Legislature(2003 - 2004)
04/06/2004 03:40 PM Senate STA
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 6, 2004
3:40 p.m.
TAPE (S) 04-26
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator John Cowdery, Vice Chair
Senator Bert Stedman
Senator Gretchen Guess
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 494(FIN) am
"An Act relating to the methods of disbursement of money by the
state, including employment compensation, unemployment payments,
and permanent fund dividends, and to bank investments and
deposits by the state; and providing for an effective date."
MOVED CSHB 494(FIN) OUT OF COMMITTEE
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 30
Urging the United States Congress to amend the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001.
MOVED SJR 30 OUT OF COMMITTEE
SENATE BILL NO. 219
"An Act relating to offenses against unborn children."
MOVED SB 219 OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 29 am
Relating to support for therapeutic courts for repeat driving
while under the influence offenders.
MOVED HCR 29 am OUT OF COMMITTEE
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 447(JUD)
"An Act making corrective amendments to the Alaska Statutes as
recommended by the revisor of statutes; and providing for an
effective date."
MOVED CSHB 447(JUD) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 494
SHORT TITLE: ELECTRONIC PAYMENT FOR STATE BUSINESS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KOTT
02/16/04 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/16/04 (H) FIN
03/04/04 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
03/04/04 (H) Heard & Held
03/04/04 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
03/19/04 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
03/19/04 (H) -- Meeting Canceled --
03/22/04 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
03/22/04 (H) Moved CSHB 494(FIN) Out of Committee
03/22/04 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
03/24/04 (H) FIN RPT CS(FIN) 8DP 1NR
03/24/04 (H) DP: MEYER, HAWKER, MOSES, CHENAULT,
03/24/04 (H) FATE, FOSTER, HARRIS, WILLIAMS;
03/24/04 (H) NR: JOULE
03/24/04 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/24/04 (H) VERSION: CSHB 494(FIN) AM
03/26/04 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/26/04 (S) STA, FIN
04/06/04 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
BILL: SJR 30
SHORT TITLE: AMEND & FUND NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) ELLIS
02/16/04 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/16/04 (S) STA, HES
04/01/04 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
04/01/04 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard
04/06/04 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
BILL: SB 219
SHORT TITLE: OFFENSES AGAINST UNBORN CHILDREN
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) DYSON
05/11/03 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
05/11/03 (S) STA, JUD
04/06/04 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
BILL: HCR 29
SHORT TITLE: SUPPORT THERAPEUTIC COURTS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) HEINZE
02/16/04 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/16/04 (H) JUD
03/01/04 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120
03/01/04 (H) Moved Out of Committee
03/01/04 (H) MINUTE(JUD)
03/03/04 (H) JUD RPT 6DP 1NR
03/03/04 (H) DP: GARA, HOLM, GRUENBERG, OGG,
03/03/04 (H) ANDERSON, MCGUIRE; NR: SAMUELS
03/22/04 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/22/04 (H) VERSION: HCR 29 AM
03/24/04 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/24/04 (S) STA, JUD
04/06/04 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
BILL: HB 447
SHORT TITLE: 2004 REVISOR'S BILL
SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
02/09/04 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/09/04 (H) STA, JUD
02/24/04 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 102
02/24/04 (H) Moved CSHB 447(STA) Out of Committee
02/24/04 (H) MINUTE(STA)
02/26/04 (H) STA RPT CS(STA) 4DP 1NR
02/26/04 (H) DP: HOLM, LYNN, COGHILL, WEYHRAUCH;
02/26/04 (H) NR: BERKOWITZ
03/18/04 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120
03/18/04 (H) Moved CSHB 447(JUD) Out of Committee
03/18/04 (H) MINUTE(JUD)
03/22/04 (H) JUD RPT CS(JUD) 5DP
03/22/04 (H) DP: ANDERSON, GRUENBERG, SAMUELS,
03/22/04 (H) GARA, MCGUIRE
03/24/04 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/24/04 (H) VERSION: CSHB 447(JUD)
03/26/04 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/26/04 (S) STA, JUD
04/06/04 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
WITNESS REGISTER
Sue Stancliff
Aide to Speaker Pete Kott
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced HB 494
Kim Garnero
Director, Division of Finance
Department of Administration
PO Box 110200
Juneau, AK 99811-0200
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 494
Dana Owen
Staff to Senator Johnny Ellis
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced SJR 30 for sponsor
Senator Fred Dyson
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor SB 219
Wes Keller
Staff to Senator Dyson
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on SB 219
Karen VosBerg
Alaska Right to Life
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on SB 219
Cassandra Johnson
Executive Officer, Alaska Pro Choice Alliance
Anchorage, AK 99513
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on SB 219
Pauline Utter
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposes SB 219
Kevin Clarkson
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 219
Robin Smith
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposes SB 219
Vicki Halcro
Anchorage Director of Public Marketing
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposes SB 219
Regina Manteufel
Regina's Rooming House
No address provided
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposes SB 219
Jennifer Rudinger
Executive Officer
ACLU
P.O. Box 201844
Anchorage, AK 99520
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on SB 219
Representative Bob Lynn
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 219
Jon Bittner
Staff to Representative Cheryll Heinze
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced HCR 29 for the sponsor
Cheryll Heinze
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HCR 29
Pamela Finley
Revisor of Statutes
Legal and Research Services Division
Legislative Affairs Agency
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced CSHB 447(JUD)
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 04-26, SIDE A
CHAIR GARY STEVENS called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. Present were Senators
Cowdery, Stedman and Chair Gary Stevens.
