04/27/2021 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

           HB 106-MISSING PERSONS UNDER 21 YEARS OLD                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:46:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 106, "An  Act relating to missing persons under                                                               
21  years of  age."   She noted  that the  bill is  [sponsored by                                                               
House Rules] by request of the governor.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SNYDER  observed that page  1, lines 4-6, Section  1, of                                                               
the  bill  would   remove  the  language  "in   addition  to  the                                                               
requirements  of  AS  47.10.141   regarding  reports  of  missing                                                               
minors".   She  related that  there  is concern  about what  else                                                               
might be lost given that it is  a big section.  She surmised this                                                               
language does not  remove the requirements, but  rather that they                                                               
are just no longer referenced in this part of statute.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:48:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LISA  PURINTON,   Chief,  Criminal  Records   and  Identification                                                               
Bureau,  Division of  Statewide  Services,  Department of  Public                                                               
Safety  (DPS),  confirmed  it  is correct  that  this  would  not                                                               
replace the requirement.  She  said it would add clarification to                                                               
AS 18.65.620 by  adding the new section which bridges  a gap that                                                               
exists  under AS  47.10.141.   She  explained  that AS  47.10.141                                                               
requires it is very specific to  minors and AS 18.65.620 adds the                                                               
clarification to  expand that scope  to anybody under the  age of                                                               
21 so  that significant changes to  the definition of a  minor do                                                               
not have to be made throughout many statutes.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:49:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KURKA  noted that  the  second  paragraph of  the                                                               
sponsor's statement says  these laws are being  changed to comply                                                               
with  federal  law changes.    He  inquired  about the  legal  or                                                               
financial consequences to the state  of not passing this bill and                                                               
not being 100 percent in sync with the federal guidelines.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS.  PURINTON answered  that she  doesn't know  there would  be a                                                               
financial  or legal  cost but  said  this conflict  in state  law                                                               
makes it difficult  for the Department of Public  Safety to audit                                                               
and  require law  enforcement agencies  to comply  with the  more                                                               
restrictive federal requirements.   The change, she explained, is                                                               
to encourage  all law  enforcement agencies  to report  this data                                                               
for the  vulnerable population between  the ages of 18  and under                                                               
21  so  that information  can  be  put  into state  and  national                                                               
databases  more quickly.   Many  studies, she  added, have  shown                                                               
that the chances  of recovery for a missing person  are very high                                                               
within the first 48 hours.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced that HB 106 was held over.