05/11/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

         SB 119-STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR PRISONERS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:08:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 119, "An  Act relating to  state identifications                                                               
and  driver's  licenses  for  persons   in  the  custody  of  the                                                               
Department  of  Corrections;  relating to  state  identifications                                                               
issued by the  Department of Corrections; relating  to the duties                                                               
of  the  commissioner  of  corrections;  relating  to  misconduct                                                               
involving   confidential    information;   relating    to   voter                                                               
identification; relating  to identification for  fishing permits;                                                               
relating to  identification for debtor financing  statements; and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:09:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAWSON   MANN,  Staff,   Senator  Robert   Myers,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, presented SB  119 on behalf of  Senator Myers, prime                                                               
sponsor.  He  paraphrased the sponsor statement  [included in the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Senate   Bill    119   provides   easier    access   to                                                                    
     identification  cards  for   reentrants  upon  release,                                                                    
     granting them  an important tool for  reintegration. SB
 grants the Department  of Corrections the statutory                                                                    
     authority to  issue state IDs  to anyone  leaving their                                                                    
     custody that does not have an ID in their possession.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Individuals are required to present  a valid form of ID                                                                    
     in  order to  gain new  employment, apply  for housing,                                                                    
     drive a  car, open a  bank account, travel,  purchase a                                                                    
     phone, apply  for Medicaid  or Social  Security, obtain                                                                    
     medication,  and register  to  vote.  The inability  to                                                                    
     find housing  or employment  or obtain  medications are                                                                    
     significant  factors  in whether  or  not  a person  is                                                                    
     likely  to  reoffend,  endangering  public  safety  and                                                                    
     costing  the state  more money  once they  are back  in                                                                    
     prison.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Reentry  is   an  essential  part  of   public  safety.                                                                    
     Ensuring   reentrants   are  supported   during   their                                                                    
     transitional period helps  improve community well-being                                                                    
     and  public  safety.  By providing  reentrants  with  a                                                                    
     valid  form of  identification  upon  their release  we                                                                    
     also provide the individual with  an essential tool for                                                                    
     finding  housing,  employment,  and  medical  care  and                                                                    
     alleviate the risk of reoffending.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:11:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY,  prime sponsor of  the companion bill  to SB
,  offered  a  brief  explanation  of  the  legislation.    He                                                               
explained that  SB 119  would make  the identification  (ID) card                                                               
issued by the Department of Corrections (DOC) a valid state ID.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:12:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on SB 119.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:12:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DON  HABEGER, Coalition  Coordinator,  Juneau Reentry  Coalition,                                                               
testified  in support  of  SB 119.   He  shared  that the  Juneau                                                               
Reentry Coalition's mission  is to ensure that  barriers and gaps                                                               
to successful  reentry, such  as state  ID, are  dealt with.   He                                                               
shared  a  personal  anecdote to  illustrate  the  difficulty  of                                                               
reentry into society without proper  identification.  He believed                                                               
that  the  bill  was  needed  and  encouraged  its  passage  from                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:15:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL GARBY, Advocacy Director,  American Civil liberties Union                                                               
of Alaska,  testified in  support of  SB 119.   He  expressed the                                                               
opinion that those returning from  prison should be equipped with                                                               
a valid ID,  as this would be  a critical piece of  reentry.  Too                                                               
often, he said,  people have been released from  prison without a                                                               
sufficient ID,  and this  bars them  from securing  safe housing,                                                               
applying for  jobs, establishing a consistent  mailing address or                                                               
bank account, having a steady  phone number, accessing healthcare                                                               
outside  an emergency  setting,  or booking  air  travel back  to                                                               
their families or communities.   He described all of these things                                                               
as routine tasks that are taken  for granted.  He said this would                                                               
be in the best interest of  incarcerated people and of the safety                                                               
of  communities,  as  it would  guarantee  [those  released  from                                                               
prison]  would not  be ostracized.    He expressed  encouragement                                                               
that SB 119 recognized this reality.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW,  after ascertaining  that there was  no one  else who                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony on SB 119.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:18:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  moved to  report SB  119 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection,  SB 119 was reported out of the                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:18:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY, in  closing,  shared her  belief that  the                                                               
bill  was a  respectful way  to help  transition people  into the                                                               
community.