Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/17/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB187 | |
| SB207 | |
| SB214 | |
| HB123 | |
| SB129 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 187 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 207 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 214 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 123 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | SB 129 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 187-STATE AGENCY PUBLICATIONS
3:40:38 PM
CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL
NO. 187(STA) "An Act relating to the elimination or modification
of state agency publications that are outdated, duplicative, or
excessive or that could be improved or consolidated with other
publications or exclusively delivered electronically; and
providing for an effective date."
3:40:55 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES KAUFMAN, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 187, introduced the legislation,
paraphrasing the sponsor statement that read as follows:
[Original punctuation provided.]
HB 187 in its current form, is intended to conserve
resources expended in the production, processing,
transportation, distribution storage and disposal of
excess state agency publications.
The products affected by HB 187 are publications as
defined in AS 44.99.240.
As currently written in statute, AS 44.99.220 requires
state agencies to compile and maintain a list of the
publications that they produce each fiscal year. This
bill would ensure that the state is receiving added
value from work that is already being done, by using
the list as opportunity to assess the actual need for
each document and to determine if the people of Alaska
will be best served by printing or by digital
delivery.
HB 187 also provides for the reduction in statutory
requirements to produce publications, through changes
made to AS 37.07.220. These changes will require that
the governor submit a bill to eliminate or modify
requirements for publications deemed to be outdated,
duplicative or excessive, or could be consolidated
with other publications, and which of those could be
delivered in electronic form.
Time, energy, space and materials can be all be
conserved by the passage of HB 187.
3:43:12 PM
SENATOR COSTELLO voiced support for the legislation. She asked
if the purpose behind identifying outdated or duplicative
documents is to later remove the requirement for those documents
from statute.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN replied it's a feedback loop that will
identify what needs to be changed in statute to effect the
desired change.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked whether the list would have hot links to
facilitate the search for a particular report.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN replied there isn't that explicit
requirement, "but that would be a good delivery mechanism."
3:45:19 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI asked whether the legislature would still have
the option of receiving an agency publication that was
identified and appeared on the list.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN answered correct. The idea is to use the
legislative processes to eliminate or modify the requirement to
produce the publication.
SENATOR KAWASAKI referenced the document in the bill packet from
Legislative Research Services that identifies the reports that
state agencies are statutorily required to produce. He said some
are very important and he wouldn't want somebody to decide it
wasn't important for the legislature or public to see them. He
asked whether there were any guarantees that the public would be
able to speak for or against a bill that proposes to eliminate a
particular report. He cited the example of the report from the
[State Vaccine Assessment Council], which is charged by statute
to produce an annual report.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN said any bill to eliminate publication of
a report would first need to go through the full legislative
process that includes public hearings. He also pointed out that
the bill provides the option to consolidate certain reports and
perhaps deliver it electronically. The idea is to use the two
year review cycle to do a better job of managing the production
of reports in hard copy.
SENATOR KAWASAKI offered his belief that if the bill were to
pass, a subsequent legislature likely would introduce an omnibus
bill and members would decide on the disposition of the
individual reports going forward.
3:48:04 PM
CHAIR SHOWER asked the sponsor if he was comfortable with the
changes that were made to the bill thus far and if it still
accomplished the original intent.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN replied he was very satisfied and
believes the changes made a better bill.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked if the list that each of the 14 agencies
prepare could be combined and submitted to the legislature as
one list.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN replied the current requirement is for
each agency to maintain a list of the publications it produces
and HB 187 does not propose to change that construct. However,
there is nothing to prevent those lists from being delivered to
the legislature as a compilation.
CHAIR SHOWER requested the sectional analysis for HB 187.
3:49:39 PM
MATTHEW HARVEY, Staff, Representative James Kaufman, Alaska
State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, presented the sectional
analysis for HB 187. It read as follows:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Section 1:
Amends AS 37.07.020 to add a requirement for the
governor to submit legislation to remove or amend
statutory requirements for publications deemed to be
outdated, duplicative or excessive, or that could be
consolidated with other publications, and which of
those could be delivered in electronic form as
directed in Section 2.
