03/26/1997 01:50 PM Senate JUD

             SB 112 MARRIAGE LICENSING FUNCTIONS                             
                                                                               
  DOUG WOOLIVER , Alaska Court System, explained SB 112 transfers the          
 marriage license record function from the Court System to the                 
 Bureau of Vital Statistics.  SB 112 is supported by both the Court            
 System and Bureau, who jointly wrote the bill and believe it would            
 be more efficient for the Bureau to manage marriage licenses.                 
 Under SB 112, in those locations where a Bureau of Vital Statistics           
 office exists (Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau), the issuance of             
 marriage licenses will be performed by employees of the Bureau.               
 In the other locations, court employees will continue to act as               
 local registrars for the Bureau and issue marriage licenses, as               
 they have always done.                                                        
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN TAYLOR  asked for an explanation of the proposed amendment.         
                                                                               
 MR. WOOLIVER  replied Section 4 was unintentionally added and would           
 be deleted by the proposed amendment.  He added SB 112 is part of             
 the Court System's plan to divest itself of the non-judicial                  
 functions that can be better performed by other agencies, for                 
 example, the coroner's office was moved to DHSS last year.                    
 Additionally, the Bureau of Vital Statistics moved some other                 
 recording functions to their Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks                 
 offices, but that change did not require legislation.  SB 112 will            
 complete one aspect of the vital records shift.                               
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN TAYLOR  offered amendment #1 which reads as follows:                
                                                                               
  Page 3, lines 1-11:                                                          
   Delete all material.                                                        
                                                                               
  Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                            
                                                                               
 He explained the amendment would still require District Court                 
 judges and magistrates to record birth, death, and marriage                   
 certificates.  There was no objection to amendment #1, therefore it           
 was adopted.                                                                  
                                                                               
  SENATOR MILLER  noted he was not aware that marriage commissioners           
 had the power to issue marriage licenses.   MR. WOOLIVER  stated only         
 the Court can issue the license.   SENATOR MILLER  asked why Section          
 5 deletes the language "issue marriage licenses and."   MR. WOOLIVER          
 explained that language is being deleted because marriage                     
 commissioners have not issued marriage licenses for years.                    
                                                                               
  SENATOR MILLER  moved SB 112 out of committee with individual                
 recommendations.  There being no objection, the motion carried.