CSHB 494(FIN)-ELECTRONIC PAYMENT FOR STATE BUSINESS
CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced CSHB 494(FIN) to be up for
consideration.
SUE STANCLIFF, staff to Speaker Kott, paraphrased the following
sponsor statement:
CSHB 494(FIN) makes necessary changes to the methods
of how the State of Alaska disburses funds. This
change will save the state costs of issuing checks and
warrants and resolve issues pertaining to time of
disbursement and undistributed collections.
Currently, the state issues approximately 96,500
checks and warrants per month.
Unemployment Insurance Benefits: 28,000
Division of Finance to
vendors & non-venders: 50,000
Child Support recipients: 13,000
PERS & TRS Retirees: 2,500
Payroll- active employees 3,000
This legislation has the potential of saving the State
of Alaska considerable funds when factoring in the
reduction of check fraud, reissuing of lost or stolen
checks, postage, check printing cost, reduced bank
service fees, and reduced labor cost.
In addition, this would benefit businesses and
citizens that receive funds via direct deposit or mail
delivery. There would be no check cashing fees, it
would reduce liability of check fraud, and customers
could use debit or credit cards at businesses.
She said it's worth noting that since 1994, the administration
has gone from no direct deposits to 89 percent direct deposits
in 2003. This is a considerable change, but there are more
savings to be had. For instance, the Division of Finance
currently works with 50,000 venders and just 500 of those are
set up to handle electronic transfers. That number could be
improved and there are a number of other areas such as Workers
Compensation that are ready for review.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked her to speak to the issue of fraud and
electronic transfers.
MS. STANCLIFF opined that check fraud is already an issue and
electronic transfers would eliminate that.
SENATOR STEDMAN referred to page 6, line 18 and asked whether
people that aren't comfortable with electronic transfer could
opt out of electronic transfer and have a warrant issued.
MS. STANCLIFF said that would be an option.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked Kim Garnero whether she had any
comments.
KIM GARNERO, Director, Division of Finance, stated that the
State of Alaska is enthusiastic about this business procedure
and noted that the 500 venders that receive electronic transfers
will receive over $1 billion from the State this year.
They are in the process of making it possible for consumers to
use electronic transfers as well. The rules are somewhat
different than the ones for business, but the Division of
Finance expects to have that capability by the end of the year.
However, there are exceptions and risk management has advised
that they don't favor electronic transfers for Worker's
Compensation because it may be a disincentive to return to work.
Currently they are in the process of updating their procurement
boilerplate and although they can't impose it retroactively, it
will be a requirement for new agreements. Finally, they are
looking at a statewide debit card.
SENATOR COWDERY asked how difficult it would be to opt out of
electronic payments in favor of a warrant.
MS. GARNERO said it's optional at this point and the Department
of Law has advised that a hardship waiver would be necessary if
electronic payments became mandatory.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked for a motion.
SENATOR COWDERY motioned to move CSHB 494(FIN) from committee
with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. He
also asked for unanimous consent. There being no objection, it
was so ordered.
SJR 30-AMEND & FUND NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced SJR 30 to be up for consideration.
DANA OWEN, staff to Senator Johnny Ellis, sponsor, explained
that SJR 30 asks Congress to revisit the No Child Left Behind
Act. He read the following sponsor statement:
School districts across Alaska and the nation are
increasingly discovering that the federal No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001, the most far reaching
intrusion of federal control into education in the
nation's history, imposes mandates that are awkward at
best and counterproductive at worst. Moreover, these
federal mandates are under funded, further burdening
already strained budgets.
