04/18/2009 10:00 AM Senate FINANCE

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 106(STA)(title am)                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act  relating  to  grants   to  nonprofit  regional                                                                   
     corporations,    and,   in   certain    situations,   to                                                                   
     municipalities  with populations  of  less than  10,000,                                                                   
     for  village  public  safety officers  in  rural  areas;                                                                   
     defining  'rural area'  for the  purpose of the  village                                                                   
     public   safety   officer   program;   and   authorizing                                                                   
     municipalities  to  accept  grants under,  and  contract                                                                   
     with respect to, the village public safety officer                                                                         
     program."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  106 (STA)  was REPORTED  out  of Committee  with a  "do                                                                   
pass"  recommendation and  with a  previously published  zero                                                                   
fiscal note from Department of Public Safety.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
11:19:58 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  REGGIE JOULE  discussed  the legislation.  He                                                                   
explained that under current law,  the Commissioner of Public                                                                   
Safety provides grants to regional  non-profits to administer                                                                   
the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   Stedman   asked   for  a   definition   of   VPSO.                                                                   
Representative Joule replied that  a VPSO is a Village Public                                                                   
Safety Officer. The  North West Arctic Borough  is willing to                                                                   
take responsibility  for  the program  and the regional  non-                                                                   
profit is  willing to allow  the borough take  responsibility                                                                   
for   the   VPSO  program.   This   legislation   gives   the                                                                   
Commissioner of  Public Safety permission to  present a grant                                                                   
to a municipality.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  asked  about   Line  8,  Page  2  and  the                                                                   
reference to the population threshold.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
11:22:32 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTINE  HESS,   CHIEF  OF  STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE   JOULE,                                                                   
responded that she  had worked with the Department  of Public                                                                   
Safety and the  legal department to arrive at  the population                                                                   
threshold. The VPSO program is  suited for rural areas of the                                                                   
state.  This  population  threshold   retains  the  program's                                                                   
proper scope.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   Stedman  noted   that  with   the  10,000   person                                                                   
population threshold,  Sitka would be included  but Ketchikan                                                                   
is  beyond  the   threshold.  Ms.  Hess  responded   that  no                                                                   
participant in the program would be excluded.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  noted that there  was not anyone  signed up                                                                   
for public testimony.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Huggins  asked approximately  how  many  communities                                                                   
would be affected.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Joule answered  ten villages  are covered  in                                                                   
the North West  Arctic Borough. The city of  Kotzebue has its                                                                   
own police department and therefore would not participate.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   Stedman  asked   for  a   representation  of   the                                                                   
dispersion around the state.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
11:24:53 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative Joule was unsure  of the exact dispersion, but                                                                   
he guessed  that 80 out of  200 villages participated  in the                                                                   
VPSO program.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Hess  pointed  out  that  a  map  was  included  in  the                                                                   
committee packets illustrating the dispersion request.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Hess  stated   that  Haines,  Klawock,   Ketchikan,  and                                                                   
Petersburg  were a few  of the  communities participating  in                                                                   
the VPSO program.  Co-Chair Stedman  requested that a list of                                                                   
all communities be provided to the committee.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Joule  stated   that  the  representation  of                                                                   
active  VPSO participation  by  village was  included in  the                                                                   
committee packet.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman  MOVED to report  CSHB 106 out  of Committee                                                                   
with individual  recommendations and the  accompanying fiscal                                                                   
note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  106 (STA)  was REPORTED  out  of Committee  with a  "do                                                                   
pass"  recommendation and  with a  previously published  zero                                                                   
fiscal note from Department of Public Safety.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
11:28:22 AM    AT EASE TO THE CALL OF THE CHAIR