SB 198-POLICE OFFICER PROTECTIONS/CERTIFICATION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:08:37 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  FRENCH announced  the  consideration of  SB  198, "An  Act                                                               
establishing  procedures  relating  to issuance,  suspension,  or                                                               
revocation  of certification  of  police officers  by the  police                                                               
standards council; making certain  court service officers subject                                                               
to  certification   by  the  police  standards   council;  making                                                               
confidential  certain information  that  personally identifies  a                                                               
police  officer;  relating  to  requesting  or  requiring  police                                                               
officers to submit  to lie detector tests;  repealing a provision                                                               
exempting  certain police  officers  from  a prohibition  against                                                               
requiring certain employees to submit  to lie detector tests; and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He asked for a motion  to adopt the proposed committee substitute                                                               
(CS), version E.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI moved  to adopt  the work  draft CS  for SB                                                               
198, labeled 27-LS1306\E, as the working document.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR FRENCH found no objection  and announced that version E was                                                               
before the committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:09:35 PM                                                                                                                    
THOMAS PRESLEY,  Intern to Senator Bill  Wielechowski, sponsor of                                                               
SB 198,  explained that  the CS removes  Section 4.  The previous                                                               
version  inadvertently   removed  a  department's  power   to  do                                                               
investigative  polygraph testing  during  employment. The  intent                                                               
was to give police officers the  right to refuse a polygraph test                                                               
during  an investigative  procedure without  fear of  punishment.                                                               
The  CS   reinstates  a   department's  power   to  ask   for  an                                                               
investigative polygraph  test and maintains,  without punishment,                                                               
the right for an officer to refuse to take the test.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:09:49 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease to distribute copies of the new CS.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:11:52 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  FRENCH   reconvened  the   meeting  and  noted   that  the                                                               
representatives from  the Alaska Police Standards  Council (APSC)                                                               
and  the Public  Safety  Employees  Association (PSEA)  indicated                                                               
they had  nothing to  add to their  previous testimony.  He asked                                                               
the sponsor if he had any  comment on his conversations with APSC                                                               
and PSEA.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI  said  there   were  still  differences  of                                                               
opinion and, at some point, the  Legislature would have to make a                                                               
policy call.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR FRENCH announced he would hold SB 198 in committee.