recalled discussion of how the legislative                                                                           
districts did not match up to zip code areas and there was                                                                      
something about it in the advisory opinion.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON agreed to check the advisory opinion to see if                                                                     
it refers to redistricting.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN said delivery routes also have                                                                            
impact. Prior to redistricting, she had fewer than 100                                                                          
people on a delivery route that intersected her district,                                                                       
so de minimis use. After redistricting, she has to mail                                                                         
first class to almost half of her district, thereby, almost                                                                     
doubling her cost to mail newsletters.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON [muted]? said the hardest part about                                                                     
mailing is when it accidently goes outside the boundaries                                                                       
of her district. There has to be a bit of leeway,                                                                               
otherwise, communication is hobbled.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON said she believes that is the reason the                                                                           
committee did not define "limited it really is fact                                                                             
specific. In the case under discussion, she felt the number                                                                     
of newsletters was limited.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX asked if there were other  questions about the                                                                       
informal advice. Hearing none, she  addressed the amended                                                                       
advice from the meeting on November 29, 2023. She asked MS.                                                                     
ANDERSON if she wanted to speak to the advice.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON replied that a question  from REPRESENTATIVE                                                                       
HANNAN prompted the reconsideration. In response to the                                                                         
question, MS. ANDERSON contacted Representative Andy                                                                            
Josephson's office, the legislative office that posed the                                                                       
original question. She was told the office receives                                                                             
multiple emails daily from the same  person. In a 12-week                                                                       
period, the office received about 750 emails from the                                                                           
person under three different email  addresses. They asked                                                                       
whether directing an email address  to the junk folder is                                                                       
considered blocking a user. Emails  are still accessible.                                                                       
They are not deleted. The sender  still has unencumbered                                                                        
access. LAA IT verified they recommend the use of the junk                                                                      
folder in a case such as this.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON referred to the last sentence on page 1,                                                                         
saying that legislative emails are  not available by FOIA                                                                       
requests.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON thanked SENATOR WILSON  for the information.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX said she had spoken to  Tim Banaszak, who also                                                                       
said legislative emails are not covered under FOIA. In                                                                          
addition, legislators have immunity. Their emails may                                                                           
become subject to FOIA if a legislator sends an email to a                                                                      
person subject to FOIA. She added there is no LAA IT policy                                                                     
restricting legislative offices from blocking emails. The                                                                       
emails are not deleted and the public  still has multiple                                                                       
options for contacting their legislators.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
DEB FANCHER asked if there are any  limitations to using the                                                                    
junk folder as a solution to the problem of receiving                                                                           
unwanted emails.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON responded  that putting an email into                                                                    
the junk folder is taking action.  The spam filter requires                                                                     
similar effort to allow emails to go into the inbox.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DEB FANCHER asked for confirmation that when an email                                                                           
address is directed to the junk  folder, it stays that way.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX responded that it is  possible to allow "unjunk"                                                                     
emails after the fact.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
DEB FANCHER pointed out that even legitimate emails from                                                                        
those addressed automatically directed  to the junk folder                                                                      
would go to the junk folder.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TOBIN stated that legislators are in elected                                                                            
positions. Constituents can choose  not to vote for a                                                                           
legislator who does not respond  to their requests for                                                                          
information. She recounted there  were 187 recipients in the                                                                    
scenario under discussion. She asked  at what point does an                                                                     
email become part of a listserv.  Recipients then have the                                                                      
ability to unsubscribe or block  the email address because                                                                      
they did not sign up for it. She believes Alaska is a                                                                           
double opt-in state, which means  you have to request to be                                                                     
part of a listserv, and you should have the ability to                                                                          
unsubscribe yourself.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON said she is not familiar with listservs. She                                                                       
reported staff in Representative Andy Josephson's office                                                                        
periodically go through the junk  mail. They also go through                                                                    
the list of emails caught by the filter                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if Representative  Andy Josephson's office                                                                     
needs to respond to the emails if the person sending them                                                                       
is not one of his constituents.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON said neither Representative  Andy Josephson nor                                                                    
his staff know whether the sender is one of his                                                                                 
constituents.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK questioned whether a legislator has an                                                                               