Much of the problem lies in the act's one-size-fits-
all approach. Policies that may appear workable from
the vantage of Washington, D.C., turn out to be
obstacles to success in practice. For example, under
the act many excellent teachers would be prevented
from teaching subjects they fully understand. An
advanced degree in economics or physics would not
qualify a teacher to teach basic mathematics,
presenting a serious problem in small Alaska schools
where a single person typically teaches all sciences
and math.
Schools are also required to demonstrate adequate
yearly progress as defined by the act, not just for
the majority of students, but for each subgroup
defined in the act. Under this provision, many very
successful schools can find themselves labeled as
failing. Each year of failure brings increasingly
harsh sanctions that would significantly drive up
costs for school districts.
Passage of SJR 30 would add Alaska's voice to those
nationwide that are speaking out about problems with
the No Child Left Behind Act. States as diverse as
Arizona, Vermont, Hawaii, Virginia and Utah have seen
legislative efforts protesting the burdens placed on
them by the act. Some states and school districts are
even considering opting out of federal oversight
altogether. While such a drastic step would mean
losing federal education grants and perhaps other
monies, these states and school districts believe that
the cost of complying with the act would be greater
than the federal dollars they receive.
SJR 30 recognizes that Alaska had taken strong steps
to improve school performance even before passage of
the federal law and asks that Congress give states
more flexibility and greater financial support in
meeting the act's mandates.
SENATOR STEDMAN referred to page 2, line 25 and asked which
changes they'd like to see Congress make.
MR. OWEN noted that there are a number of suggested changes in
the packets, but they aren't endorsing any specific changes
because they recognize that the complaints regarding the act are
so strong and diverse that it would be a huge effort for the
Alaska Legislature to outline specific changes. It's better to
send the legislation back to the drafters. It was a strong
bipartisan Congressional effort that produced the bill and the
original authors are best suited to address changes.
Many states have outlined suggestions and the sponsor statement
highlighted a very few.
SENATOR STEDMAN asked for confirmation that the resolution would
go unattached in that case.
MR. OWEN said that's correct.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS remarked that it's problematic in small
communities where teachers teach multiple subjects even though
they don't have advanced degrees in those subjects and may not
meet the requirements. The fact that they may be very fine
teachers wouldn't be taken into account.
MR. OWEN agreed that is one of the main failures of the act. The
sciences are an excellent example. Someone may have an advanced
degree in physics or economics but they wouldn't be qualified to
teach mathematics. That's a huge burden in small schools, he
said.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS repeated that this is a problem and a good
reason to ask for relief. He asked for the pleasure of the
committee.
SENATOR STEDMAN motioned to move SJR 30 from committee with the
attached fiscal note and individual recommendations. There being
no objection, it was so ordered.
SB 219-OFFENSES AGAINST UNBORN CHILDREN
CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced SB 219 to be up for consideration.
SENATOR FRED DYSON, sponsor, explained that this bill models
other legislation enacted in other states. It says that if a
perpetrator murders or assaults a pregnant woman and causes
damage or death to the unborn child then the perpetrator may be
charged with two crimes.
AS 11.41 is amended to accommodate the model legislation adding
manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide of an unborn
child. An abortion or other customary and standard procedures
are specifically exempted from penalty under this law.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked for a comparison to the federal law.
SENATOR DYSON replied they are similar in wording, but he
introduced this because the federal law goes forward only in
federal jurisdictions or in the commission of a federal crime.
SENATOR STEDMAN referred to page 1, lines 6, 8, and 12 and asked
why line 12 didn't include the words "with intent" as lines 6
and 8 do.
SENATOR DYSON explained that arson, kidnapping, and sexual
assault are hard to infer that there is intent to harm the
unborn child.
WES KELLER, staff to Senator Dyson, pointed out that the
operational clause is found on page 2, line 4.
SENATOR STEDMAN referred to page 2, line 27 and asked about the
selection of the verbage "unborn child" rather than "fetus" and
whether the selection might not cause problems.
MR. KELLER said the language is purposeful. He could show case
law from other states indicating that the terminology didn't
make any difference in how the court ruled. It's just that Fetus
is Latin and he prefers to use plain language so the layperson
is able to understand.
