Legislature(2025 - 2026)
05/18/2025 06:33 PM House FIN
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB132 | |
| SB39 | |
| HB104 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
May 18, 2025
6:33 p.m.
6:33:21 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Foster called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 6:33 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair
Representative Andy Josephson, Co-Chair
Representative Calvin Schrage, Co-Chair
Representative Jamie Allard
Representative Jeremy Bynum
Representative Alyse Galvin
Representative Sara Hannan
Representative Nellie Unangiq Jimmie
Representative DeLena Johnson*
Representative Will Stapp*
Representative Frank Tomaszewski
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO, PRESENT
Brodie Anderson, Staff, Representative Neal Foster; Senator
Forrest Dunbar, Sponsor; Representative Donna Mears,
Sponsor; Nancy Meade, General Counsel, Alaska Court System;
Talia Eames, Staff, Representative Donna Mears;
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
SUMMARY
SB 39 LOANS UNDER $25,000; PAYDAY LOANS
MOVED from committee
SB 24 TOBACCO/NICOTINE/E-CIG AGE; E-CIG TAX
SB 24 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.
SB 132 OMNIBUS INSURANCE BILL
MOVED from committee
HB 104 ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM
Was HEARD and HELD
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the meeting agenda.
6:34:39 PM
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 132(FIN)
"An Act relating to insurance; and providing for an
effective date."
6:34:44 PM
BRODIE ANDERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE NEAL FOSTER,
reviewed new FN, component 354, control code WFNjm, from
the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic
Development and dated May 17, 2025. He highlighted that the
note reflected positive increase in the revenue line to
$470.4.
Co-Chair Schrage MOVED work draft HCS for CS for SB 132,
34-LS0415\W, Wallace, 5/17/25 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached new fiscal note.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
SENATE BILL NO. 39
"An Act relating to loans in an amount of $25,000 or
less; relating to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing
System and Registry; relating to deferred deposit
advances; and providing for an effective date."
6:37:09 PM
SENATOR FORREST DUNBAR, SPONSOR, offered a brief overview
of the bill.
Co-Chair Foster noted that Representative Stapp had joined
the meeting.
Representative Bynum wondered why they state would choose
to remove a free-market option for the public, i.e. Payday
Loans.
Representative Dunbar responded that there were additional
products available. He referenced previous testimony that
spoke to the financial harms from payday lenders. He
believed the free-market products might be marketed more
aggressively than Wells Fargo, and often ensnared borrowers
in a cycle of debt. He was hopeful that there could be a
market-based solution, meanwhile citizens should be
protected.
6:41:36 PM
Co-Chair Schrage MOVED CS for SB39(FIN), work draft 24-
LS0357\I, Gunther, 4/3/25, from committee with individual
recommendations and attached fiscal notes.
Representative Stapp OBJECTED for the purpose of
discussion.
Representative Stapp WITHDREW the objection.
There being no further objection, it was so ordered.
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 104(STA)
"An Act creating and relating to the address
confidentiality program; and providing for an effective
date."
6:42:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DONNA MEARS, SPONSOR, provided a sponsor
statement:
HB 104 creates an address confidentiality program for
survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence,
peace officers and correctional officers, and their
families.
There are many times an address must be provided in
order to participate in society. This includes voting,
working, sending children to school, and much more.
Alaskans threatened with stalking or abuse, or
retribution due to their roles in the justice system,
are made unsafe when that address shows up in public
records.
HB 104 establishes a program whereby these at-risk
individuals can receive mail at an anonymized PO box.
Mail received by the state on behalf of enrollees will
be forwarded to the participant's home address, which
will remain confidential under penalty of law.
Survivors and those who protect our state deserve the
chance to live their lives fully, without fear of
danger, and HB 104 gives those Alaskans a powerful
tool to stay safe.
Representative Galvin asked whether the fiscal note could
be addressed. She wondered about the cost of implementation
and execution of the program beyond abuse victims and to
include members of the court and judges.
Representative Mears responded that it was unknown how many
people would take advantage of the program. She wanted to
hear more about the population beyond the women who had
been abused. She noted that the issue was not one of
convenience.
Representative Galvin about the population beyond those who
had been abused. She felt that the cost of possible
expansion was significant.
Representative Mears responded that the bill did not
currently include officers of the court.
Representative Galvin noted that Nancy Meade was in the
room and requested that she speak to the fiscal note.
