02/25/2010 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

          HB 289-EXEC ETHICS: LEGAL FEES/FAMILY TRAVEL                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:57:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced  that the final order of  business was HOUSE                                                               
BILL NO. 289,  "An Act authorizing state agencies  to pay private                                                               
legal fees  and costs incurred  by persons exonerated  of alleged                                                               
Alaska Executive  Branch Ethics Act violations;  allowing certain                                                               
public  officers  and  former public  officers  to  accept  state                                                               
payments  to  offset private  legal  fees  and costs  related  to                                                               
defending  against   an  Alaska   Executive  Branch   Ethics  Act                                                               
complaint; and  creating certain  exceptions to  Alaska Executive                                                               
Branch Ethics  Act limitations on  the use of state  resources to                                                               
provide or pay for transportation  of spouses and children of the                                                               
governor and the lieutenant governor."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:57:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG, as prime sponsor  of HB 289, noted that                                                               
at  the last  bill  hearing, the  committee  had discussed  three                                                               
issues.   The first  issue was  whether the  proposed legislation                                                               
should  be expanded  in  Section 3  to allow  [the  use of  state                                                               
resources to  pay for]  travel of a  non-spouse of  an executive.                                                               
Representative Gruenberg said both  the bill drafter and attorney                                                               
general Judy  Bockmon emphasized  that it  would be  difficult to                                                               
draft  such language.    He said  he would  do  as the  committee                                                               
wished, but he  advised against making that change.   He said the                                                               
idea  for  the  other  two amendments  came  from  Representative                                                               
Seaton.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:59:32 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON moved  to adopt  Amendment 1,  labeled 26-                                                               
LS1304\C.1, Wayne, 2/24/10, which read as follows:                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 16:                                                                                                           
          Delete "official"                                                                                                     
          Insert "officially designated"                                                                                        
                                                                                                                              
There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:00:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTAIVE  SEATON moved  to  adopt Amendment  2, labeled  26-                                                               
LS1304\C.2, Wayne, 2/24/10, which read as follows:                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 14:                                                                                                           
          Delete "is"                                                                                                           
          Insert "has been"                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 15, following "customary":                                                                                    
          Insert "at similar events"                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 19:                                                                                                           
          Delete "are customary"                                                                                                
         Insert "have been customary at similar events"                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:00:32 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG objected for discussion purposes.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:01:19 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG   moved  to   adopt  an   amendment  to                                                               
Amendment 2, to change "at" to "for".                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:01:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion purposes.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:01:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JUDY BOCKMON,  Assistant Attorney General/State  Ethics Attorney,                                                               
Opinions,   Appeals,  &   Ethics,  Civil   Division  (Anchorage),                                                               
Department of Law, explained the  need for the proposed amendment                                                               
to Amendment  2.   She clarified that  the proposed  change would                                                               
take place at page  3, line 19.  She said, "It  seemed to me that                                                               
simply for context, use of the  word 'for' rather than 'at' was a                                                               
better choice  when the  phrase starts  with 'the  invitation and                                                               
the person's attendance'."                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:02:38 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON said  that change  seems to  be stylistic,                                                               
and he removed his objection.   There being no further objection,                                                               
the amendment to Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:03:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  removed his  objection to  Amendment 2,                                                               
as amended.   [There being no further objection,  Amendment 2, as                                                               
amended, was adopted.]                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:03:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN,  after ascertaining  that there was  no one  else who                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:04:06 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  moved to report the  proposed committee                                                               
substitute (CS) for HB 289,  Version 26-LS1304\C, Wayne, 2/22/10,                                                               
as amended, with individual  recommendations and the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection, CSHB  289(STA)  was                                                               
reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.