02/18/2025 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

             SB  31-ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:30:55 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced the consideration  of 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."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:31:13 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI solicited a motion.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:31:21 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON moved  to  adopt  the committee  substitute                                                               
(CS) for SB 31, work order 34-LS0306\N, as the working document.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:31:34 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:31:45 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  JESSE  KIEHL,  District  B,  Alaska  State  Legislature,                                                               
Juneau, Alaska, as  sponsor of SB 31 he explained  the summary of                                                               
changes as follows:                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     The  committee  substitute  before  the  State  Affairs                                                                    
     Committee  makes  just  one  change.  It  tightens  the                                                                    
     title.  It removes  the broad  phrase  relating to  the                                                                    
     duties  of the  Department  of  Administration. And  in                                                                    
     that  way, it  gets much  more specific  to the  actual                                                                    
     contents  of  the  bill,  the  address  confidentiality                                                                    
     program, and its effective date.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:32:38 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI removed his objection.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:32:45 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  KAWASAKI  found  no  further objection  and  CSSB  31  was                                                               
adopted as the working document.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:33:10 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on SB 31.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:33:28 PM                                                                                                                    
LAUREE  MORTON,  Deputy  Director,  Alaska  Network  on  Domestic                                                               
Violence  and  Sexual  Assault,   Juneau,  Alaska,  testified  in                                                               
support of SB 31 as follows:                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Most address  confidentiality programs are one  tool in                                                                    
     part  of  a  larger safety  plan.  Violence  frequently                                                                    
     escalates when people who choose  to cause harm believe                                                                    
     they are losing control of  the victim. One of the most                                                                    
     dangerous  times for  victims is  when they  attempt to                                                                    
     leave.  If  victims  are successful  in  escaping,  the                                                                    
     person causing harm will usually  focus their energy on                                                                    
     finding  the  victim;  often searching  public  records                                                                    
     including  voter  registration   and  driver's  license                                                                    
     rolls.   The  address   confidentiality  program   will                                                                    
     provide enhanced safety options for survivors.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Will the  program be used  frequently? I think  it will                                                                    
     be  used   occasionally  when  the   circumstances  are                                                                    
     extreme, the danger real, and  secrecy is critical to a                                                                    
     victim's  survival. It  isn't  a safety  measure to  be                                                                    
     taken  lightlyall  first-class  mail  delivery will  be                                                                    
     delayed which of course is  never optimal, but in these                                                                    
     cases  necessary.  Safety  planning  will  explore  the                                                                    
     necessity of subscribing to the  program and afford the                                                                    
     victim an  opportunity to  balance the  potential gains                                                                    
     in participating, against any detriments.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     We appreciate  the ability given  to the  department to                                                                    
     set  standards in  addition to  protective orders  when                                                                    
     making  enrollment  decisions.   There  are  times  and                                                                    
     situations where protective orders  are not in the best                                                                    
     interest of the victim,  when lethality is particularly                                                                    
     high and  providing information through  the protective                                                                    
     order  is  considered  placing the  victim  at  greater                                                                    
     risk.  In   such  situations  it  will   be  even  more                                                                    
     beneficial  to  allow  the  victim  to  enroll  in  the                                                                    
     address confidentiality program.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     One life  lost to  domestic violence  is one  too many.                                                                    
     For   survivors  who   are   in   danger,  an   address                                                                    
     confidentiality program could be lifesaving.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:36:09 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI closed public testimony on SB 31.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:37:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI solicited the will of the committee.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:37:09 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BJORKMAN moved to report CSSB 31, work order 34-                                                                        
LS0306\N, from committee with individual recommendations and                                                                    
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:37:29 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI found no objection and CSSB 31(STA) was reported                                                                 
from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.