Legislature(1993 - 1994)
1994-02-04 House Journal
Full Journal pdf1994-02-04 House Journal Page 2257 HB 442 HOUSE BILL NO. 442 by the House Rules Committee by request of the Governor, entitled: "An Act relating to criminal justice information; providing procedural requirements for obtaining certain criminal justice information; and providing for an effective date." was read the first time and referred to the Judiciary and Finance Committees. The following fiscal notes apply: Zero fiscal note, Dept. of Law, 2/4/94 Zero fiscal note, Dept. of Health & Social Services, 2/4/94 Zero fiscal note, Dept. of Public Safety, 2/4/94 Fiscal note, Dept. of Corrections, 2/4/94 The Governor's transmittal letter, dated February 4, 1994, appears below: "Dear Speaker Barnes: Under the authority of art. III, sec. 18, of the Alaska Constitution, I am transmitting a bill relating to criminal justice information. The need for new Alaska legislation on the subject of criminal justice information and computer information systems has been recognized for a number of years. If accurate and complete, these information systems provide a measure of protection for law enforcement officers on the front line of the battle against crime and provide needed information for all parts of the criminal justice system and the public. At the same time, provisions are needed for the security and privacy 1994-02-04 House Journal Page 2258 HB 442 of the information contained in these systems. Under the bill, "criminal justice information" does not include records relating to juvenile offenders. The federal Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 required the United States Department of Justice to develop a system for more immediate and accurate identification of offenders, which resulted in voluntary national standards being developed. The Department of Justice recommended that all states (1)implement mandatory reporting of all criminal justice information, (2)monitor case dispositions and adopt unique case-tracking numbers to improve data accuracy, (3)ensure timely submission of fingerprint records, (4)provide standardized data entry, and (5)provide audits, training, and data security. This bill is a necessary step toward that goal, and it will provide a framework under which the state can comply with appropriate national standards for the collection and use of criminal justice information, to the extent they are practical as applied to Alaska. This bill also adopts a trend seen in some other states, to give the press and public greater access to criminal history records and to make those records more `open.' For example, under this bill, anyone would be permitted to receive information about a person in the custody or under the supervision of the state, including the location of incarceration of inmates, and the conditions under which such inmates are released into the community on bail, probation, or parole. Currently, much of this information is available only to victims of crimes. AS33.16.120(f). The public would also be permitted to receive information about past convictions if less than 10 years has elapsed from the date the offender was released from all state supervision. Current law gives past conviction records only to employers of persons who work with children, and only for specified crimes. AS 12.62.035. These provisions in this legislation would give the public a great deal of information about current or past criminal offenders that is either not available under current law, or is only available by expending great effort to search paper or microfilm records in the possession of the court system. 1994-02-04 House Journal Page 2259 HB 442 A detailed section-by-section description that describes the need for and the intent behind each provision in the bill is available from the Department of Public Safety. Sincerely, /s/ Walter J. Hickel Governor"