04/20/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s):|| Lieutenant Governor Successor|| Alaska Police Standards Council | |
| SB38 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 38 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 20, 2023
3:07 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Laddie Shaw, Chair
Representative Stanley Wright, Vice Chair
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Jamie Allard
Representative Jennie Armstrong
Representative Andi Story
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Ben Carpenter
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Lieutenant Governor Successor
- Jason Brune - Anchorage
Alaska Police Standards Council
- Rebecca Hamon King Salmon
- Daniel Carothers Juneau
- Stephen Dutra North Pole
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
SENATE BILL NO. 38
"An Act establishing the crime of interference with emergency
communications."
- MOVED SB 38 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 38
SHORT TITLE: INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) WILSON
01/18/23 (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/13/23
01/18/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/23 (S) JUD
01/23/23 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
01/23/23 (S) Heard & Held
01/23/23 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
01/30/23 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
01/30/23 (S) Moved SB 38 Out of Committee
01/30/23 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
02/01/23 (S) JUD RPT 3DP 2NR
02/01/23 (S) DP: CLAMAN, GIESSEL, KAUFMAN
02/01/23 (S) NR: TOBIN, KIEHL
02/01/23 (S) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER JUD
02/08/23 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
02/08/23 (S) Heard & Held
02/08/23 (S) MINUTE(FIN)
03/07/23 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
03/07/23 (S) Moved SB 38 Out of Committee
03/07/23 (S) MINUTE(FIN)
03/13/23 (S) FIN RPT 3DP 1NR
03/13/23 (S) DP: OLSON, WILSON, MERRICK
03/13/23 (S) NR: KIEHL
03/17/23 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
03/17/23 (S) VERSION: SB 38
03/20/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/20/23 (H) STA
04/06/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
04/06/23 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
04/13/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
04/13/23 (H) Heard & Held
04/13/23 (H) MINUTE(STA)
04/20/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
WITNESS REGISTER
JASON BRUNE, Commissioner, Appointee
Department of Environmental Conservation
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to be the lieutenant
governor's successor.
DANIEL CAROTHERS, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Alaska Police
Standards Council.
STEPHEN DUTRA, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
North Pole, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Alaska Police
Standards Council.
REBECCA HAMON, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Dillingham, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Alaska Police
Standards Council.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:07:27 PM
CHAIR LADDIE SHAW called the House State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. Representatives C.
Johnson, Allard, Armstrong, Story, Wright, and Shaw were present
at the call to order.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
^Lieutenant Governor Successor
^Alaska Police Standards Council
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Lieutenant Governor Successor
Alaska Police Standards Council
3:08:21 PM
CHAIR SHAW announced that the first order of business would be
the confirmation hearing for the lieutenant governor's
successor.
3:08:51 PM
JASON BRUNE, Commissioner, Appointee, Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC), informed the committee that he
has served on the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC)
board of directors, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC)
board of trustees, and a number of other positions. He said
that he is prepared to take the position [of lieutenant
governor] and continue to serve Alaskans. He expressed honor at
being able to do so.
3:10:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked how his experience would help oversee
elections if he had to step into the lieutenant governor's role.
COMMISSIONER BRUNE stated that as head of DEC for the state, it
is important to follow the statutes and regulations that were
put in place to ensure predictability. He said that the same
would be true of the elections process. Additionally, he
expressed the belief that bias should not be brought into the
oversight of elections. He reiterated that he would follow
Alaska Statutes and regulations closely and consult with the
Department of Law (DOL) when appropriate.
3:13:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY recalled that former Lieutenant Governor
Kevin Meyer had authorized several hand counts to ensure public
confidence in the elections at a critical time in the state.
She asked how the public could be reassured and elections could
be safeguarded for security, safety, and accuracy.
COMMISSIONER BRUNE shared his belief that nothing was more
important in a representative democracy than public confidence
in the fairness of the elections process. When necessary, he
said, he would authorize hand counts to ensure a fair and
accurate [election process].
3:15:15 PM
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on Commissioner Brune. After
ascertaining that there was no one who wished to testify, he
closed public testimony.
3:16:10 PM
DANIEL CAROTHERS, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
shared an overview of his personal background and work history,
highlighting his contract work for the Department of Corrections
(DOC). He expressed honor that the committee was considering
his appointment.
3:18:11 PM
STEPHEN DUTRA, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
shared an overview of his personal background and work history,
highlighting his 27 years of experience in law enforcement, 11
of which he served as the chief of police. Additionally, he
informed the committee that he was the president of the Alaska
Association of Chiefs of Police (AACOP) and a board member of
the Alaska Police Officers Association. He noted that this was
his third appointment to the Alaska Police Standards Council,
emphasizing the importance of serving in a capacity in which he
could affect positive change.
