01/26/2022 01:30 PM House JUDICIARY

        HB 183-CRIMINAL JUSTICE DATA ANALYSIS COMMISSION                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:26:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 183, "An  Act renaming the Alaska Criminal Justice                                                               
Commission the Alaska Criminal  Justice Data Analysis Commission;                                                               
relating to  the membership of  the Alaska Criminal  Justice Data                                                               
Analysis Commission;  relating to  the powers  and duties  of the                                                               
Alaska Criminal  Justice Data Analysis Commission;  extending the                                                               
termination  date of  the Alaska  Criminal Justice  Data Analysis                                                               
Commission;  relating  to the  duties  of  the Judicial  Council;                                                               
providing for  an effective date  by amending the  effective date                                                               
of  secs. 41  and 73,  ch. 1,  4SSLA 2017;  and providing  for an                                                               
effective date  by repealing the  effective date of sec.  74, ch.                                                               
1, 4SSLA 2017."                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:26:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIZZIE KUBITZ,  Staff, Representative  Matt Claman,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  on  behalf  of the  prime  sponsor,  Representative                                                               
Claman, presented the  summary of changes for HB  183, Version G.                                                               
She  read  from  a  prepared  statement  [copy  included  in  the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Before  we  begin,  I would  like  to  provide  further                                                                    
     clarification   related   to    the   prior   hearing's                                                                    
     discussion  about  duty  to   design  and  implement  a                                                                    
     project  for  the  purposes of  studying  risk  factors                                                                    
     related  to  criminal  activity.  This  is  not  a  new                                                                    
     responsibility.  In   2017,  in  passing  SB   54,  the                                                                    
     Legislature asked  the Commission  to design  a project                                                                    
     to  study the  risk  factors  associated with  criminal                                                                    
     activity.  The  goal of  this  project  was to  provide                                                                    
     information   to  the   Legislature   to  inform   "the                                                                    
     Legislature's policy  and funding decisions  related to                                                                    
     primary crime  prevention, and improving  primary crime                                                                    
     prevention strategies  in the  state." With  the sunset                                                                    
     of the  Alaska Criminal  Justice Commission on  July 1,                                                                    
     2021,    the   commission    no    longer   has    this                                                                    
     responsibility.  This responsibility  now falls  to the                                                                    
     Alaska Judicial Council under AS 22.20.220.                                                                                
     House  Bill  183  returns  that   duty  to  the  Alaska                                                                    
     Criminal  Justice Data  Analysis Commissionas   seen in                                                                    
     Section  6 of  Version  G. Should  the Alaska  Criminal                                                                    
     Justice  Data Analysis  Commission sunset  on June  30,                                                                    
     2029, House  Bill 183 ensures that  the Alaska Judicial                                                                    
     Council will again take  up that responsibilityas  seen                                                                    
     in Section 2 of Version G.                                                                                                 
     Now, moving  on to  the work draft  CS. Per  request of                                                                    
     the advisor, Version G:                                                                                                    
      Accounts for the sunset and  termination of the Alaska                                                                    
     Criminal  Justice  Commission   and  related  statutory                                                                    
     changes  and enacts  the Alaska  Criminal Justice  Data                                                                    
     Analysis Commission based on  the prior Alaska Criminal                                                                    
     Justice Commission statutes.                                                                                               
     One  other   related  and  requested  change   is  also                                                                    
     included in Version G:                                                                                                     
      Sec. 4 is changed to  specify that the victims' rights                                                                    
     advocate  on the  commission to  be  designated by  the                                                                    
     Alaska Network on Domestic  Violence and Sexual Assault                                                                    
     after   consultation  with   its  member   and  partner                                                                    
     organizations.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:29:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SNYDER  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HB  183,  labeled,  32-LS0645\G,  Radford,                                                               
1/22/22 ("Version G").   There being no objection,  Version G was                                                               
before the committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN requested that Ms. Goode explain the attached                                                                      
fiscal note.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:31:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KELLY  GOODE,  Deputy  Commissioner,  Department  of  Corrections                                                               
(DOC), provided  information on  Version G.   She  explained that                                                               
the proposed  [reforms] to the  commission may require  more data                                                               
to be  analyzed by the  department; however, the  additional work                                                               
would not likely  result in additional cost.   She suggested that                                                               
a  revised  fiscal note  may  be  forthcoming and  cautioned  the                                                               
committee that any proposed increase  in work beyond the scope of                                                               
Version G would result in additional cost.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
2:32:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  expressed the belief  that it had  been a                                                               
stated  goal  to  remove  politics   from  the  commission.    He                                                               
expressed his concern over the  exclusion of public input via the                                                               
governor's  appointment  of members.    He  stated that  victims'                                                               
rights are an  important part of the criminal  justice system and                                                               
pointed out that  victims of crimes other  than domestic violence                                                               
and sexual  assault exist.   He questioned the rationale  for not                                                               
including representatives of other victim groups.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:36:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KURKA  expressed  his concern  for  the  previous                                                               
commission and  criticized the recommendations  it had  put forth                                                               
to develop SB 91.  He stated that no remedy has been offered.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   CLAMAN,  in   response  to   the  concern   expressed  by                                                               
Representative Eastman,  stated that the inclusion  of the Alaska                                                               
Network  on   Domestic  Violence   and  Sexual  Assault   on  the                                                               
commission represents  other member  groups and victims  of other                                                               
crimes.   He  stated that  Alaska has  a "horrific"  problem with                                                               
sexual assault and domestic violence,  especially in rural areas.                                                               
In response to the concern  expressed by Representative Kurka, he                                                               
stated  that the  removal  of the  commission's  duty to  provide                                                               
these recommendations led  to Senate Bill 91.   He continued that                                                               
SB 91 had  been in response to  the findings of the  auditor.  He                                                               
expressed  the   opinion  that  the   proposed  reforms   to  the                                                               
commission would address these concerns.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:38:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SNYDER moved to report  HB 183, as amended, out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection, CSHB  183(JUD)  was                                                               
reported from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:38:17 PM