03/21/2022 01:00 PM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 81                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act requiring  background investigations of village                                                                    
     public safety  officer applicants by the  Department of                                                                    
     Public Safety;  relating to  the village  public safety                                                                    
     officer program; and providing for an effective date."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:07:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop  asked the bill  sponsor to provide  a brief                                                                    
recap of the legislation.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DONNY  OLSON,  SPONSOR,  explained  that  the  bill                                                                    
pertained to implementing eight  of the nine recommendations                                                                    
made by the joint  legislative Village Public Safety Officer                                                                    
(VPSO) working group in a  2020 report. He detailed that the                                                                    
VPSO  program  was  created  in   the  1970s  and  had  been                                                                    
successful  throughout the  state; however,  there had  been                                                                    
difficulty with  recruitment and  retention in  recent years                                                                    
as highlighted in  the report. The bill worked  to build the                                                                    
program back up. He asked his staff to come to the table.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
BRIX HAHN, STAFF, SENATOR DONNY OLSON, introduced herself.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Olson MOVED  to ADOPT  Amendment 1,  32-LS0362\I.17                                                                    
(Radford, 3/21/22) (copy on file):                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 2, following "Safety;":                                                                                       
     Insert 11relating to fish and game enforcement;"                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, following line 20:                                                                                                 
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
     "* Sec. 2. AS 16.05.150 is amended to read:                                                                                
     Sec.  16.05.150. Enforcement  authority. The  following                                                                    
     persons are peace officers of  the state and they shall                                                                    
     enforce this title except AS 16.51 and AS 16.52:                                                                           
     (1)  an employee  of the  department authorized  by the                                                                    
     commissioner;                                                                                                              
     (2) a police officer in the state;                                                                                         
     (3) a village public safety officer;                                                                                       
     (4)   [(3)]  any   other  person   authorized  by   the                                                                    
     commissioner."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 22, following "shall:                                                                                         
     Insert  "designate an  authority within  the department                                                                    
     to" 18                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Page 6, lines 7 - 9:                                                                                                       
     Delete all material and insert:                                                                                            
     "(i) A grant  recipient may charge up to  30 percent of                                                                    
     its federally  approved indirect  costs to  the village                                                                    
     public safety  officer program.  A grant  recipient may                                                                    
     submit indirect expenses that exceed  30 percent to the                                                                    
     commissioner  for approval  on an  individual basis.  A                                                                    
     grant  recipient may  use an  award  only for  purposes                                                                    
     related to village public safety officer activities."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 10, line 12, following "training":                                                                                    
     Insert";                                                                                                                   
     (iv) fish and wildlife enforcement training" 7                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Page 11, line 4, following "professional":                                                                                 
     Insert "approved by the department"                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 11, line 5, following "requirements":                                                                                 
     Insert  "approved   by  the  Alaska   Police  Standards                                                                    
     Council"                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Page 14, line 11:                                                                                                          
     Delete "sec. 4"                                                                                                            
     Insert "sec. 5"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 14, line 12:                                                                                                          
     Delete "sec. 4"                                                                                                            
     Insert "sec. 5"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 14, line 16:                                                                                                          
     Delete "sec. 3'                                                                                                            
     Insert "sec. 4"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 14, line 20:                                                                                                          
     Delete "sec. 3"                                                                                                            
     Insert "sec. 4"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 14, line 21:                                                                                                          
     Delete "2021"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Insert "2022"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 14, line 22:                                                                                                          
     Delete "sec. 7"                                                                                                            
     Insert "sec. 8"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Senator Olson  explained that Amendment 1  was a compilation                                                                    
of a number of amendments  suggested by members of the prior                                                                    
committee that  had heard the legislation.  He relayed there                                                                    
should  be an  individual  named Terry  Shanigan online  who                                                                    
could provide detail on the amendment.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman asked who the  person was and how they were                                                                    
involved with the bill.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Olson  relayed that  Mr.  Shanigan  was the  former                                                                    
chief of staff to Senator  Mike Shower. He detailed that Mr.                                                                    
Shanigan  had  a law  enforcement  background  and had  been                                                                    
instrumental  in   other  VPSO   bills.  Mr.   Shanigan  had                                                                    
spearheaded all of the amendments that had come forward.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop asked to hear  from the Department of Public                                                                    
Safety first.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:10:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KELLY  HOWELL,  LEGISLATIVE  LIAISON, DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC                                                                    
SAFETY, deferred to a colleague.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
JOE HARD,  DIRECTOR, VILLAGE PUBLIC SAFETY  OFFICER PROGRAM,                                                                    
DEPARTMENT    OF     PUBLIC    SAFETY,     ANCHORAGE    (via                                                                    
teleconference),  communicated that  he  found  most of  the                                                                    
amendments to be benign.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Olson  requested to  hear  the  explanation of  the                                                                    
amendment prior to hearing from the department.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:12:00 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:12:31 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SB  81  was   HEARD  and  HELD  in   committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:12:59 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:13:59 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED