ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE  April 26, 2007 9:06 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT  Senator Lesil McGuire, Chair Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair Senator Hollis French Senator Lyda Green Senator Con Bunde MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  SENATE BILL NO. 131 "An Act naming the state parking garage being constructed in Anchorage north of the Robert B. Atwood Building as the Carolyn 'Linny' Pacillo Parking Garage." MOVED CSSB 131(STA) OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE BILL NO. 210 "An Act relating to the appointment and qualifications of the adjutant general." MOVED HB 210 OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE BILL NO. 8 "An Act naming the law enforcement training facility in Fairbanks the J. Kevin Lamm Law Enforcement Training Facility." HEARD AND HELD HOUSE BILL NO. 109 "An Act relating to the requirement for candidates, groups, legislators, public officials, and other persons to submit reports electronically to the Alaska Public Offices Commission; relating to disclosures by legislators, public members of the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics, legislative directors, public officials, and certain candidates for public office concerning services performed for compensation and concerning certain income, gifts, and other financial matters; requiring legislators, public members of the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics, legislative directors, public officials, and municipal officers to make certain financial disclosures when they leave office; relating to insignificant ownership interest in a business and to gifts from lobbyists for purposes of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act; relating to certain restrictions on employment after leaving state service for purposes of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act; and providing for an effective date." BILL MOVED OUT OF COMMITTEE 4/24/07 PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION    BILL: SB 131 SHORT TITLE: NAMING PACILLO PARKING GARAGE SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) ELLIS BY REQUEST 03/21/07 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/21/07 (S) STA 04/26/07 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 BILL: HB 210 SHORT TITLE: QUALIFICATIONS OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) DAHLSTROM 03/21/07 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/21/07 (H) MLV, STA 03/29/07 (H) MLV AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124 03/29/07 (H) Moved Out of Committee 03/29/07 (H) MINUTE(MLV) 03/30/07 (H) MLV RPT 4DP 1NR 03/30/07 (H) DP: FAIRCLOUGH, DAHLSTROM, BUCH, ROSES 03/30/07 (H) NR: KAWASAKI 04/03/07 (H) STA RPT 7DP 04/03/07 (H) DP: JOHNSON, JOHANSEN, ROSES, GRUENBERG, COGHILL, DOLL, LYNN 04/03/07 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 04/03/07 (H) Moved Out of Committee 04/03/07 (H) MINUTE(STA) 04/04/07 (H) ENGROSSED 04/10/07 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 04/10/07 (H) VERSION: HB 210 04/10/07 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 04/10/07 (S) STA 04/19/07 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 04/19/07 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard 04/26/07 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 BILL: HB 8 SHORT TITLE: J. KEVIN LAMM TRAINING FACILITY SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) RAMRAS 01/16/07 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/5/07 01/16/07 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/16/07 (H) TRA 02/15/07 (H) TRA AT 1:30 PM CAPITOL 17 02/15/07 (H) Heard & Held 02/15/07 (H) MINUTE(TRA) 03/06/07 (H) TRA AT 1:30 PM CAPITOL 17 03/06/07 (H) Moved Out of Committee 03/06/07 (H) MINUTE(TRA) 03/07/07 (H) TRA RPT 1DP 3NR 03/07/07 (H) DP: FAIRCLOUGH 03/07/07 (H) NR: DOOGAN, JOHNSON, JOHANSEN 03/21/07 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 03/21/07 (H) VERSION: HB 8 03/23/07 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/23/07 (S) TRA, STA 04/10/07 (S) TRA RPT 2DP 1NR 04/10/07 (S) DP: KOOKESH, OLSON 04/10/07 (S) NR: WIELECHOWSKI 04/10/07 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 04/10/07 (S) Moved HB 8 Out of Committee 04/10/07 (S) MINUTE(TRA) 04/19/07 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 04/19/07 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard 04/26/07 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 WITNESS REGISTER    SENATOR DONNY ELLIS Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 131 as sponsor. SUSAN PACILLO, Sister to Linny Pacillo POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in favor of SB 131. ANDREA MCCLOUD Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in favor of SB 131. REPRESENTATIVE NANCY DAHLSTROM Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 210 as sponsor. McHUGH PIERRE, Director of Communications Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Fort Richardson, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 210. BARBARA COTTING, Staff to Representative Jay Ramras, Sponsor Alaska State Legislature POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 8 on behalf of sponsor. ACTION NARRATIVE CHAIR LESIL MCGUIRE called the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 9:06:32 AM. Senators McGuire, Green, French, and Stevens were present at the call to order. Senator Bunde arrived soon thereafter. SB 131-NAMING PACILLO PARKING GARAGE  CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of SB 131. SENATOR DONNY ELLIS, Alaska State Legislature, said he introduced this bill at the request of the friends and family of Carolyn "Linny" Pacillo. It is also supported by the Anchorage assembly. He said that Linny was a positive force for change in Anchorage, and it is fitting for a parking garage to bear her name. She was honored by the Alaska Legislature with a citation. A parking garage has not been named before, he noted. Linny represented the regular folks, and had blue collar jobs around the state. In Anchorage she ran a family-owned gas station with the best prices in town, which always had a sign promoting a charitable activity. He said the family was very much involved in helping the community and people in need. Her greatest claim to fame was as a "parking fairy". She and her sister often dressed as fairy godmothers and moved around Anchorage to talk to people about the parking authority. The citizens rose up to say the Anchorage Parking Authority went too far with its heavy- handed tactics. The fairies were the voices of the common folks, he added. Regardless of what side a person was on, he or she could respect the stick-to-it-ness of her activities. 