Legislature(2025 - 2026)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/28/2025 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SJR7 | |
| SB31 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SJR 7 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 31 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 31-ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM
3:53:47 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SB 31 SENATE BILL NO. 31 "An Act relating to
the duties of the Department of Administration; creating an
address confidentiality program; and providing for an effective
date."
3:54:04 PM
SENATOR JESSE KIEHL, District B, Alaska State Legislature,
Juneau, Alaska, summarized SB 31 as the sponsor of the bill
explained SB 31 establishes an address protection program within
the Department of Administration. SB 31 was inspired by a story
of a domestic violence survivor who, despite taking all
necessary precautions, nearly encountered her abuser at a post
office. He stated SB 31 aims to help survivors, as well as
public safety professionals, by offering a confidential mail
forwarding service through a state-issued post office box.
Unlike similar programs, this bill also allows peace officers
and correctional officers to participate for their safety. He
said the program ensures privacy, allowing individuals to
rebuild their lives without fear of being tracked.
3:58:35 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON asked if the PO BOX service would have a
fee.
3:58:52 PM
SENATOR KIEHL responded no. SB 31 is designed so the department
cannot charge a fee. The State of Alaska would manage additional
mail through a designated post office box for the program. The
program administrator would forward the mail to the
participant's confidential address, thereby incurring no extra
cost to the participant.
3:59:37 PM
ELLA ADKISON, Staff, Senator Jesse Kiehl, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided the sectional analysis for
SB 31:
[Original punctuation provided.]
SB 31: Address Protection
Sectional Analysis
Sec.1:Puts the program in the Department of
Administration.
Sec.2:Creates the program.
(b) requires a Post Office Box as a substitute mailing
address for enrollees and instructs the department to
forward mail to participants. It charges the
department with protecting confidentiality and
requires regulations to govern enrollment and
withdrawal.
(c) describes eligible participants as people
sheltered by a protective order and their parents,
guardians, children, and household members. It also
admits peace officers and correctional officers.
(d) prevents registered sex offenders from enrolling
in the program.
(e) requires state and municipal agencies to accept
the P.O. Box.
(f) describes the eligibility period.
(g) prevents the department from charging a fee. (h)
allows access to confidential addresses subject to a
search warrant.
(i) establishes penalties for unlawfully revealing a
protected individual's address.
(j) defines certain terms.
Sec.3:Establishes a transition period for the
department to adopt regulations to implement the
program.
Sec.4:Lets the department begin its regulation process
immediately.
Sec. 5:Sets an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026 for the
rest of the bill.
4:00:53 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced invited testimony and opened public
testimony on SB 31.
4:01:17 PM
RANDY MCLELLAN, President, Alaska Correctional Officers
Association (ACOA), Anchorage, Alaska, testified by invitation
on SB 31. He stated correctional officers' work in dangerous
environments, dealing with aggressive offenders convicted of
serious crimes. They are the barrier between offenders and the
public, often facing threats to themselves, their families, and
property. He stated he personally experienced this after a
prisoner accessed his personal information and threatened his
family. SB 31 is crucial as correctional officers are frequently
called to testify in court, and their personal information is
often exposed during legal proceedings, putting them at risk.
4:04:00 PM
KEELEY OLSON, Executive Director, Standing Together Against Rape
(STAR), Anchorage, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB 31 as
follows:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Prior to working at STAR, I was a Victim Advocate with
a Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Washington State
and managed a Domestic Violence Shelter program in
Montana. Both states had Address Confidentiality
Programs, which were essential tools used by Victim
Advocates to assist someone with stalking or high
lethality risk to be safer. Combined with
comprehensive safety planning and an emergency
relocation plan, the Address Confidentiality Programs
helped save lives and helped survivors cope with the
constant fear of their address being compromised.
Address Confidentiality Programs are available in at
least forty states. The programs I have experience
with were accessible, easy to use, and inexpensive.