obligation to respond to a non-constituent  in the same way                                                                     
they would a constituent.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN said she brought forward her concern                                                                      
about the advice because she had  received advice not to                                                                        
block emails. Some people think of a constituent as a                                                                           
person residing in a particular district but legally,                                                                           
anyone in Alaska is a constituent in that the legislature                                                                       
makes laws for everyone present in the state. She was                                                                           
concerned about the possibility of the advice leading to                                                                        
problems for the legislator. On  the other hand, legislators                                                                    
have no legal obligation to look  at their email. Some have                                                                     
staff look at them. Representative  Andy Josephson asks his                                                                     
staff to look at every email every  day. She directs her                                                                        
staff to delete irrelevant emails.  The amended advice to                                                                       
sequester irrelevant emails in a junk folder better                                                                             
addresses her concern that the advice may have set a                                                                            
legislator up for a legal challenge.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON agreed the word "constituent"  has multiple                                                                        
meanings and provided some history. She worked with a                                                                           
former legislator on legislation that would define the word                                                                     
but ultimately decided to abandon the effort because it was                                                                     
too complicated. The Ethics Committee considered the                                                                            
question and decided it was fact specific.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed MS. MADDOX to address the next agenda                                                                       
item.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     c. Ethics Disclosures                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX addressed the report  of disclosures filed in                                                                        
2023 and the report showing a comparison  of disclosures                                                                        
filed from 2020-2023.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
DEB FANCHER wondered about the decrease  in the number of                                                                       
close economic association disclosures from 2022 to 2023.                                                                       
SENATOR WILSON said in 2023 there  were a number of new                                                                         
legislators and opined they may not have had many                                                                               
associations to report.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON responded if you look  down at the gifts of                                                                        
travel and hospitality, you can definitely see the                                                                              
difference between the beginning  of COVID, which was in                                                                        
2020, where there were only 24 gifts  of travel, and then                                                                       
there were 39 in 2021. And then in 2022, it increased and                                                                       
then increased again in 2023.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                              
6. PUBLICATIONS                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR COOK said Jacqui updated the 2023 Public Decisions                                                                        
booklet, the 2023 Advisory Opinions booklet, and the 2024                                                                       
Standards of Conduct book. She will either update each                                                                          
member's committee binder or give them to the member to put                                                                     
into their own binder. He asked if there were any questions                                                                     
about those materials. Hearing none, he moved to the next                                                                       
agenda item.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
7. ETHICS TRAINING                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed MS. MADDOX to talk about plans for                                                                          
ethics training.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX said she would deliver an in person training in                                                                      
Juneau to new employees on January 12. Information about                                                                        
the training was distributed. Training will include an                                                                          
overview of the Ethics Act, Sexual and other workplace                                                                          
harassment, and workplace civility. There will also be an                                                                       
Anchorage training on January 22 in the LIO. The PowerPoint                                                                     
is complete and available to view by any interested                                                                             
committee member.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained questions about ethics training.                                                                         
There were no questions.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                              
8. RULES OF PROCEDURE                                                                                                       
     a. Section 15 Complaints  Investigations: (c)                                                                              
        Investigative Interviews                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX stated the proposed change to Section 15                                                                             
Complaints is an update allowing for remote interviews with                                                                     
interviewees, with the stipulation the interviewee shall                                                                        
verify for the record that no one other than a person                                                                           
representing the interviewee else is present in the room or                                                                     
on a conference call line.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
There was no discussion.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
      b. Section 17 Complaints  Decisions: (g) Waiver of                                                                        
        Confidentiality                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX explained the change to Section 17 Complaints                                                                        
Decisions only fixes an incorrect reference in (g) from                                                                         
Section 14(d) to Section 14(e).                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if there were questions about the proposed                                                                     
correction. There were none. CHAIR COOK entertained a                                                                           
motion to adopt the changes.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH so moved.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained objections. There were none.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9. GIFT DISCLOSURES FOR TRAVEL                                                                                              
                                                                                                                              
MS. MADDOX explained the committee,  on December 17, 2021,                                                                      
