04/03/1996 01:30 PM Senate JUD

        HB 333 BAR MEMBERSHIP:PUBLIC DEFENDER/ADVOCATE                        
                                                                              
 REPRESENTATIVE SEAN PARNELL, sponsor of HB 333, stated the bill was           
 suggested to his office by John Salemi, the Public Defender.  HB
 allows the Public Defender Agency and Office of Public Advocacy           
 to employ a person for ten months who is waiting to pass the bar              
 exam.  The privilege is currently accorded to the District                    
 Attorney's Office, and according to Mr. Salemi, HB 333 will enable            
 him to hold costs down and help in recruiting public defenders.               
                                                                               
 Number 278                                                                    
                                                                               
 JOHN SALEMI, of the Public Defender Agency, stated HB 333 is a                
 housekeeping matter.  The Department of Law already has, by                   
 statute, the opportunity to hire recent law school graduates who              
 are not yet members of the Alaska Bar Association.  The statute was           
 passed before either the Office of Public Advocacy or the Public              
 Defender Agency was in existence.  Including those two offices in             
 statute will expand the pool of available applicants for public               
 defender and OPA staff attorney positions.  That will enable both             
 offices to recruit qualified individuals especially for positions             
 in rural or Bush offices as it is difficult to find an adequate               
 number of applicants to consider for those positions.  Expanding              
 the pool of applicants to include recent law school graduates will            
 help to keep costs down.                                                      
                                                                               
 Number 325                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR GREEN moved HB 333 from committee with individual                     
 recommendations.  There being no objection, the motion carried.