HB 104-REPEAL COLLECTION OF CIVIL LITIG. INFO  1:42:45 PM CHAIR COGHILL reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of HB 104. He asked if there were questions for the sponsor's staff. 1:43:39 PM SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the bill is fundamentally the same as the one the committee heard last year. LIZZIE KUBITZ, Staff, Representative Matt Claman, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of HB 104, confirmed that this legislation is the same as last year. CHAIR COGHILL opened public testimony on HB 104. 1:44:16 PM SARAH BADTEN, representing herself, said she practices law in Anchorage and has been filing out this form for 10 years. For the past two years she's been testifying to get the requirement repealed. It is a waste of time and money and is costly to her clients, which is unfair. Also, because she practices contract law, the information she provides skews the data on tort reform. 1:46:08 PM KENNETH JACOBUS, representing himself and the Anchorage Bar Association (ABA), testified in support of HB 104. He highlighted that the ABA annually adopts a resolution to do away with the civil case reporting requirements. He pointed out that just 13 percent of the required data is reported and that it will save the state money to drop the requirement. He said the House voted unanimously to pass this legislation and it would be a great service to the state, the bar and the people engaged in civil litigation for the Senate to do the same. 1:48:38 PM LIBBY BAKALAR, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Transportation Section, Department of Law, Juneau, Alaska, offered to answer questions related to HB 104. CHAIR COGHILL asked how many reports the Department of Law files a year. MS. BAKALAR said she would follow up with the information, but the department does file a report according to the requirements under AS 09.68.130 after every civil case is settled. CHAIR COGHILL commented that the bill might result in cost savings. MS. BAKALAR said the department submitted a zero fiscal note and the clear benefit is that it would eliminate a task. Responding to a further question, she said the department doesn't have a formal position on HB 104. CHAIR COGHILL noted that Suzanne DiPietro was available to answer question. 1:50:54 PM CHAIR COGHILL closed public testimony on HB 104 and solicited a motion. 1:51:05 PM SENATOR COSTELLO moved to report HB 104, labeled 30-LS0393\D, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI disclosed that he is a member of the Alaska Bar Association. CHAIR COGHILL announced that without objection, HB 104 is reported from the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee.