04/20/2007 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 215                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the establishment of a task force                                                                      
     to review the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual                                                                      
     Assault."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ANNA   FAIRCLOUGH  addressed   the  reasoning                                                                   
behind having a task force to  review the Council on Domestic                                                                   
Violence  and  Sexual Assault.    There have  been  questions                                                                   
about staff turnover, reports  on grant management, debate on                                                                   
office  location,  and  questions about  appointment  to  the                                                                   
Council and coordination  with other state agencies.   A task                                                                   
force  would take  each  of these  points  on  and provide  a                                                                   
report back to the legislature.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough reminded  the committee that Alaska                                                                   
ranks  number  one on  many  violent  issues such  as  sexual                                                                   
assault.    She pointed  out  that  the  Council has  done  a                                                                   
fabulous job in  providing financial support to  a network of                                                                   
agencies  across the  state to  respond to  that issue.   She                                                                   
thought  it  was time  to  re-look  at  what the  Council  is                                                                   
focusing on.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:21:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough reviewed  the sections of the bill.                                                                   
Section 1  talks about  the findings of  the State  of Alaska                                                                   
and  quantifies  that  we  do  have  an  issue.    Section  2                                                                   
establishes the actual task force.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough reported  that she has met with the                                                                   
Council  and the  Network  on  Domestic Violence  and  Sexual                                                                   
Assault who  have agreed to move  forward with a  task force.                                                                   
Section 2 describes  the composition of the  fifteen members.                                                                   
It includes the legislative body  in the process, which is an                                                                   
important part of finding solutions  to the problem of sexual                                                                   
assault.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:23:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Fairclough referred  to page  3, lines  8-15,                                                                   
which  outlines audit  notations,  a menu  that provides  the                                                                   
legislature   with   options    to   proceed   forward   with                                                                   
modifications on mandates and prevention strategies.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer  referred to the  fiscal notes  that primarily                                                                   
cover travel for the task force for one year.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:25:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hawker  MOVED to REPORT CSHB 215  (HES) out of                                                                   
committee  with  individual  recommendations   and  with  the                                                                   
accompanying fiscal notes.  There  being NO OBJECTION, it was                                                                   
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  215 (HES)  was REPORTED  out  of Committee  with a  "do                                                                   
pass"  recommendation and  with zero  fiscal note  #1 by  the                                                                   
Department of  Health and Social  Services, zero  fiscal note                                                                   
#2 by  the Department  of Law,  new zero  fiscal note  by the                                                                   
Legislature,   new  fiscal   note   by   the  Department   of                                                                   
Corrections, and new fiscal note  by the Department of Public                                                                   
Safety.