had voted to require legislators  and legislative employees                                                                     
who are receiving gifts of travel and hospitality to                                                                            
provide agendas for those events  to show the legislative                                                                       
purpose for the travel. Filers have begun to submit                                                                             
screenshots of the agendas because  event planners are now                                                                      
putting their agendas in an app instead of in the form of a                                                                     
document. The result is a bunch of screenshots being                                                                            
submitted that are inadequate for verifying legislative                                                                         
purpose. They are usually hard to  read and understand and                                                                      
even to determine whether it is  a complete agenda. Staff                                                                       
has to print it off and piece it  together and try to make                                                                      
one document. It's not a good use of time and it's not                                                                          
effective, it's not efficient. Staff recommends prohibiting                                                                     
the use of [individual] screenshots  and instead requesting                                                                     
that legislators and legislative  employees submit a regular                                                                    
single document agenda.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER reported she was in  the Ethics Office and had                                                                      
seen the situation firsthand and  understood why it was an                                                                      
issue.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS noted in the packet he read that increasingly                                                                        
conference attendees are reporting  the printed agendas or                                                                      
links to a download are not available. He asked how to                                                                          
overcome that? What's the alternative?                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX suggested requiring filers to reach out to event                                                                     
planners before attending the event  and letting them know                                                                      
that our Ethics [Committee] requires  a printed copy of the                                                                     
agenda. If there's truly not an agenda they can access that                                                                     
way, then they can combine the individual screenshots                                                                           
themselves. The preference is, though to just have a                                                                            
regular agenda.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS asked if there was anything else in terms of                                                                         
submitting the information other  than a screenshot or an                                                                       
agenda?                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX replied not to her knowledge.  She suggested that                                                                    
filers could combine all of the  screenshots into a single                                                                      
PDF document, correctly ordered,  and submit it along with                                                                      
disclosures.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS responded that makes sense to him and that                                                                           
suggestion was different than prohibiting screenshots.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK clarified the PDF is what is important.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX: Correct. The singular PDF formats, yes.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON said he apologizes  because it may have been                                                                     
his staff who had done that. He  said they app-based agendas                                                                    
on their phones at the conference and they can't be                                                                             
printed. He reported it is hard  to get the event planners                                                                      
to provide the itemized cost of  these events, and they have                                                                    
to hound them and hound them. If it's a normal trade                                                                            
association like NCSL, CSG, they  know the routine for                                                                          
legislators, others don't. He recommended changing the                                                                          
requirement to a summary of the  agenda. It is hard to show                                                                     
those agenda items sometimes because  they are not in hard                                                                      
copies or books and pamphlets anymore,  it's all app-based,                                                                     
and it's hard to provide a copy of an app-based agenda.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN said the dilemma  and the stress for                                                                      
the elected is always, oh, I'm day  58 and I need to submit                                                                     
this. And then you're trying to  put together what happened                                                                     
two months ago. She suggests adding  to ethics training the                                                                     
advice to make sure to understand  what is needed before you                                                                    
decide to take the gift of travel.  Something on the agenda                                                                     
has piqued your interest but by the time you go to the                                                                          
event, the agenda is now electronic. Personally, she is                                                                         
electronically impaired and does not know how to make a                                                                         
PDF. So, there is this double panic  of it being day 58 or                                                                      
59 with a 60- day reporting deadline and yet having to                                                                          
comply with the agenda requirement.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                              
SENATOR WILSON explained there is only one license                                                                              
subscription for Adobe Acrobat per  office, which is another                                                                    
complication.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK suggested the Ethics Office could provide                                                                            
written instruction to the legislative  staff about creating                                                                    
PDFs.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                              
MS. MADDOX said the instructions  could be included in the                                                                      
newsletter.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON said he grew up with desktop publishing and                                                                      
things of that nature, but he knows legislators who don't                                                                       
even have a computer in their office.  After the conference                                                                     
is over, a lot of these sites just immediately take down                                                                        
their conference materials. and that's it. Instructions                                                                         
would be helpful but something may need to be worked out                                                                        
with IT or Legislative Council because  not every office has                                                                    
multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat in their offices. Help                                                                       
