05/16/2025 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

           SB  62-BOARD OF PAROLE: MEMBERSHIP, REPORT                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:56:13 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  BJORKMAN   reconvened  the   meeting  and   announced  the                                                               
consideration of  SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR  SENATE BILL NO.  62 "An                                                               
Act  relating  to the  board  of  parole;  and providing  for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:56:37 PM                                                                                                                    
LOUIE   FLORA,   Staff,   Senator  Loki   Tobin,   Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided a brief summary of SB 62:                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     SB  62 will  create  a Board  of  Parole equipped  with                                                                    
     expertise in  a wide spectrum of  the criminal justice,                                                                    
     corrections,  reentry,  mental   health  and  substance                                                                    
     abuse fields.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:56:58 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. FLORA continued with the summary for SB 62:                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     This   will  inform   parole   decisions   in  a   new,                                                                    
     potentially  more  holistic  way.  It  also  will  help                                                                    
     broaden  the public  understanding of  parole decisions                                                                    
     by requiring an annual report.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     The  Legislative audit  identified  that  the Board  of                                                                    
     Parole  has maintained  extra staff  positions provided                                                                    
     under the  2016 criminal justice  reform act SB  91- so                                                                    
     the cost  of adding two  new board members is  net zero                                                                    
     if  the  additional  staff costs  are  transferred.  (I                                                                    
     rambled off script for a few sentences after this)                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
             • SB 62 also expands the expertise of the                                                                          
               Parole  Board,  designating   a  seat  for  a                                                                    
               person with Drug and  Alcohol counseling   80                                                                    
               percent  of  our  inmates   have  a  drug  or                                                                    
               alcohol addiction issues.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
             • It designates a seat for an Alaska Native                                                                        
               Tribal   member       40   percent   of   the                                                                    
               incarcerated population are Alaska Natives.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
             • It designates a seat for a professional                                                                          
               physician, psychologist  or psychiatrist with                                                                    
               mental health expertise and                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
             • It designates a seat for a crime victim,                                                                         
               family member  of a crime victim  or a member                                                                    
               of victim's rights organization                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
             • Intent is create a board of parole with                                                                          
               relevant   expertise  in   addition  to   the                                                                    
               correctional  expertise   already  found  the                                                                    
               parole  board and  that  this  board will  do                                                                    
               more    to    support   affirmative    parole                                                                    
               decisions, with greater transparency.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:59:18 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited a motion.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:59:21 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MERRICK moved to adopt the committee substitute (CS) for                                                                
SB 62, work order 34-LS0227\H, as the working document.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:59:32 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:59:48 PM                                                                                                                    
KONRAD  JACKSON,  Staff,  Senator Jesse  Bjorkman,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska, presented  summary of  changes from                                                               
version N to version H for SB 62 and read the following:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                       Summary of Changes                                                                                     
       CS for Sponsor Substitute for Senate Bill 62 (L&C)                                                                     
               Version 34-LS0227\N to 34-LS0227-H                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Sections 1: Delete all material.                                                                                         
                 Renumber remaining sections accordingly.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
          Section 2:Inserts new Section 2, Amending AS                                                                        
                 33.16.020(c) by adding a limit of service                                                                      
                 as presiding officer to one term.                                                                              
      Section 3: Amends AS 33.16.030(b) (1) to require the                                                                    
                 physician, psychologist or                                                                                     
                 psychiatrist board member have experience                                                                      
                 treating drug or alcohol                                                                                       
                 addiction.                                                                                                     
                 Deletes AS 33.16.030(b) (3).                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
        Section 6: Amends AS 33.16.080 Establishing the                                                                       
     Commissioner shall hire the executive                                                                                      
      director and for administrative purposes, be located                                                                      
     in the of the Commissioner.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                 Renumber remaining sections accordingly.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:01:25 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN  expressed his personal comments  on the committee                                                               
substitute (CS),  he collaborated with  the bill sponsor  and the                                                               
Department of Corrections  to ensure SB 62  has full departmental                                                               
support,  improves  Board  of Parole  efficiency,  and  clarifies                                                               
board  decisions.  He  said   key  discussions  include  defining                                                               
qualifications  for  a  victim-of-a-crime  board  member  without                                                               
overly limiting  candidates, considering an ex-officio  member to                                                               
represent   victims'   interests,    and   potentially   limiting                                                               
consecutive terms for board officers.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:04:06 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:04:14 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN found no further objection and CSSB 62 was                                                                       
adopted as the working document.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:04:36 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN held SB 62 in committee.