3:20:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY pointed out that a duty of the council
would be to develop, monitor, and revise law enforcement
training and training requirements. She asked what could be
done to improve officer training to ensure the best response.
MR. CAROTHERS opined that more training would be better than
less, adding that standards should not be lowered to increase
eligibility for the purposes of recruitment and retention
issues. Further, he suggested the review of new training
standards.
3:23:14 PM
MR. DUTRA discussed the critical importance of the council's
ability to implement statewide training requirements, which
would be before the council for consideration at the next
meeting. He explained that if the statewide requirements were
not met, the council could suspend a person's certificate. He
indicated that currently society is requiring more training,
especially in specific areas, such as crisis intervention
training (CIT), de-escalation, cultural diversity, and more. He
expressed motivation at finishing this work and making the
council stronger.
3:24:36 PM
REBECCA HAMON, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
shared an overview of her personal background and work
experience. She highlighted her work for the Safe and Fear-Free
Environment. She also pointed out she has been a legal
advocate, working closely with law enforcement. She informed
the committee that she has served on the Alaska Police Standards
Council continuously since 2011. She noted that she was an
advocate for making training equally available to rural police
departments and making high-quality services more available
across the state. Further, she emphasized the importance of
trauma-informed training that was sensitive to mental and
behavioral health issues. She suggested that this is needed in
Alaska's system. She suggested implementing this type of
training through a team approach by incorporating behavioral
health and peer support response teams.
3:28:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether there are training
requirements for working with school districts and risk-
assessments for school safety.
MR. CAROTHERS, concerning criteria for the council, expressed
uncertainty regarding anything about school enforcement in the
Alaska Administrative Code.
MR. DUTRA pointed out that he has put together a taskforce to
unite local agencies on the issue [of active shooter response].
He opined that, regardless of whether it was an issue concerning
the council, a statewide effort should be made to ensure school
safety.
MS. HAMON shared her understanding that although there is no
specific training [on school safety], many communities are
taking up the topic in different ways and struggling to address
it. In rural areas, she said, teaching classes on healthy
relationships and violence prevention have utilized a team
approach. She stated that positive relationships are being
built by bringing officers into schools.
3:32:37 PM
CHAIR SHAW described the council as having an ever-changing
environment, as it is continuously being upgraded, such as
updating training for the 54 police departments across the
state. He stated that this encompasses the Department of
Corrections (DOC) and the Alaska State Troopers. He suggested
that in-service training would be essential to keep up with the
use-of-force and behavioral and mental health issues. He
highlighted the cultural relevance of use-of-force issues in
today's headlines and shared a personal anecdote. He opened
public testimony on the appointees to the Alaska Police
Standards Council. After ascertaining that there was no one who
wished to testify, he closed public testimony.
3:35:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to advance the confirmations of
Jason Brune, appointed as the lieutenant governor's successor,
and Daniel Carothers, Stephen Dutra, and Rebecca Hamon,
appointees to the Alaska Police Standards Council, to the joint
session of the House and Senate for consideration. There being
no objection, the confirmations were advanced.
CHAIR SHAW reminded members that signing the reports regarding
appointments to boards and commissions would in no way reflect
individual members' approval or disapproval of the appointees,
and the nominations would merely be forwarded to the full
legislature for confirmation or rejection.
3:36:17 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 3:36 p.m. to 3:38 p.m.
SB 38-INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES
3:38:52 PM
CHAIR SHAW announced that the final order of business would be
SENATE BILL NO. 38, "An Act establishing the crime of
interference with emergency communications."
3:39:48 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to report SB 38 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, SB 38 was reported from the
House State Affairs Standing Committee. He authorized
Legislative Legal Services to make any necessary technical and
conforming changes.
3:40:43 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:40
p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Brune, Jason - 2023-04-19 - Supporting Document - Excerpt from dec.alaska.gov-Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Biography.pdf |
HSTA 4/20/2023 3:00:00 PM |
Confirmation: Brune, Jason - Lt. Gov. Successor |
| Brune, Jason - Resume.pdf |
HSTA 4/20/2023 3:00:00 PM |
Confirmation: Brune, Jason - Lt. Gov. Successor |
| Hamon, Rebecca - APSC - 3.1.23 Rebecca Hamon AK Police Standards Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HSTA 4/20/2023 3:00:00 PM |
Confirmation: Hamon, Rebecca - Alaska Police Standards Council |
| Dutra, Stephen - APSC - 3.1.23 Stephen Dutra AK Police Standards Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HSTA 4/20/2023 3:00:00 PM |
Confirmation: Dutra, Stephen - Alaska Police Standards Council |
| Carothers, Daniel - APSC - 3.1.23 Daniel Carothers APSC App_Redacted.pdf |
HSTA 4/20/2023 3:00:00 PM |
Confirmation: Carothers, Daniel - Alaska Police Standards Council |