us help you.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH added he was sure the Ethics Office would be                                                                        
able to have one-on-one with staff  to learn how to create a                                                                    
PDF. ,                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER said she thinks staff are young enough, they                                                                        
are computer savvy enough. It's an accountability piece                                                                         
that we determined two years ago  was necessary. And to have                                                                    
Jacqui read through stuff like this is not okay.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON said it is easy to  convert JPEGs to PDFs and                                                                    
could easily do that. Is that sufficient?                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON said her understanding is that                                                                           
legislators can receive gifts of  travel as long as it's not                                                                    
for the purpose of elections and learning about elections.                                                                      
Is the agenda requirement to try to catch people doing                                                                          
something not allowed? Is it enough  to sign a statement the                                                                    
travel was not election-related?                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER replied to Representative Johnson that the                                                                          
committee doesn't want to be the curriculum police. She                                                                         
reported she had shared this very  statement with Jacqui and                                                                    
with Tamara. On the other hand, she continued, we want our                                                                      
representatives, our senators, going to the legitimate                                                                          
stuff. What we don't want is the administrative assistant                                                                       
bogged down with pages that look like that screenshot.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS said the concern was  not only about campaigning.                                                                    
The focus of the travel should be a matter of legislative                                                                       
concern. The purpose for requiring  the agenda is to be able                                                                    
to show, if asked, whether the gift of travel was for a                                                                         
matter of legislative concern.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK added the requirement is like the disclosure                                                                         
requirement. It's documentation. It's there if anybody                                                                          
wants to question what actually happened.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS offered there may be  other ways to provide the                                                                      
documentation besides the agenda. But the purpose isn't                                                                         
limited to campaigning issues.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN offered an  example of an event that                                                                      
was not a conference. The Miner's Association of Alaska                                                                         
offered field trips to visit their mines. The trips                                                                             
originated in Fairbanks. There was no gift of travel to get                                                                     
to Fairbanks; that cost had to come out of the office                                                                           
account. It was an all-day trip to Usibelli Mine and a trip                                                                     
to Fort Knox the next day. There  was no published agenda,                                                                      
it was a learning opportunity. They did provide an                                                                              
itinerary but there wasn't an agenda in the traditional                                                                         
sense. She thinks legislators need to think about the                                                                           
agenda requirement before making  the decision of to go to                                                                      
an event and how they will prove  they're not on a junket                                                                       
that they weren't going to Palm Springs to learn about                                                                          
Usibelli Coal Mine.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH said he is a member of the Alaska Mining                                                                            
Association and he's at the other  end of this issue. The                                                                       
objective [of the travel] was to  educate legislators about                                                                     
the mining industry, which is what any good special                                                                             
interest group would want to do,  so legislators are aware                                                                      
in advance of what is going on and when matters come before                                                                     
the legislature, they will have  additional knowledge they                                                                      
previously wouldn't have had in  mining, and to harden the                                                                      
attitudes of those who pro-mining  and soften the attitudes                                                                     
of those who are anti-mining.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TOBIN offered an alternative. She reported that                                                                         
staff goes through annual training, particularly at the                                                                         
start of a legislative cycle, at which time they meet with                                                                      
different senior legislative aides,  learn more about the                                                                       
building, learn more about their service to their                                                                               
legislator, learn about confidentiality.  Newer employees                                                                       
could partner with senior legislative  aides and learn how                                                                      
to make PDFs and how to ensure that they have collected all                                                                     
the materials before and after an event.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                              
10. INTERNS  UPDATED FORMS, INSTRUCTIONS, AND WEBSITE                                                                       
                                                                                                                              
MS. MADDOX said the Ethics Office had updated the                                                                               
internship forms. This effort originated  in August 2023,                                                                       
when there was confusion as to who  had the final approval                                                                      
on internship programs. The internship requests were                                                                            
discussed in the September 29, 2023, meeting, and the                                                                           
committee asked staff to revise  the forms and instructions                                                                     
to better explain the entire internship  process. The office                                                                    
worked with the house speaker, the senate president's                                                                           
office staff, and LAA Executive  Director Jessica Geary, to                                                                     
update the Ethics Committee's internship forms and                                                                              
instructions to simplify and clarify the process. In the                                                                        