6:48:44 PM
NANCY MEADE, GENERAL COUNSEL, ALASKA COURT SYSTEM,
reiterated that the courts and judges were not currently
addressed in the bill. She thought that judges might take
advantage if the protection were to become available. She
recognized that the process of change of address was
complicated.
Representative Galvin asked whether she could speak to
victims who had protective orders and whether the
anonymized POINTED OUT box would be necessary in addition
to a protective order.
Ms. Meade responded that her understanding of protective
orders was that they were issued once probable cause was
established. She furthered that if the court issued it,
there was an assurance that the person was a victim.
Representative Bynum agreed that the intent of the bill was
good, but the scope of the need seemed incongruous to the
cost reflected on the fiscal note. He admitted he did not
understand the scope of the problem.
Ms. Meade responded that the courts were neutral on the
legislation.
6:53:35 PM
Representative Mears responded that address forwarding was
a small component of the bill. She thought that the number
of people who would use the program would be minimal. She
believed that the people using the program would fluctuate
with need.
Representative Jimmie cited page 3, lines 25-27:
(i) A person who discloses information that is
confidential under this section about an
individual enrolled in the program under (c) of
this section is guilty of a class B misdemeanor
if the person
Representative Jimmie asked whether a person who
accidentally shared the address of a person protected under
the program would be charged with a crime.
TALIA EAMES, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE DONNA MEARS, responded
that a priority of the bill was security. She shared that
the bill had been modeled after a similar program in the
state of Montana because of the similarity in population
size and density. She relayed that only two people ran the
Montana program and had access to records. She stressed
that it was a serious program, and each person was paid
partially for the person to run it in addition to their
full-time job. She related that the program cost Montana
$22,000 per year, paying two people, part-time. She said
that the database was run through a lockable Excel
spreadsheet.
Representative Jimmie asked whether it would impact family
members or friends.
Ms. Eames responded that the Class B misdemeanor would
apply to only those people who were running the program.
6:58:09 PM
Representative Galvin restated her concern with the fiscal
note. She requested that DOA speak to the committee about
the note.
Representative Foster said that no one from the
administration was available online.
Representative Hannan said that she had asked a
representative from the administration about the increased
fiscal note. She had been told that the increase reflected
the possibility of everyone who was eligible for the
program enrolling in the program and the level of support
that would be necessary to provide services to all those
people. She thought that the department had overinflated
the numbers.
Representative Galvin asked why two full time positions
were needed and noted that the Montana program had not
required two full-time positions.
Ms. Eames responded that they did not ask the question, but
the state of Washington had the first program, and the most
recent numbers were from 2021. Using those numbers and
incorporating the police force of the state resulted in
2,000 possible additional enrollees. She noted that the
program was a last resort to protect victims and would not
be entered into lightly. She did not see the numbers of
enrollees being as high as was reflected in the note and
thought that the cost would be lower.
7:04:28 PM
Representative Galvin thought that for those who needed it,
the bill was necessary. She held that the fiscal note was
too high, but she said she supported the program.
Representative Tomaszewski queried the flow of mail under
the program.
Ms. Eames responded that there were regulations that needed
to be promulgated on the intentions, but the plan was to
deliver first-class mail.
Representative Tomaszewski noted the limit of 5 pieces of
mail a month seemed low. He asked where the rest of the
person's mail would go.
Representative Mears responded that the mail that would
generate a public record was mail that would get forwarded,
such as mail from a public school. Personal mail would go
directly to the recipient.
Representative Tomaszewski noted the cost in the fiscal
note for an ID card maker. He asked whether the state did
not already have an ID card maker.
Representative Mears replied that she could not speak to
that detail of the fiscal note.
Representative Bynum appreciated the program. He cited page
2, line 11, which established and administered the program.
he spoke to the addition of police officers and the new
section on page 4. He was unsure how much authority the law
would give the person to use the mail forwarding address.
7:11:10 PM
Representative Mears responded that page 3, line 12 offered
that "a state or municipal agency shall allow an individual
enrolled in the program to use the post office box designed
by the department as an individual's mailing address."
Representative Bynum countered that the section said that
the box had to be designated by the department. He
understood that the section allowed that the PO box could
be used in lieu of their true and real address.
Representative Mears understood that the section of the
bill referred to someone using the PO box instead of a real
and true address. She said that the ID cards would be proof
that the people were enrolled in the program and allow for
them to use the PO box to receive mail.
Co-Chair Foster set an amendment deadline for the following
day by 5pm.
HB 104 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Foster discussed housekeeping.
ADJOURNMENT
7:15:28 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
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