04/04/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

                 HB 188-ANIMAL ADOPTION RECORDS                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:17:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  188, "An  Act  relating to  animal adoption  and                                                               
foster care records."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:18:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MAXINE DIBERT, Alaska  State Legislature, as prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented HB  188.   She provided  a sponsor  statement                                                               
[included  in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     When  an  animal  is  impounded  in  Alaska  by  animal                                                                    
     control  or  shelters,  it  may  become  available  for                                                                    
     adoption   or  fostering   following  the   appropriate                                                                    
     holding period. The records  related to animal adoption                                                                    
     and foster care often  include personal details such as                                                                    
     names,   phone  numbers,   or  physical   addresses  of                                                                    
     individuals  involved  in  the process.  While  several                                                                    
     local governments  have exemptions for  animal adoption                                                                    
     records  outlined in  their  municipal  codes, not  all                                                                    
     municipalities offer  the same  level of  public record                                                                    
     exemptions for  animal adoption  or foster  care. There                                                                    
     has been  a recent push to  establish statewide privacy                                                                    
     protections  for  individuals   adopting  or  fostering                                                                    
     animals from shelters.  HB 188 aims to  achieve this by                                                                    
     exempting  the  personal   identifying  information  of                                                                    
     adopters  or  foster   caregivers  from  public  record                                                                    
     requests under Alaska's Public Records Act.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT  informed the committee that  Senator Myers                                                               
is  carrying the  Senate's version  of the  bill.   She described                                                               
issues that arise when the original  pet owner comes to a shelter                                                               
after their found  pet has been adopted to another  home.  Public                                                               
records requests  to find new  owners have been made  by previous                                                               
owners  for  the  purpose  of  harassment.    Standard  procedure                                                               
mandates  that  information  be   withheld  from  public  records                                                               
requests only when  a safety threat is evident,  which requires a                                                               
thorough analysis  of each request to  ascertain safety concerns.                                                               
Municipalities are  not permitted  to inquire about  the specific                                                               
purpose behind a public records request.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT explained  that HB 188 seeks  to exempt the                                                               
names  and  personal  information   of  individuals  adopting  or                                                               
fostering  animals from  public records  requests.   Implementing                                                               
this measure at  the state level provides  blanket protection for                                                               
all municipalities striving to safeguard animal adopters.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:22:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KIMBERLEE   IMBERT,   Operations  Supervisor,   Animal   Control,                                                               
Fairbanks North  Star Borough,  described her  background working                                                               
at Animal  Control.  She  told stories  of people who  felt their                                                               
safety was at stake because  of public records availability after                                                               
an animal  adoption.   She mentioned  that people  are frequently                                                               
hesitant to adopt out of a fear of harassment.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:23:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTOPHER  LOSCAR,  Animal  Care   Director,  Animal  Care  and                                                               
Regulation Shelter, Matanuska-Susitna  Borough, explained that HB
 would  directly apply to  his work.  He  said that HB  188 is                                                               
reasonable and necessary legislation  that will safeguard members                                                               
of  the  community.    He  discussed  safety  concerns  that  are                                                               
experienced when personal  identification information is released                                                               
related   to  cases   where   adopted   animals  had   previously                                                               
experienced  cruelty and  are forfeited.   Safeguarding  personal                                                               
information will  encourage people  to adopt and  foster animals.                                                               
He said  that increased adoptions will  ultimately reduce shelter                                                               
stay times.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:25:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK   asked  about  hold   time  requirements                                                               
throughout the state.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SARAH EVANS,  Staff, Representative  Maxine Dibert,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Representative Dibert,  prime sponsor,                                                               
answered that hold times vary  throughout the state.  She offered                                                               
to  provide a  list of  hold times  for different  municipalities                                                               
throughout the  state.  She said  that the shortest hold  time is                                                               
72 hours and  said that the hold times are  usually between three                                                               
to  five days.    She  noted the  efforts  put  forth by  shelter                                                               
workers who attempt to find original pet owners expediently.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that HB 188 was held over.