Legislature(1993 - 1994)

02/08/1994 09:08 AM Senate CRA

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
              SENATE COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS                              
                        February 8, 1994                                       
                           9:08 a.m.                                           
                                                                               
                                                                               
  MEMBERS PRESENT                                                              
                                                                               
 Senator Randy Phillips, Chairman                                              
 Senator Robin Taylor, Vice Chairman                                           
 Senator Loren Leman                                                           
 Senator Al Adams                                                              
 Senator Fred Zharoff                                                          
                                                                               
  MEMBERS ABSENT                                                               
                                                                               
 All Members Present                                                           
                                                                               
  OTHERS PRESENT                                                               
                                                                               
 Senator Tim Kelly                                                             
 Senator Steve Rieger                                                          
                                                                               
  COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                           
                                                                               
 SENATE BILL NO. 2                                                             
 "An Act requiring pay equity for certain public employees and                 
 requiring the compensation of certain public employees based on the           
 value of work performed."                                                     
                                                                               
 SENATE BILL NO. 255                                                           
 "An Act establishing a comprehensive policy relating to human                 
 resource development in the state."                                           
                                                                               
 SENATE BILL NO. 203                                                           
 "An Act requiring unified municipalities to provide police                    
 protection and law enforcement services; and providing for an                 
 effective date."                                                              
                                                                               
  PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION                                             
                                                                               
 SB 2 - See Community & Regional Affairs minutes dated                         
        11/3/93, 1/11/94, 1/18/94, 1/20/94, 1/27/94,                           
        2/1/94, 2/3/94.                                                        
                                                                               
 SB 255 - See Community & Regional Affairs minutes dated                       
          1/25/94, 2/1/94, 2/3/94.                                             
                                                                               
 SB 203 - See Community & Regional Affairs minutes dated                       
          11/3/93, 1/13/94, 1/20/94, 1/25/94, 2/1/94, 2/3/94.                  
                                                                               
                                                                               
  WITNESS REGISTER                                                             
   Colonel John Murphy, Director                                               
 Division of Alaska State Troopers                                             
 Department of Public Safety                                                   
 5700 E. Tudor Road                                                            
 Anchorage, AK 99507-1225                                                      
  POSITION STATEMENT:   Offered information on SB 203                          
                                                                               
  ACTION NARRATIVE                                                             
                                                                               
 TAPE 94-11, SIDE A                                                            
 Number 001                                                                    
 The Senate Community & Regional Affairs Committee was called to               
 order by Chairman Randy Phillips at 9:08 a.m.                                 
                                                                               
 Number 025                                                                    
 SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS brought  SB 2  (PAY EQUITY BASED ON VALUE OF           
 WORK) before the committee.                                                   
                                                                               
 SENATOR ADAMS moved that CSSB 2(CRA) (work draft A-LS0163\E) be               
 adopted.  SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS noted it was the committee                   
 substitute recommended by the Department of Administration.                   
 Hearing no objection, the motion carried.                                     
                                                                               
 SENATOR ADAMS moved that CSSB 2(CRA) be passed out of committee               
 with individual recommendations.  Hearing no objection, it was so             
 ordered.                                                                      
 Number 090                                                                    
 SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS brought  SB 255  (STATE POLICY ON HUMAN                
 RESOURCE DEVELOPMT) before the committee, noting there was a                  
 proposed committee substitute which incorporates Senator Adams'               
 request to include the Department of Fish and Game, as well as a              
 new zero fiscal note.                                                         
                                                                               
 Number 096                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN moved that CSSB 255(CRA) (work draft 8-LS1424\U) be             
 adopted.  Hearing no objection, the motion carried.                           
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN stated that he wasn't sure that the language in                 
 subsection (e) on page 2 conveyed a change that he had suggested at           
 a previous meeting.  His point was that the social service programs           
 of the state shall be structured instead of just providing an                 
 avenue for people; to send them on down that road, and to encourage           
 them to get off of welfare and get into the productive work role.             
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN moved the following amendment to subsection (e) on              
 page 2 of CSSB 255(CRA):                                                      
                                                                               
  "(e)  Social service programs of the state shall encourage                   
 people who are unemployed to make the transition from welfare to              
 employment and self-sufficiency.  Public officials responsible for            
 these programs shall coordinate the public assistance, social                 
 services, and human resource development services available to a              
 client."                                                                      
                                                                               
 SENATOR ADAMS objected to the amendment.  The roll was taken with             
 the following result:  Senators Taylor, Leman and Phillips voted              
 "Yea" and Senator Adams voted "Nay."  The Chairman stated the                 
 amendment was adopted.                                                        
                                                                               