9:10:28 AM CHAIR MCGUIRE said she was a wonderful woman and wore many hats in the community. SENATOR GREEN asked if the name can be shortened. SENATOR ELLIS said that could be considered. Linny was always helping other folks. It was very inspiring. SUSAN PACILLO, Sister to Linny, said shortening the garage name to Linny Pacillo is appropriate because she didn't use the name Carolyn. She stated that Linny was fun, full of life, and did a lot of things for many people. You never worried about what she was thinking, because she would let you know. She helped people and stood up against bureaucracies and big government. Keep the parking authority out of it, she said jokingly. 9:13:29 AM ANDREA MCCLOUD, Anchorage, said Alaska is a unique state where a resident can make a difference, and Linny was such a person. She and her sister were the catalyst for a paradigm shift of parking in Anchorage. Madison Avenue could envy their campaign to transfer the balance of power from an over-zealous government bureaucracy back to the people where it belongs. Linny wanted to rein in the parking authority's activities that bordered on harassment, she stated, and she did it dressed in tutus and fairy wings. The parking fairies addressed numerous governmental bodies during countless meetings on policies that had gone awry. Linny's integrity was displayed in her many philanthropic activities. She persevered as she survived the slings and arrows pointed at her from the institutions as their actions were scrutinized. Exercising her rights was a model for other citizens. She endeared herself on an international level through the National Enquirer, National Examiner, the Letterman show, and the Mike and Maddie show. Her death made international media, she noted. Naming the new parking garage after Linny will point to her as a model citizen. Anchorage is proud to produce citizens like Linny. The garage will remind people that we are all in this together, she concluded. 9:16:41 AM SENATOR FRENCH moved Amendment 1 to strike the word Carolyn and the parentheses and apostrophes around Linny on line 5, 7, and 8. The title would be the Linny Pacillo parking garage. Hearing no objection, Amendment 1 carried. 9:18:00 AM SENATOR STEVENS said it is fascinating that a garage named for someone who believed in civil disobedience will be across from the Atwood building. The dichotomy is appropriate for Alaska. SENATOR ELLIS said he had the same thought. It is typical and appropriate for government to honor titans of industry and politicians by the naming of grand government facilities. This is a parking garage-a utilitarian, basic structure--and it warms his heart to put Linny's name on it across from the Atwood building. Folks of all stripes can make a contribution and be recognized, he noted. SENATOR BUNDE said Tip O'Neil said politics are local, and the Alaska version is politics are local and personal. 9:20:27 AM SENATOR ELLIS said Linny was not a perfect person, like himself, "but we're celebrating the positive here." He stated that it was controversial to plug meters for people. Its legality can be argued, he stated, but passing SB 131 would say something unique and positive about our state. CHAIR MCGUIRE said Linny took a purposeful step just about every day to make the lives of people better. She was often effective without all the fanfare. It is nice to talk about people like her, not just the people with big titles, she said. 9:22:53 AM SENATOR ELLIS said the bill honors her qualities. The name will live on, and it will be a chance to talk about what she represented. He doubts it will be a no-ticket zone. SENATOR GREEN moved SB 131, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes. Hearing no objections, CSSB 131(STA) passed from committee. HB 210-QUALIFICATIONS OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL    9:23:49 AM CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of HB 210. REPRESENTATIVE NANCY DAHLSTROM, Alaska State Legislature, said HB 210 pertains to the military and the National Guard. There has been restructuring and increased deployment with increased responsibilities. This legislation allows the governor to give preference to a future adjutant general who has served at least five years in the Alaska Army or Air National Guard, and the it recommends increasing the federally recognized general grade from major to lieutenant general, which would mean going from a 2-star to a 3-star for an officer who has qualifications to gain federal recognition in active duty or in retired status. Changes are being made at the federal level and if Alaska's generals are not at an equal level with the generals of the other states they may not be able to accomplish as many things as they need to. HB 210 encourages respect from Alaska's troops because they know their leader has walked in their steps. The governor is not diminished in any way. The administration supports it. 9:26:49 AM SENATOR BUNDE asked if the current adjutant general would have been qualified had this bill been law. REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM said yes. SENATOR GREEN asked about others. McHUGH PIERRE, Director, Communications, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said in the past there have been adjutant generals who have not served in the Alaska National Guard; they have been active-duty colonels, but without the National Guard experience the organization didn't benefit as it might have. SENATOR STEVENS asked how many other general ranks are in the Alaska National Guard. MR. PIERRE said there are four generals in the Alaska National Guard. There is an assistant adjutant general, who is essentially the division director of the Air and Army National Guard. There is a one-star general over space and missile defense who commands the Fort Greely troops. There is an unfilled position of commander of the 176 in Anchorage. They are all brigadier generals, he noted. 9:29:14 AM MR. PIERRE said going from two-stars to three-stars lays the foundation to move more swiftly when Washington D.C. promotes the National Guard bureau chief from a three-star to a four- star. "That way our state can fall in line and make that easy transition and have the respect in Washington D.C. that the other adjutant generals have." SENATOR STEVENS asked if this will be a little unusual. MR. PIERRE said this has been suggested by the National Guard. When the bureau chief moves to four-star, all of the adjutant generals who are in control of the national guards in every state would move to three-star. The next step is up to National Guard Bureau, but it will not happen until the federal government authorizes it. 9:30:43 AM SENATOR GREEN moved to report HB 210 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, the motion carried. HB 8-J. KEVIN LAMM TRAINING FACILITY  9:31:20 AM CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of HB 8. BARBARA COTTING, Staff to Representative Jay Ramras, Alaska State Legislature, said the law enforcement firing range is in the path of a new runway. There will be a new facility, and HB 8 will name it after a Fairbanks police officer who was killed in active duty. He was shot while he was being a hero giving his fellow officers a chance to escape. CHAIR MCGUIRE announced she would take HB 8 up again at a later date. CHAIR MCGUIRE adjourned the meeting at 9:33 AM.