SENATOR STEDMAN restated the intent and said he assumes it's a
direct result of the well-publicized and reprehensible
California case.
SENATOR DYSON agreed.
KAREN VOSBERG, executive director, AK Right to Life, distributed
copies of a petition that was signed by over 1,000 people, at
the Palmer State Fair stating that they believe that if a
pregnant woman is murdered there are two victims rather than
one.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS wanted to clarify that the people that signed
the petition were in support of the bill.
MS. VOSBERG agreed then said the federal law was signed into law
April 1, 2004. Prior to this act, an unborn child was not
recognized as a victim of a violent crime. To date more than 29
states have signed similar legislation, which has no affect on
legal abortion, she said. She urged passage of the bill.
CASSANDRA JOHNSON, executive director of the AK Pro-Choice
Alliance testified via teleconference to say that this bill
isn't about protecting pregnant women because it doesn't
increase the charges for assaulting pregnant women. Also there
is no exemption in the bill for the woman who inadvertently
causes harm to her fetus due to alcohol use, poor nutrition or
attempted suicide. This is the wrong approach, she said, and
urged the committee not to pass the bill.
PAULINE UTTER testified via teleconference to urge that the
committee not pass the bill and read a letter from Anna Quinlan
stating the same.
KEVIN CLARKSON, attorney, testified via teleconference in
support of the bill. The purpose of the act is to extend to
unborn children, the same protection of the criminal law that
applies to those who have been born alive.
Referring to Senator Stedman's earlier question regarding no
intent language in subsection 3, he stated that is because that
is the typical felony murder provision and the intent is already
provided by the underlying felony offense.
He gave examples of voids in the law that the bill seeks to fill
and stated that the bill doesn't involve abortion. He urged
passage of the bill.
4:20 p.m.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked whether he would comment on the concern
that there is no exemption in the bill in cases of alcoholism,
attempted suicide or if a woman didn't know she was pregnant.
MR. CLARKSON replied there are intent requirements in the bill
that must be met before the charge can be levied. The
opportunity for the act to be applied against a woman who wants
her child, but is negligent in causing the death of her child is
a stretch, he opined.
ROBIN SMITH testified via teleconference from Anchorage that the
bill is the latest attempt by the Alaska Legislature to limit
reproductive freedom. She said the language in the bill makes it
clear that it is not about protecting pregnant women. It is
about giving separate, legal rights to the fetus thereby
undermining a woman's right to reproductive freedom. She urged
the committee to hold the bill.
VICKI HALCRO, Anchorage director of public affairs and marketing
for Planned Parenthood of Alaska, testified via teleconference
in opposition to SB 219.
4:30 p.m.
TAPE 04-26, SIDE B
She said that the dangerous reality of the bill is that it vests
a fetus with the rights of the pregnant woman, which is the
first step in eroding a woman's right to choose. Nowhere in the
legislation is harm to a pregnant woman resulting from an
involuntary termination of her pregnancy mentioned. In fact,
women are not mentioned at all in the bill yet violence against
women continues to be a huge problem in Alaska. The bill shifts
the focus away from the women who are really the victims of
these crimes. She urged the committee to hold the bill.
REGINA MONTEUFEL testified via teleconference from Anchorage in
opposition to the bill. She runs a rooming house in Anchorage
and has lost track of the number of women that have had
abortions in her rooming house. The stories are all tragic. It's
sad that this is a state that doesn't spend more effort on
preventing abortions and addressing domestic violence.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked her to speak to the bill.
MS.MONTEUFEL said she is against the bill.
JENNIFER RUDINGER, executive director of the Alaska Civil
Liberties Union, testified via teleconference and said most of
the points she was going to cover were covered by Robin Smith,
Vicky Halcro, Cassandra Johnson and Pauline Utter. She said she
couldn't find the language Mr. Clarkson said was present
exempting a pregnant woman from prosecution from harming her own
fetus. If that's the intent of the bill, then the bill should be
amended, she suggested. She said she would like to go on record
in opposition to SB 219 because the bill is misguided. There are
better ways to prosecute people who commit violent crimes
against pregnant women.
REPRESENTATIVE BOB LYNN testified in support of SB 219 saying
there is a similar bill in the House.
There was no further testimony.
SENATOR COWDERY made a motion to move SB 219 with accompanying
fiscal notes and asked for individual recommendations and
unanimous consent. There being no objection, it was so ordered.
HCR 29-SUPPORT THERAPEUTIC COURTS am
CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced HCR 29 to be up for consideration.