September 2023 full committee meeting,  the committee agreed                                                                    
to update the rules of procedures section 2, which is the                                                                       
administration procedure subsection  4. The committee wanted                                                                    
to include in the notification process to legislators a                                                                         
statement to contact the appropriate leadership of the                                                                          
legislative body to further proceed with the internship.                                                                        
And a copy of that notification is also provided to                                                                             
leadership. The forms are updated.  From 2007 to 2014, there                                                                    
were 18 internship programs. In 2021, there was one                                                                             
internship program, and that was an out-of-state approved                                                                       
internship program. And then in 2023, there was one                                                                             
internship program. The forms are available for future                                                                          
internship programs. The office also updated the hiring                                                                         
process and the internship responsibility  sections as well.                                                                    
She asked if there were comments or questions.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH commented the results  were much clearer but he                                                                     
was curious about [unintelligible].                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX replied that she would  have to look further into                                                                    
exactly where it would be, but that yes, the internships                                                                        
that are listed are the internships that are available.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH offered maybe because it was about United                                                                           
Nations or something.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX said it may be that [unintelligible]. She will                                                                       
clarify that.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN said she had questions about the                                                                          
University of Alaska interim-only programs listed on page                                                                       
3, meaning they are not available during session and                                                                            
they're not listed as being available during the session.                                                                       
She is curious because the largest  internship program is                                                                       
the Ted Stevens UA fellows' program,  and those interns are                                                                     
there for the full session. The  way the list is structured                                                                     
it looks like those are not during session that those are                                                                       
interim only.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON asked CHAIR COOK if she could respond.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK: Yes.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON responded to Representative Hannan that the                                                                        
Ethics committee is not involved with the Senator Ted                                                                           
Stevens Legislative internship program, it is handled                                                                           
through the university, and those are session-only                                                                              
internships. The University of Alaska internships listed                                                                        
are interim only. The Ethics Committee approves all                                                                             
internships other than those through Ted Stevens. The                                                                           
programs on the list include only those the committee has                                                                       
approved. The non-University of Alaska internship programs                                                                      
are under committee purview.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN thanked Ms. Anderson.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if there should be note to that effect in                                                                      
case others have that question.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON said she would leave that up to Tamara and                                                                         
asked MS. MADDOX if she cared to comment.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX declined.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON continued that she agreed adding a statement                                                                       
that the Senator Ted Stevens Legislative internship program                                                                     
is not under the jurisdiction the  committee would be a good                                                                    
clarification.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN said her caution is saying those                                                                          
internship programs are not under the jurisdiction of                                                                           
Ethics almost sounds like there's no Ethics [training                                                                           
requirement]. All interns through the Ted Stevens programs                                                                      
go through ethics training as if they were staff. They're                                                                       
treated as staff. So, they're under the jurisdiction of the                                                                     
Ethics Act. The programs are not authorized under the                                                                           
Ethics Act; the Ted Stevens program being authorized by                                                                         
statute. Others have to be authorized by the Ethics                                                                             
committee. But everybody's under the jurisdiction of the                                                                        
Ethics Act.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON replied that the office will work on that.                                                                         
[Unintelligible].                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK suggested saying authorized and administered                                                                         
because it's administered outside department. He asked if                                                                       
there any objections to the documents as provided. Hearing                                                                      
none, the documents were approved.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK continued saying that concludes the open full                                                                        
meeting and the committee would move on to discussion of                                                                        
matters in executive session.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained a motion to go into executive                                                                            
session to discuss matters which by law must remain                                                                             
confidential under AS 24.60.160,  Uniform Rule 22(b)                                                                            
regarding executive sessions, and  Rules of Procedure                                                                           
Section 5: Executive Sessions and discussion of matters,                                                                        
the immediate knowledge of which would adversely affect the                                                                     
finances of a governmental unit, and discussion of subjects                                                                     
that tend to prejudice the reputation and character of a                                                                        
