03/07/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

             SB 12-ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:17:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that the next  order of business would be CS                                                               
FOR SENATE  BILL NO. 12(JUD), "An  Act relating to the  duties of                                                               
the   Department   of   Administration;   creating   an   address                                                               
confidentiality program; and providing for an effective date."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:17:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT   moved  to   adopt  the   proposed  House                                                               
Committee Substitute (HCS) for CSSB 12(JUD), Version 33-                                                                        
LS0162\H,  C.  Radford,  3/6/24 ("Version  H"),  as  the  working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:18:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:18:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BUDDY  WHITT, Staff,  Representative  Laddie  Shaw, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  described an  unintended  issue brought  up by  the                                                               
bill sponsor.   He  explained that  if the bill  were to  pass as                                                               
currently written, registered sex  offenders and child kidnappers                                                               
may  apply for  the address  confidentiality program.   He  noted                                                               
that the  Department of  Public Safety  said the  applications by                                                               
sex offenders  and child kidnappers  would be accepted  and their                                                               
process would not change.  He  said that a court case could occur                                                               
as a result.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WHITT  explained  that  the   proposed  CS  would  make  one                                                               
substantive change  on page 2,  line 27  through page 3,  line 8,                                                               
adding language that specifies that  individuals who are required                                                               
to register  as sex  offenders or child  kidnappers would  not be                                                               
eligible  for the  address confidentiality  program.   The  other                                                               
change would  be to move the  effective date to January  1, 2025.                                                               
Amendments can  be discussed and  debated at the next  meeting to                                                               
decide whether to  include protection for sex  offenders are also                                                               
victims of domestic  violence and may need access  to the address                                                               
confidentiality program.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:22:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR JESSE  KIEHL, Alaska State Legislature,  as prime sponsor                                                               
of CSSB 12(JUD),  thanked the chair and his  staff for addressing                                                               
the  unintended loophole  that the  Department  of Public  Safety                                                               
brought to his attention.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:23:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK asked  why the  effective date  was moved                                                               
out an extra year.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:23:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL stated  that the old effective date  was January 1,                                                               
2024.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:23:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK  asked  why  the effective  date  is  not                                                               
immediate.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL   explained  the  department  may   need  time  to                                                               
implement the program.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:24:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER asked  how the  address confidentiality                                                               
program  is  different from  a  mail  forwarding service  already                                                               
available.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL explained that cost is  a factor for people who are                                                               
experiencing  violence and  mail  forwarding is  expensive.   The                                                               
address confidentiality  program through the bill  would incur no                                                               
cost to the victim.   The bill would provide full confidentiality                                                               
for physical addresses.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:25:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW  removed  his  objection.   There  being  no  further                                                               
objection,  Version  H was  before  the  committee as  a  working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that CSSB 12(JUD) was held over.