05/02/2004 12:04 PM Senate FIN

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 284(STA)                                                                                            
     "An Act  relating to an optional  election to prevent  the name                                                            
     and address  of a permanent fund dividend applicant  from being                                                            
     disclosed,  except  to a local,  state,  or federal  government                                                            
     agency, or in compliance with a court order."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This was  the second  hearing for  this bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken  stated that  this  legislation would  require  the                                                            
Alaska  Permanent Fund  Corporation  (APFC) to  keep Permanent  Fund                                                            
Dividend (PFD)  applicant application  information private  with the                                                            
exception  being in  cases  where information  was  required by  the                                                            
State or federal  government. He reminded the Committee  that during                                                            
the first hearing  on this bill, Co-Chair Green had  asked regarding                                                            
the confidentially of voter registration information.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SFC 04 # 103, Side B 12:52 PM                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Green moved  to  adopt committee  substitute,  CS SB  284,                                                            
Version 23-LS1596\U as the working document.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
There being  no objection,  Version "U" was  ADOPTED as the  working                                                            
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRETCHEN GUESS,  the bill's sponsor, explained that with the                                                            
exception   of  an  applicant's  name,   additional  PFD   applicant                                                            
information  must be kept  confidential. The  Version "U"  committee                                                            
substitute,   she  explained,   would  expand   the  confidentially                                                             
requirement  to include  voter  registration information  and  would                                                            
allow a  voter to  request that  their residential  address be  kept                                                            
private and not open to  public inspection were the voter to provide                                                            
a separate mailing address.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator Bunde  asked for  verification that  language in Section  1,                                                            
subsection  (b)(2) on  page two,  lines  six and  seven, "would  not                                                            
impede"  the Division  of  Elections'  requirement  that a  person's                                                            
voter  registration  include  their residential  address  when  they                                                            
have, for  instance, a  post office mailing  address. The  residency                                                            
information,  he continued, is necessary  to uphold the requirement                                                             
that a person must vote in the precinct in which they reside.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Guess  responded that this legislation would  not affect the                                                            
Division  of Elections  ability  to do  its  job, as  it would  only                                                            
restrict information  that would be  open to the public.  She stated                                                            
that language  in Section  1 subsection (c)(1)  addresses the  issue                                                            
regarding local,  state, or federal government agencies'  ability to                                                            
access needed information.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Amendment  #1:  This  amendment  deletes   language  in  Section  1,                                                            
subsection (b)(1) on page  two, lines four and five that would allow                                                            
a voter's name  to kept confidential were they a victim  of domestic                                                            
violence.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green moved to adopt Amendment #1.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green stated that  this amendment is being offered in order                                                            
to allow  the  Division of  Elections  voter registration  lists  to                                                            
contain the  names of all  persons registered  to vote. Continuing,                                                             
she  pointed out  that  domestic violence  victim's  security  would                                                            
continue  to  be  maintained  without  this   language  as  separate                                                            
language  in Section 1, Subsection  (b)(2)  would allow a person  to                                                            
elect  to   have  their  residential   address  kept  confidential.                                                             
Therefore,  she continued,  this  amendment  would  serve to  remove                                                            
unnecessary language from the bill.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, Amendment #1 was ADOPTED.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken asked whether  this legislation  would comply  with                                                            
federal laws.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Guess responded in the affirmative.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator Dyson moved to report the bill, as amended, from Committee                                                              
with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal note.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, CS SB 284 (FIN) was REPORTED from                                                                     
Committee with a new zero fiscal note from the Department of                                                                    
Revenue, dated April 30, 2004.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
RECESS TO THE CALL OF THE CHAIR 1:00 PM / 3:07 PM