person.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER so moved.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if there was an objection. There were no                                                                       
objections. He addressed the question of staff attendance                                                                       
in executive session.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER said she had concerns because the committee                                                                         
would be talking about staff issues and she suggested                                                                           
closing executive session to staff.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if there were other thoughts.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON asked if it would be possible to bring staff                                                                     
back in if there are questions for them.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK responded they could go into executive session                                                                       
with just committee members and then call staff in if they                                                                      
are needed. He asked if that sounds reasonable.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS and MS. FANCHER replied, yes.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed the room be set up for executive                                                                            
session.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                              
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
12. PUBLIC SESSION                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK announced the committee had two matters                                                                              
discussed in executive session that need to be addressed.                                                                       
He entertained a motion regarding Jacqui Yeagle's position.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS moved to increase Jacqui's work hours to 30                                                                          
hours per week effective immediately.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN seconded the motion.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if there were objections to the motion to                                                                      
increase Jacqui's work week to 30 hours per week to start                                                                       
immediately. He asked MS. MADDOX to conduct a roll call                                                                         
vote.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Roll call vote                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator David Wilson                                                                                                            
Senator Löki Tobin                                                                                                              
Representative Sara Hannan                                                                                                      
Representative DeLena Johnson                                                                                                   
Chair Skip Cook                                                                                                                 
Deb Fancher                                                                                                                     
Conner Thomas                                                                                                                   
Jerry McBeath                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The vote was unanimous. The motion carried.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK reported the committee had one other                                                                                 
housekeeping item. During the transition, the committee                                                                         
authorized Jacqui be paid for extra hours over the 22.5 for                                                                     
30 days after Tamara was hired. That time period has                                                                            
expired, and she has been paid that to-date. He said the                                                                        
committee needs to authorize those extra hours until the 30                                                                     
hour week goes into effect.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON moved to remove the conditional                                                                          
transitional language [for the approval of Jacqui's extra                                                                       
hours beyond the original 30-day limit].                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked MS. MADDOX the date she started working.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX replied it was October 30th.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK explained the motion would approve Jacqui's                                                                          
compensation for hours over 22.5 per week beginning                                                                             
November 30. He directed MS. MADDOX to conduct a roll call                                                                      
vote on the question.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Roll call vote                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator David Wilson                                                                                                            
Senator Löki Tobin                                                                                                              
Representative Sara Hannan                                                                                                      
Representative DeLena Johnson                                                                                                   
Chair Skip Cook                                                                                                                 
Deb Fancher                                                                                                                     
Conner Thomas                                                                                                                   
Jerry McBeath                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The vote was unanimous. The motion carried.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
13. BUDGET                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR COOK addressed the budget. He noted the committee has                                                                     
the budget summaries and entertained discussion. There was                                                                      
no discussion                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
14. CONTRACT REPORT                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR COOK directed MS. MADDOX to address the contract                                                                          
reports.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX said the current contract  with Attorney Brent                                                                       
Cole started on June 10, 2022, and  it runs through June 30,                                                                    
2024. The contract amount was $15,000  and there is a little                                                                    
over $5,000 remaining and available  through the end of his                                                                     
contract. Investigator Monique Rapuzzi's  contract began                                                                        
July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024.  Her contract amount                                                                       
was $10,000, $3,900 remaining. Ms. Anderson is on contract                                                                      
as well through the end of February  [2024]. The question                                                                       
for the committee is whether to continue the contracts.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK said there was time left  on all the contracts                                                                       
and there's funds, so no action is needed.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX said there was also a  letter of interest from                                                                       
Mr. Andy Klamser, an investigator  who lives in Homer. He                                                                       
was referred to the committee by  Ms. Rapuzzi because she                                                                       
has a lot of cases on her books right now, and she                                                                              
expressed that the committee may want to look into having                                                                       