Out of curiosity, I contacted Montana's Program
Administrator to ask about their program. It began in
2006 with an initial startup cost of $50,000. Over the
last 17 years, the program cost Montana around $22,000
a year to operate, with 68 participants enrolled. Main
costs of the program were to pay a small portion of
the Program Administrator and her assistant's
salaries.
I applaud making the program accessible to law
enforcement. I have worked with those in law
enforcement who have placed their homes in a spouse or
family member's name to protect their addresses, so I
can appreciate the need for their inclusion in this
bill.
4:08:34 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN asked how the estimate of 60 pieces of mail per
year per enrollee in the program was determined.
4:08:56 PM
BRAD EWING, Director, Shared Services of Alaska, Department of
Administration (DOA), Juneau, Alaska, answered questions
regarding SB 31. He stated the DOA contacted several states
running similar programs, and based on feedback, we arrived at
the average amount of mail sent annually.
SENATOR BJORKMAN opined 60 felt high given what the bill sponsor
described. He asked if it is for a range 23 program manager to
oversee just one employee.
MR. EWING replied the program is unique in the Division of
Shared Services of Alaska. The division has a central mail
program with five carriers, but this is a separate initiative.
He stated that based on talks with other states, for example
Arizona, one range 22 program manager and an administrative
assistant would be the right setup for a program of this size in
Alaska. Normally, our supervisors have more than one direct
report.
SENATOR BJORKMAN asked how the Division might implement the
program efficiently given the current fiscal constraints of the
state. He said he's open to funding the necessary positions to
support this essential service but is curious about the assigned
salary ranges and the inclusion of annual travel to conferences
and other items in the fiscal note.
4:11:45 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI shared some concerns about the fiscal note and
knows the finance committee will take a close look at it. He said
Arizona has a population of about 7.5 million, roughly 10 times
the population of Alaska and doubts Arizona spends $4 million on
its program. He opined that the cost seems high.
4:12:21 PM
MR. EWING replied he would work with the bill's sponsor to be as
financially efficient as possible.
4:13:02 PM
ED MARTIN, representing self, Kenai, Alaska, testified with
concerns on SB 31. He stated SB 31 is a good bill and could
really help people but wondered the effectiveness considered the
amount of information available online. He stated anyone can
google an address. The program might not fully protect people if
it cannot limit what is already public on search engines.
4:15:10 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI stated he has more questions about the fiscal
note but will hold off and let the finance committee work
through the fiscal note.
4:15:24 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI noted that the Division of Elections keeps a list
of where people live to determine their voting districts. It
also has mailing addresses, which can differ from physical ones.
He stated that while it releases data regularly, residential
addresses are not released when a box to keep private is
checked. He commented that the effort to check a keep private
box shouldn't cost as much as the fiscal note suggests. He
opined that managing a list like this through the department
should have some cost, but it shouldn't be overly expensive.
4:16:16 PM
SENATOR KIEHL stated that although many states place address
confidentiality programs within the Division of Elections; after
working with the executive branch, it was decided Alaska's
program should be in the Department of Administration due to its
centralized mail system. The Division of Elections expressed
concerns about managing the program. He stated that where it's
housed isn't as important as getting the service to Alaskans.
Election officials and clerks already follow confidentiality
rules for voters who check the privacy box, and those rules
would still apply for participants using the protected address.
Regarding online privacy, he said no program can erase someone
from the internet. He said SB 31 helps those restarting their
lives or in public safety careers by giving them a safe address
to use in records, reducing their exposure online.
4:19:38 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI kept public testimony open for SB 31.
4:20:22 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI held SB 31 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 31 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SB 31 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SB 31 Fiscal note DPS.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SB 31 Fiscal note DOA2.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SB 31 Fiscal note DOA.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SB 31 Fiscal note DPS2 (1).pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| CS SJR 7 N.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 7 |
| SJR 7 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 7 |
| SB0031A.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SJR 7 fiscal note.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 7 |
| 2025-01-27 ACOA Letter in Support of SB 31.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |
| SB 31 LOS Address Confidentiality Program 1.25.pdf |
SSTA 1/28/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 31 |