2025-01-24                     Senate Journal                      Page 0070
SB 71                                                                                                                         
SENATE BILL NO. 71 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                                                                                
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
              "An Act relating to pretrial services supervision                                                                
          agreements."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
was read the first time and referred to the State Affairs and Judiciary                                                         
Committees.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The following fiscal information was published today:                                                                           
 Fiscal Note No. 1, zero, Department of Corrections                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Governor's transmittal letter dated January 23:                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Dear President Stevens:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Under the authority of Article III, Section 18 of the Alaska                                                                    
Constitution, I am transmitting a bill allowing the Department of                                                               
Corrections to enter into agreements with municipalities to provide                                                             
pretrial supervision services for defendants charged with violating                                                             
municipal or borough laws.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
When it was established in 2018, the pretrial services program was                                                              
aimed at providing risk assessments for defendants who have been                                                                
charged, making release recommendations to the court, and providing                                                             
pretrial supervision of defendants when ordered by the court.                                                                   
Currently, the State bears all the costs of pretrial supervision, even for                                                      
those defendants charged only with municipal or borough offenses.                                                               
This legislation will allow the Department of Corrections to enter into                                                         
agreements with municipalities that would like to continue to have                                                              
certain defendants charged with violating the laws of that jurisdiction                                                         
supervised before trial. As a part of those agreements, the Department                                                          
will be able to charge reasonable fees in order to recoup some of the                                                           
costs of providing the service to municipalities.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                

2025-01-24                     Senate Journal                      Page 0071
Evaluating the costs of providing certain services on behalf of other                                                           
jurisdictions is prudent. Allowing the Department of Corrections to                                                             
continue to provide an important service while recovering some of the                                                           
costs associated with providing that service is a reasonable approach,                                                          
which will help ensure that this service is available for years to come.                                                        
                                                                                                                                
I urge your prompt and favorable action on this measure.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Sincerely,                                                                                                                      
/s/                                                                                                                             
Mike Dunleavy                                                                                                                   
Governor