someone who can assist with investigations when she is not                                                                      
available. Andy Klamser submitted his cover letter                                                                              
references.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS said back when he was practicing law regularly,                                                                      
he had occasion to use him as an investigator regularly and                                                                     
with good results.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN replied she would be concerned if a                                                                       
new investigator worked on something already under                                                                              
investigation.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK responded the committee was only talking about a                                                                     
backup at this time.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN acknowledged CHAIR COOK's response,                                                                       
then said it may be premature to evaluate the need to                                                                           
contract with a second investigator, may be on a case by                                                                        
case basis, but she would also want more information,                                                                           
including his rate of pay, to make that decision.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed MS. MADDOX to check Andy Klamser's                                                                          
references.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER noted Monique Rapuzzi's contract still had                                                                          
almost $4,000 in it so there was no need to act yet.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON mentioned Andy Klamser had worked with the                                                                         
committee on the Representative Dick complaint.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON said she would like to see a report                                                                      
on contracts that are out, that need to be paid, and                                                                            
anticipated future expenses to see how the budget is                                                                            
squaring up.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON said she conducted quite a few less                                                                                
complicated investigations when she was administrator. She                                                                      
reported she spoke to MS. MADDOX about the National                                                                             
Certified Investigator Training, NCIT, and Tamara is                                                                            
interested in the training. The cost to attend the training                                                                     
is between $400 or $500 plus travel expenses. There are two                                                                     
types of training. The first one goes into how to conduct                                                                       
an investigation and the second one is more advanced                                                                            
training. Having the administrator do some investigations                                                                       
would save money.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON recommended putting the investigator                                                                     
training into the FY 25 budget.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON said the meeting packet contains the proposed                                                                      
FY 25 budget and it is similar to FY 24 except for personal                                                                     
services. And MS. MADDOX may have suggestions for                                                                               
consideration. The committee has not asked for an increase                                                                      
in years. She confirmed with REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON the                                                                         
proposals should be submitted to the House Finance                                                                              
Subcommittee.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON indicated MS. ANDERSON was correct.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK asked if there was more discussion about                                                                             
contracts or the budget.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON asked if it would it be appropriate for Tamara                                                                     
to let Andy Klamser know the committee does not need                                                                            
another investigator but would like to keep him in mind for                                                                     
the future. He was told the committee would get back to him                                                                     
after the committee meeting.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK agreed.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked if an additional investigator                                                                       
were to be hired, would it require an RFP. Did Mr. Klamser                                                                      
reach out to the committee, did he respond to an inquiry,                                                                       
or did he hear it through the grapevine. She wondered if                                                                        
procurement procedures require three soliciting                                                                                 
[proposals].                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK said he did not think the committee has gone                                                                         
through the RFP process.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON responded the committee has never hired a                                                                          
contractor with an RFP. If a contractor was needed, they                                                                        
found one. MS. MADDOX said Monique is the one that                                                                              
recommended him and that is how his name was obtained.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER asked how much more is Andy Klamser per hour                                                                        
than Monique Rapuzzi.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON replied $65 an hour more - $185 per hour                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX added that Andy Klamser also charges for travel                                                                      
and other expenses.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER said that was a bit and the committee might                                                                         
want to consider that.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK said no commitment but to keep him in mind.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
15. COGEL CONFERENCE RECAP                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK directed the committee  to a discussion of the                                                                       
COGEL conference. He invited Deb Fancher to start.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
DEB FANCHER noted Alaska was admirably  represented at the                                                                      
COGEL Conference in Kansas City. She said she was most                                                                          
impressed - most horrified by  AI, artificial                                                                                   
intelligence. The conference was very professional, the                                                                         
presenters were well versed in what  they do. It was worth                                                                      
attending.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. THOMAS mentioned he had been to a number of COGEL                                                                           
conferences and they are all good. At this one, he tried to                                                                     
focus on something other than substantive  ethics matters                                                                       
and to take a look at how offices operate, specifically                                                                         
