Legislature(2015 - 2016)BUTROVICH 205
02/12/2015 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Department of Administration | |
| SB36 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | SB 36 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 36-ELECTRONIC DISTRIB. OF REPORTS/NOTICES
10:13:18 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE called the committee back to order and announced
the consideration of SB 36.
10:13:37 AM
SENATOR CATHY GIESSEL, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of SB
36, related that SB 36 would save the state $500,000 a year and
it would also save local governments money. It costs Anchorage
$25,000 to publish their annual notice of foreclosures and from
$50,000 to $80,000 to publish notice documents. The bill would
allow municipalities and the state to use electronic noticing
for those publications.
She said the bill has been previously offered and the opposition
brought up the amount of money they would lose. She asked the
committee to consider the budget climate.
10:15:26 AM
JANE CONWAY, Staff, Senator Giessel, Alaska State Legislature,
provided an overview of SB 36 on behalf of the sponsor:
Section 1 grants municipalities the authority to pass
an ordinance that will allow electronic notice to
taxpayers on the municipality's public Internet
website instead of newspaper publication of the amount
of state aid a municipality receives and the millage
equivalent.
Section 2 allows a municipality to meet notice
requirements by posting its foreclosure list for
delinquent taxes on the municipality's public Internet
website.
Section 3 allows a municipality to electronically post
notice that the redemption period following
foreclosure will expire in 30 days on its public
Internet website.
Section 4 requires the lieutenant governor to include
certain reports of state agencies on the Alaska Online
Public Notice System.
Section 5 creates a new article requiring electronic
production and distribution of agency reports if the
agency has the technological capability to do so. It
requires that reports must be posted for one year or
until superseded. It creates exceptions where printing
is required by other law, agreement or when a printed
copy is requested. It allows electronic distribution
to fulfill any agency obligation to publish, prepare,
present, or submit a report. It clarifies that print
copies of reports may be requested from a library
distribution and data access center. It bars a state
agency from hiring a contractor to provide photographs
or graphics for a report, unless no agency employee to
perform the work is available, or the agency would use
fewer state resources by hiring a contractor. It
defines "report" and "state agency."
10:17:48 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE opened public testimony.
10:19:15 AM
ROBIN WARD, Acting Director, Real Estate Department,
Municipality of Anchorage, testified in support of SB 36. She
voiced appreciation for the provisions in the bill that would
allow all municipalities the option to publish foreclosure
notices on line in a local new publication. She said many more
property owners are accessing online notices. She pointed out
savings to the municipality from the passage of the bill. She
noted the cost gets passed down to the property owner.
10:21:24 AM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI pointed out that lower-income constituents
sometimes don't have computers or access to computers. He asked
what parts of town the printed notices were going to.
MS. WARD said it depends on who has the lowest bid for a local
newspaper distribution.
10:23:00 AM
LINDA THIBODEAU, Director, Division of Libraries, Archives, and
Museums, Department of Education and Early Development (DEED),
presented information related to SB 36. She said the state
library that is referenced in Sections 4 and 5 is in the
division. The bill works for the state library and mechanisms
are already in place to distribute notices to patrons
electronically or in print through inter-library loan.
CHAIR STOLTZE added that it is an access point for the public.
SENATOR COGHILL noted the cultural change to electronic
postings. He asked if there is a way of tracking the number of
viewers.
MS. THIBODEAU replied that they see a lot of access to online
state documents. She said she could get the percentages of
viewers.
SENATOR COGHILL addressed a concern with a new system of access.
10:25:10 AM
MS. THIBODEAU specified that Sections 1 - 3 of the bill do not
related to the state library; only Sections 4 and 5 do.
CHAIR STOLTZE speculated that the viewers are those looking at
others' property, not their own.
CHAIR STOLTZE questioned the fiscal note.
10:26:35 AM
CRAIG KAHKLEN, Policy Analyst, Office of Budget and Management,
Office of the Governor, answered questions related to SB 36. He
explained that the fiscal note shows a savings of $450,000 but
does not include one department's information, so the total is
closer to $500,000.
SENATOR COGHILL asked if information will be added to their
existing platform.
MR. KAHKLEN said the plan is to use the Lieutenant Governor's
electronic distribution system.
SENATOR COGHILL wondered if the information would be easy to
find.
10:28:33 AM
RUSTAN BURTON, Publisher, Juneau Empire, testified in opposition
to SB 36. He discussed the contrasting issues SB 36 provides for
the Juneau Empire; public notices and profit. He addressed
Section 4 that deals with administrative documents, which he
said he does not take issue with except for the definition of
"public." He said he does have concerns about posting
municipality legal notices online. He maintained that a website
would not be a good venue for those. He shared information about
legislation in other states that tried to deal with legal
notices, all of which failed. He maintained that the public has
a right to know what their government is doing and those notices
belong in newspapers. People do not access government websites
for information.
10:33:30 AM
MR. BURTON addressed data from New Jersey that showed posting
notices online would not save money and does not provide third-
party oversight. He concluded that lack of public access is the
most important reason to not publish public notices online.
Newspapers are good at mass media.
10:37:22 AM
SENATOR COGHILL commented that newspapers are becoming more
electronic. He asked about the notification process for online
public notices and if they would be easy to access.
MR. BURTON answered that depends on available resources. He said
very few people spend much time on those pages; print is easier
to browse for notices. He stressed that print is not dying.
10:40:01 AM
KATHIE WASSERMAN, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League,
testified in support of SB 36. She noted the bill provides
choices for notification for municipalities. She maintained that
newspapers need to react to concerns of their residents.
CHAIR STOLTZE left public testimony open and held SB 36 in
committee.