04/11/2016 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

          SB 24-LEGIS. ETHICS ACT: CONTRACTORS,INTERNS                                                                      
                                                                                                                              
2:08:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LEDOUX announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
CS  FOR  SENATE  BILL  NO.  24(JUD),  "An  Act  relating  to  the                                                               
applicability  of  the  Legislative  Ethics  Act  to  legislative                                                               
interns,   legislative   volunteers,   legislative   consultants,                                                               
legislative  independent contractors,  sole proprietorships,  and                                                               
other legal entities."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:08:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BERTA GARDNER, Senator, Alaska State Legislature, advised that                                                                  
Joyce  Henderson,  outgoing   administrator  of  the  Legislative                                                               
Ethics   Committee,   realized    legislative   contractors   and                                                               
consultants  are subject  to Alaska's  entire legislative  ethics                                                               
statute.   Senator Gardner explained that  the Legislative Ethics                                                               
Committee  has never  enforced the  provision, largely,  and they                                                               
lack  the resources  to  do so.    She pointed  out  there is  no                                                               
benefit  to the  state in  requiring legislative  contractors and                                                               
consultants to  participate in the state's  ethics training, such                                                               
as discussing  how legislators can  spend their  office accounts,                                                               
what the  legislators are limited  to do with  their newsletters,                                                               
and things  of that sort.   She  used the example  of LexisNexis,                                                               
and  said that  the legislature  should not  pay the  people that                                                               
write the state's  statute books to do  this mandated legislative                                                               
ethics  training.   Therefore, a  subcommittee went  through [the                                                               
statute]  piece-by-piece and  proposed the  provisions within  SB
, she said.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:10:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JERRY  ANDERSON, Administrator,  Select Committee  on Legislative                                                               
Ethics,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  said he  was  available  to                                                               
answer questions.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  LEDOUX  asked  whether  this bill  is  necessary  and  his                                                               
thoughts on this legislation.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. ANDERSON  responded that  this bill is  the product  of hours                                                               
and  hours  of  work  from   the  Legislative  Ethics  Committee,                                                               
including  the  public  members of  the  committee  working  with                                                               
Senator  Gardner's  office.    In   general,  he  commented,  the                                                               
committee is supportive of this legislation.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LEDOUX opened public testimony.   After ascertaining no one                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:11:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER advised that he  intends to review the bill                                                               
further to determine  whether adjustments need to be  made on the                                                               
floor of the House of Representatives.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:12:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER  moved  to  report CSSB  24,  Version  29-                                                               
LS0148\E, out  of committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
the accompanying  fiscal notes.   There being no  objection, CSSB
(JUD) moved from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.