 Number 156                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR moved that CSSB 255(CRA), as amended, be passed out            
 of committee with individual recommendations.  SENATOR ADAMS                  
 objected, stating that his objection was not to the legislation,              
 but because a new fiscal note had just been received and it was the           
 chairman's policy that a bill would not move out of committee on              
 the same day a fiscal note is received.  SENATOR PHILLIPS  pointed            
 out that it was a zero fiscal note, otherwise he would hold the               
 bill to take a look at it.  The roll was taken with the following             
 result:  Senators Leman, Taylor and Phillips voted "Yea" and                  
 Senator Adams voted "Nay."  The Chairman stated the motion carried.           
 Number 175                                                                    
 SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS brought  SB 203  (MUNICIPAL POLICE SERVICES)           
 before the committee as the final order of business.  He suggested            
 having a discussion on information gathered by the committee over             
 the few weeks on the legislation and having everybodys' thoughts on           
 one version or the other.                                                     
                                                                               
 Number 188                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR ADAMS asked if Senator Kelly and Senator Rieger have come             
 up with a unified proposal.                                                   
                                                                               
 SENATOR KELLY responded that they have not.  He said it is a                  
 question of whether the Hillside is going to pay for Anchorage                
 police protection, or whether they are going to try to pay a lesser           
 amount for State Troopers.                                                    
                                                                               
 Senator Kelly commented that he does not believe that Senator                 
 Rieger's proposal will be accepted in the House and that                      
 Commissioner Burton has said that Governor Hickel will veto the               
 bill if it reaches his desk.  Rather than pursuing his initial                
 concept that he introduced,  Senator Kelly has proposed a committee           
 substitute that takes the Task Force recommendation which provides            
 that it be decided on the local level in areawide communities only.           
 He pointed out that this concept was supported on the floor of the            
 House the previous week.  He urged that the committee adopt the               
 recommendations of the Task Force, the State Troopers and the mayor           
 of Anchorage.                                                                 
                                                                               
 Number 215                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR RIEGER directed attention to a new proposed committee                 
 substitute (work draft 8-LS0626\Q) which he has been working on               
 with the Department of Public Safety to come up with a draft that             
 is acceptable to them.  It incorporates the amendments which were             
 suggested by the department such as the deletion of Section 3 and             
 some minor wording changes in Sections 1 and 2.                               
                                                                               
 Senator Rieger said he believes this is a local government problem.           
 Unification in Anchorage would not have happened without the                  
 Charter Commission's review and realization that some City of                 
 Anchorage services would not be imposed on the other areas to be              
 unified.  Areas that were not mandatorily consolidated included               
 road service, fire service, police service, etc.  Since that time,            
 the Municipality of Anchorage has proceeded to grossly mismanage              
 their local labor relations, and now they are trying to shove those           
 problems onto other areas that are not subject to those problems.             
 He said it is hard for him to even imagine that they could think of           
 trying to force something like that on areas which have not voted             
 it in.                                                                        
                                                                               
 Senator Rieger said the new committee substitute incorporates                 
 changes which benefit the remainder of the state by relieving the             
 state government of a burden which they are now absorbing.  He said           
 it is a productive solution, and if this version is unacceptable to           
 the sponsor, he would offer to introduce this bill himself in order           
 to reach a solution.                                                          
                                                                               
 Number 310                                                                    
                                                                               
 COLONEL JOHN MURPHY, Alaska State Troopers, Department of Public              
 Safety, stated Commissioner Burton and Deputy Commissioner                    
 Swackhammer were both out of town, however, he was available for              
 questions from the committee.                                                 
                                                                               
 Colonel Murphy briefly explained how the department came up with              
 their cost estimate for service to the Hillside, and he noted that            
 the department has substantially reduced these services in the past           
 couple of years.                                                              
                                                                               
 Colonel Murphy said Senator Rieger's proposal gives the department            
 the ability to charge for actual services, and it would be                    
 acceptable if that is the way the committee chooses to go.                    
                                                                               
 Number 320                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS asked Colonel Murphy if the department                 
 supports Senator Rieger's proposed committee substitute.  COLONEL             
 MURPHY answered that he believes it is the Department of Public               
 Safety's position that they would rather have municipal police                
 services up on the Hillside.  However, if it is decided by the                
 Legislature that the State Troopers should do it, the department              
 would support this bill.                                                      
                                                                               
 Number 338                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR KELLY asked if the committee substitute under discussion              
 would call for a contract between the service areas and the                   
 Department of Public Safety.  SENATOR TAYLOR answered that in his             
 reading of the language in the bill, there is no contractual                  
 requirement - there is just a mandate by the Legislature to provide           
 those services.                                                               
                                                                               
 SENATOR KELLY said he had just received Senator Riegers' new                  
 committee substitute and he feels it is important to talk to the              
 Commissioner of Public Safety and the Mayor of Anchorage.  However,           
 he has no objection to the committee moving this version out and              
 onto the next committee of referral, pending investigation of this            
 new approach.                                                                 
                                                                               
 Number 360                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR moved that CSSB 203(CRA) (work draft 8-LS0626\Q) be            
 adopted.  Hearing no objection, it was so ordered.                            
                                                                               
 Number 368                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR moved that CSSB 203(CRA) (work draft 8-LS0626/Q) be            
 passed out of committee with individual recommendations.  Hearing             
 no objection, it was so ordered.                                              
 There being no further business to come before the committee, the             
 meeting was adjourned at 9:32 a.m.                                            
                                                                               

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