03/01/2023 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

                   SB  80-2023 REVISOR'S BILL                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:31:05 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN  announced the consideration  of SENATE BILL  NO. 80                                                               
"An Act  making corrective amendments  to the Alaska  Statutes as                                                               
recommended  by the  revisor of  statutes; and  providing for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:31:30 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, District  G, Alaska State Legislature,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska,  sponsor  of  SB  80,  paraphrased  the  sponsor                                                               
statement.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                       Sponsor Statement                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Senate  Bill  80  2023  Revisor's   Bill  This  is  the                                                                    
     revisor's  bill,  which  the  revisor  is  required  by                                                                    
     statute  to  prepare  and  submit  to  the  Legislative                                                                    
     Council (AS 01.05.036). Its purpose  is to clean up the                                                                    
     statutes,  without  making  any  policy  changes.  Some                                                                    
     sections  amend provisions  that  have become  obsolete                                                                    
     due to other legislative  action. Some sections correct                                                                    
     drafting errors or  oversights in previous legislation.                                                                    
     Most  of  the  errors   corrected  in  this  bill  were                                                                    
     discovered by  legislative drafters  or the  revisor in                                                                    
     reviewing  the statutes.  Some were  discovered by  the                                                                    
     Department  of  Law  or  others   and  brought  to  the                                                                    
     revisor's  attention. This  bill  was  reviewed by  the                                                                    
     relevant  agencies in  the executive  branch before  it                                                                    
     was introduced.  The Department  of Law  has identified                                                                    
     no  legal  issues  with the  bill  and  supports  these                                                                    
     proposed amendments  to the Alaska Statutes.  The draft                                                                    
     legislation   was   reviewed   and  approved   by   the                                                                    
     Legislative   Council  on   February   21,  2023,   and                                                                    
     forwarded   to   the   Senate   Rules   Committee   for                                                                    
         introduction. I urge your support of the 2023                                                                          
     Revisor's Bill.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON  stated that  Ms.  Kurtz  was available  to                                                               
answer questions related to SB 80.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:34:23 PM                                                                                                                    
KATHRYN  KURTZ,  Assistant  Revisor,  Legislative  Legal,  Alaska                                                               
State Legislature Juneau, Alaska,  stated that the revisor's bill                                                               
provides  an important  tool for  maintaining Alaska  statutes in                                                               
good order. The revisor of  statutes can clean up issues, through                                                               
the  authority outline  in AS  01.05.031. Powers  are limited  to                                                               
editing  and  revising  without   altering  the  meaning  of  the                                                               
legislation. The  revisor's bill is presented  under AS 01.05.036                                                               
providing  the  opportunity  to  address  technical  issues.  The                                                               
changes included  in SB 80  move through the  legislative process                                                               
allowing  constituents  to  participate  in the  review.  In  the                                                               
spirit  of  time  management,  she  did  not  plan  to  read  the                                                               
sectional   analysis,  but   she   welcomed  committee   members'                                                               
questions.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:36:10 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR CLAMAN spoke about the benefits of the revisor's bill.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL  asked  why  Section 2  takes  effect  later  than                                                               
Section  1  when  both  sections  change   alcohol  to  alcoholic                                                               
beverages.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. KURTZ responded  that the section was amended  in the alcohol                                                               
bill  that passed  last  year. Much  of the  bill  does not  take                                                               
effect  until 2024.  The  revision must  occur  now for  language                                                               
taking effect January 1, 2024.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:37:06 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   CLAMAN  opened   public   testimony  on   SB  80.   After                                                               
ascertaining  that  no  one  in  the room  or  online  wished  to                                                               
testify, he closed public testimony.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GIESSEL expressed  appreciation for  the revisor's  bill                                                               
and the careful nature of the work.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KAUFMAN remarked  that he  regretted the  elimination of                                                               
magnetic tape.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS.  KURTZ replied  that  magnetic tape  was  deemed an  obsolete                                                               
format.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON thanked her staff and Ms. Kurtz for the                                                                    
help.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN held SB 80 in committee.