JON BITTNER, staff to Representative Cheryll Heinze, explained
that alcoholism in Alaska is a serious problem and one of the
ways to combat it is through the therapeutic court system.
Therapeutic courts have a proven success rate and are
significantly cheaper for the state.
REPRESENTATIVE CHERYLL HEINZE, sponsor, added that the daily
cost of the wellness court program is about $22 per day or about
$11,000 over an 18 month period. In comparison, the average cost
of traditional incarceration is $113 per day. That's a
difference of $50,000 per offender.
Currently the largest supplier of mental health treatment in the
country is the correctional system. This is expensive and
ineffective. People with substance abuse problems aren't helped
when they are locked away without any treatment options. When
released from prison, those people are simply dried drunks. The
addiction has not been addressed and it's likely that those
individuals will re-offend as a result of their addiction.
She pointed out that the recidivism rate for incarcerated
alcohol and drug abusers is around 67 percent nationwide while
the recidivism rate for wellness court is around 25 percent. The
disparity in the success rate is attributed to the use of
Naltrexone, a drug that inhibits alcohol cravings, coupled with
community based treatment programs and cognitive behavioral
therapy. To treat someone with an addiction, you must treat the
cause, she said.
HCR 29 am asks that the Legislature show its support for
therapeutic courts, particularly in regard to crimes related to
driving under the influence. (DUI). It asks the Department of
Law and the Public Defender agency to actively participate in
the startup of therapeutic courts in areas with high incidents
of DUI offenses and strong local support. "Therapeutic courts
are effective, they're inexpensive, and they work," she said.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS asked for a brief description of what happens
in a therapeutic court for alcohol abuse.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE explained that the program is voluntary.
The individual must agree to participate and to take the drug
Naltrexone and to maintain contact with and report back to the
court.
SENATOR BERT STEDMAN asked if this is for first time or multiple
offenders and noted that after three DUIs you lose your driving
privilege so it's too late.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE replied it's for repeat offenders and
although it may be too late for the person to drive it's not too
late for them as a person.
SENATOR STEDMAN asked for assurance that this wouldn't take the
teeth out of the DUI laws.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE assured him it would not.
SENATOR JOHN COWDERY asked whether she believes that
incarceration has an effect on an alcoholic.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE opined it exacerbates the problem.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS said a person in the therapeutic court system
might live at home and maintain their job as compared with the
individual that is incarcerated and isolated from family and
society.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE agreed. An individual that is under the
auspices of the therapeutic court is able to be a productive
citizen over the course of the 18 month program.
SENATOR COWDERY asked if the individual takes Naltrexone for
four months.
4:40 p.m.
Senator Guess joined the meeting.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE replied the program is 18 months, but
she'd get back to him with regard to how long participants take
Naltrexone.
SENATOR COWDERY asked why the participants don't pay all costs
rather than just a portion.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE didn't have an answer.
SENATOR COWDERY recounted an anecdotal story.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS noted that the fiscal note is from the court
system indicating no fiscal impact.
There being no further questions, he asked for a motion.
SENATOR STEDMAN made a motion to move HCR 29 am from committee
with attached fiscal notes and individual recommendations. There
being no objection, it was so ordered.
CSHB 447(JUD)-2004 REVISOR'S BILL
PAMELA FINLEY, revisor of statutes, stated for the record that
the purpose of the revisor bill is to clean up the statutes and
remove errors. She advised that there is a sectional analysis
accompanying the bill that explains each change. Many of the
changes are clean ups from the Executive Orders (EO) from the
previous session. A copy of the sectional analysis may be found
in the bill file.
SENATOR JOHN COWDERY recalled that she had come before him
previously with revisions and asked when that was.
MS. FINLEY explained that there is a revisor bill each year.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS noted that this is quite an undertaking each
year.
MS. FINLEY explained that there are a number of ways to find the
errors. When bills are prepared errors are noted, sometimes
members of the public draw attention to errors, and the Attorney
General's Office and other line agencies sometimes note errors.
In addition to that, each year her office examines in depth
between six and eight titles in statute and they often find
errors that way.
SENATOR COWDERY asked whether her office pays attention to the
intent behind bills.
MS. FINLEY replied that they do keep the intent in mind.
There were no further questions.
SENATOR STEDMAN made a motion to move CSHB 447(JUD) from
committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal
notes. There being no objection, it was so ordered.
CHAIR GARY STEVENS adjourned the meeting at 5:00 pm.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|