what they use for software. There  is a lot [of software]                                                                       
out there that are more than a small office like the                                                                            
committee would need, but it is  something worth thinking                                                                       
about. One thing in particular that  occurred to him is to                                                                      
make advisory opinions and other  information a little more                                                                     
accessible.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
MS. FANCHER noted a number of groups  reported they visit                                                                       
community organizations to educate  the public about what                                                                       
their ethics committee does. She  suggested once a month                                                                        
members of the committee could join  our administrator or                                                                       
our administrative assistant and  visit community councils                                                                      
and let them know there is an Ethics  Committee, this is                                                                        
what we do, and this is what your tax dollars, state                                                                            
dollars, PFD dollars, what they are doing for you. She                                                                          
thinks that that would be helpful  in getting the word out.                                                                     
She and Joyce presented to a senior  citizens group and they                                                                    
had no idea of the committee's existence,  and she would bet                                                                    
that most people do not know that an Ethics Committee                                                                           
exists.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. ANDERSON added that one year, an off-election year, she                                                                     
visited the LIOs in Kenai, Wasilla, and Fairbanks and gave                                                                      
a little presentation. She found it beneficial. It is                                                                           
similar to what Deb is talking about.  Some questions were                                                                      
amazing. We have LIOs throughout  the state. Some of them                                                                       
are not open during the summer months,  they are only open                                                                      
during sessions. That is another example.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. MADDOX said it was awesome to  have the opportunity to                                                                      
attend [the conference] so early in her tenure.                                                                                 
Piggybacking off what Deb said, the greatest takeaway, even                                                                     
though our jurisdictions are vastly  different than other                                                                       
states, is educating people and keeping them informed as to                                                                     
what the committee does and why the Ethics Committee is                                                                         
here is the greatest deterrence from people violating                                                                           
Ethics Act. She found that to be the key takeaway, stay                                                                         
engaged with people, keep reaching out to people, let them                                                                      
know that the committee is here, welcome them in, welcome                                                                       
them to talk to you. She also made  great connections. She                                                                      
looks forward to watching other jurisdictions and seeing                                                                        
how they handle this election year and other interesting                                                                        
cases that come across as well.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. McBEATH reported it was his first time at a COGEL                                                                           
Conference. He said COGEL has collected an enormous data                                                                        
set and other resources to draw on to improve the committee                                                                     
to the extent interested in improving capacity. Second,                                                                         
COGEL careerists, people who had been associated with COGEL                                                                     
for up to almost 50 years, go back every year. They helped                                                                      
put him in touch with people with shared interests. Third,                                                                      
he was surprised at the consortium of consultants at the                                                                        
COGEL Conference, consultants to commissions throughout the                                                                     
United States. These are private consultants making money                                                                       
providing these services to commissioners.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK said he thought the other committee members had                                                                      
described the experience well. He thinks it is beneficial                                                                       
to attend.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
16. OTHER BUSINESS                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK moved to other business. He asked legislators if                                                                     
the committee should expect any bills related to Ethics or                                                                      
that may impact the committee this year.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN replied that the question as posed was                                                                    
impossible to answer. She is not introducing any legislation                                                                    
nor has she seen any pre-filed bills affecting the Ethics                                                                       
statutes, but there are 59 other legislators who could see                                                                      
the world in a completely different way than myself.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON said he thinks that with the increased                                                                           
number of complaints over the past year and a half, that                                                                        
legislators may have amendments to current statutes, but                                                                        
has only seen the first batch of pre-filed bills. He                                                                            
assumes there will be legislation to fix issues that have                                                                       
come out this past year and a half.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK said the other thing to keep in mind is the                                                                          
Ethics Committee can initiate legislation. If the committee                                                                     
sees areas in the act that need clarification or cleaned                                                                        
up, the committee can suggest [unintelligible]. He does not                                                                     
know of that is [unintelligible] thus far.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
17. ADJOURN                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained a motion to adjourn.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. FANCHER so moved.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COOK entertained objections. Hearing none, the                                                                            
meeting adjourned at 12:45 PM.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
12:44:57 PM                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURN:                                                                                                                        

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
PUBLIC Full committee meeting packet 1-9-2024.pdf JETH 1/9/2024 8:30:00 AM