Section 2:
Repeals and reenacts AS 44.99.220 requiring state
agencies to use a list of publications, which is
already statutorily required to be developed, to
identify and highlight publications deemed to be
outdated, duplicative or excessive, or that could be
consolidated with other publications, or which could
be delivered in electronic form. This list of
publications, including highlighted publications, is
required to be electronically submitted to the
governor and both bodies of the legislature.
Section 3:
Provides for an immediate effective date.
CHAIR SHOWER asked for a summary of the fiscal note.
MR. HARVEY stated that the fiscal note is zero. The Office of
Management and Budget stated that it would be able to
accommodate the additional work with existing resources.
3:51:40 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI observed that the immediate effective date
means the current governor would start the process and whomever
is governor after the election would have to comply on December
15 when the budget is released.
MR. HARVEY agreed. The bill repeals and reenacts the existing
statute such that each state agency will compile a list of
publications it is responsible for, highlighting certain ones.
The expectation is that those reports, including the highlighted
ones would be submitted to the governor for the budget process.
He noted that a change in House State Affairs made the review
biannual so a bill could carry through to the next year of the
legislature.
3:52:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN added that the bill intentionally uses a
light touch. The rewritten statute leverages the requirement
that agencies maintain their list of publications, which creates
a feedback loop.
SENATOR REINBOLD offered her understanding that the legislature
would make the decision about whether a particular publication
was needed and in what form.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN answered that's correct; the idea is to
keep the legislature engaged in the assessment of whether the
reductions are valid or an overreach. It is not an opportunity
for the executive branch to stop doing work that is needed.
SENATOR REINBOLD asked whether the publications that one
legislature deleted would still appear on the list for a
subsequent legislature to see.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN clarified that a report that is required
by statute would need legislative action to change the
requirement to produce that report.
SENATOR COSTELLO referred to the phrase "the governor shall" and
questioned why it wasn't permissive because the compulsory
language assumes there are publications to be eliminated. She
mentioned balance of power and questioned tasking the executive
branch with highlighting publications for potential
consolidation or elimination when it is the legislature that
writes bills that ask for reports. She asked if there might be a
way for the legislative branch to take the lead.
3:57:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN replied the idea is to get input from the
people who are close to or doing the work. They will have ideas
about how to do things more efficiently and can send their
recommendations up through the line. The safeguard is that the
legislature conducts a review. He offered his belief that there
are a number of reports that have been required over time that
likely aren't necessary or could be delivered electronically.
Over time the biannual report will have a smaller document base.
3:59:44 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI suggested that the report from Legislative
Research Services that identified 189 statutorily required
agency reports provides one way for the legislature to review
the reports and direct the executive branch instead of relying
on the administration to make a determination.
4:00:34 PM
MR. HARVEY says the intention is for the governor to submit a
bill that is based on the highlighted list. If nothing is
highlighted, the bill would be unnecessary. There is also the
requirement for the list to be submitted to the legislature and
public. He suggested that could give the legislature the
information it needs to make its own decision about the need for
certain reports.
CHAIR SHOWER encouraged the committee members to work with the
sponsor if they wanted any changes.
SENATOR REINBOLD agreed with Senator Kawasaki and Senator
Costello that this is a legislature matter.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN said it's important to recognize that
this gives voice to the agency people who prepare the reports
and may have ideas about a better way to deliver the same or
similar content. The proposed process creates that feedback
opportunity. He opined that the opportunity for overreach is
only worrisome if the legislature doesn't do its due diligence.
SENATOR KAWASAKI said he wanted to make sure that the people
other than just the legislature who use the reports are taken
into consideration and know what is happening. He described it
as an issue of transparency.
4:05:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN said this is less about cutting reports
and more about optimizing the information and delivering it in a
different format.
CHAIR SHOWER said he always appreciates efficiencies.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN thanked the committee for hearing the
bill.
4:07:14 PM
CHAIR SHOWER held HB 187 in committee for future consideration.