05/10/2024 09:00 AM House FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 104                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to appropriations to the civil legal                                                                      
     services fund."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:09:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster  asked for a  brief recap of the  bill. [The                                                                    
bill was previously heard on May 2, 2024.]                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FORREST  DUNBAR,  SPONSOR, relayed  that  the  bill                                                                    
increased funding from  10 percent to 25  percent of certain                                                                    
legal fees collected  by the Court System. The  funding  was                                                                    
collected  for the  Alaska Legal  Services  Fund to  provide                                                                    
free civil  legal services for  low-income Alaskans  and was                                                                    
the  number one  provider of  legal services  to victims  of                                                                    
domestic  violence in  the state.  He  listed the  available                                                                    
invited testifiers.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster asked for a review of the fiscal note.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
NICOLE THAM,  OPERATIONS MANAGER, DIVISION OF  COMMUNITY AND                                                                    
REGIONAL  AFFAIRS,  DEPARTMENT  OF COMMERCE,  COMMUNITY  AND                                                                    
ECONOMIC  DEVELOPMENT  (via  teleconference),  reviewed  the                                                                    
Department of  Commerce, Community and  Economic Development                                                                    
(DCCED)  fiscal impact  note (FN3  (CED) dated  February 16,                                                                    
2024.  She  reported  that the  fiscal  note  reflected  the                                                                    
increase from 10 percent to  25 percent, appropriated to the                                                                    
Alaska Legal Services Fund.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative Tomaszewski  asked where  the money  would go                                                                    
if it  was not  directed to the  civil legal  services fund.                                                                    
Senator Dunbar  believed the funds  would go to  the general                                                                    
fund and would  not be appropriated to the  Court System. He                                                                    
deferred to DCCED  for further answer. Ms.  Thams answer was                                                                    
inaudible, and the question was  repeated. He wondered where                                                                    
the extra 15 percent was  currently going. Ms. Tham deferred                                                                    
to the Court System for the answer.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josephson  recalled that the Nancy  Meade had                                                                    
previously testified that the funds  would go to the General                                                                    
Fund (GF).                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Coulombe asked  if the  financial statements                                                                    
for the fund were publicly available.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MAGGIE  HUMM,  EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR,  ALASKA  LEGAL  SERVICES                                                                    
CORPORATION,   (via   teleconference),    replied   in   the                                                                    
affirmative.                                                                                                                    
Representative  Coulombe asked  where they  could be  found.                                                                    
Ms. Humm answered  that as a non-profit  the corporation was                                                                    
required   to   make   its  financial   statement   publicly                                                                    
available. She was  uncertain if they were on  posted on the                                                                    
website and would respond in writing.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Senator Dunbar thanked the committee for hearing the bill.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Johnson  MOVED to  REPORT SB  104 out  of committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SB  104 was  REPORTED out  of committee  with six  "do pass"                                                                    
recommendations     and     five     "no     recommendation"                                                                    
recommendations and with  one new zero note  from the Alaska                                                                    
Judicial System  and one previously published  fiscal impact                                                                    
note: FN3 (CED).                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster thanked the sponsor.