03/29/2011 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

            SB  53-COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:02:04 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI  announced the  first order of  business would                                                               
be SB  53, a  bill to  reestablish the  Alaska Commission  on the                                                               
Status of Women.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BETTYE DAVIS, sponsor of  SB 53, said she appreciated the                                                               
committee hearing  the bill. There  is a fiscal note  because the                                                               
commission would need an executive  director and some staff. That                                                               
dollar  amount could  be worked  out in  Finance. Her  office has                                                               
received many calls  of support on this bill. She  noted that the                                                               
women's commission in Anchorage is still quite active.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:03:32 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL referred to a  March 2nd press release from Chair                                                               
Wielechowski's office  relating to  more effective  and efficient                                                               
state  government. That  press release  talked  about having  the                                                               
courage to make the hard decisions,  and said we need to look for                                                               
waste or  redundancy. She  said her staff  discovered there  is a                                                               
women's   commission  in   Anchorage,   and   25  other   women's                                                               
organizations  all  over the  state.  They  also discovered  that                                                               
Governor Knowles defunded  the commission in 1996.  She said that                                                               
it seemed redundant to reestablish the commission.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:05:29 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DAVIS responded it was  not Governor Knowles who defunded                                                               
the commission.  It was  merged into  another commission,  and it                                                               
was actually Governor Hickel who did that.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN wondered if there  might be greater efficiency in                                                               
having one commission to address women's issues statewide.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GIESSEL responded that these  other organizations are all                                                               
over  the state  and  they  are very  specific:  Alaska Women  in                                                               
Travel,   Alaska  Tradeswomen,   Fairbanks  Native   Association,                                                               
Federally Employed  Women, Women's  Fisheries Network,  and more.                                                               
These  are very  diverse groups  addressing specific  issues. She                                                               
said  government is  most effective  when  it is  closest to  the                                                               
people, and  she doesn't see  that a large state  organization is                                                               
needed. This is an expensive undertaking.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:07:48 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI  pointed out that  in 2009 women  still earned                                                               
only 66  percent of what  men earned.  Women are the  most common                                                               
victims  of  domestic abuse,  violence,  and  sexual assault.  He                                                               
appreciates  the concept  of a  smaller scale  but that  does not                                                               
seem to be working. It is important that the bill go forward.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MEYER asked  if the  committee had  received the  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI answered yes.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:08:46 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MEYER said  this was an issue for  the Finance Committee,                                                               
but it  looks like a  lot of money. He  said he did  not disagree                                                               
with Chair Wielechowski's comments.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PASKVAN  moved  to  report SB  53  from  committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced that  without objection, SB 53 moved                                                               
from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.