02/26/2009 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HB 63     "An Act relating to the Council on Domestic                                                                           
          Violence and Sexual Assault."                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
          CSHB 63 (FIN) was REPORTED OUT of Committee with a                                                                    
          "do pass" recommendation and a new zero fiscal                                                                        
          note from the Department of Health and Social                                                                         
          Services and two previously published fiscal                                                                          
          notes: FN1 (DOC), FN2 (DPS).                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:11:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 63                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the Council on Domestic Violence                                                                       
and Sexual Assault."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Fairclough introduced  herself as the  former                                                                   
Executive  Director of  Standing Together  Against Rape.  She                                                                   
expressed her passion  to help those who often  can not speak                                                                   
for themselves.  Alaska has  the dishonorable distinction  of                                                                   
being number  one in the  nation for sexual violence  against                                                                   
women for 28  out of the last 30 years.  Ninety-eight percent                                                                   
of  the  victims  are  women;  ninety-eight  percent  of  the                                                                   
perpetrators  are  men.  Last   year's  rape  statistics  for                                                                   
Anchorage  moved  from number  nine  to  number four  in  the                                                                   
nation. The Council for Domestic  Violence and Sexual Assault                                                                   
deals  with  domestic  violence, sexual  assault,  and  child                                                                   
abuse  in Alaska.  In  2007, the  legislature  formed a  task                                                                   
force  with recommendations  to  oversee  the Council.  House                                                                   
Bill 63 does not implement every  recommendation because some                                                                   
recommendations required a large  fiscal note. Representative                                                                   
Fairclough  signified  that  HB  63  changes  the  number  of                                                                   
council  members from  seven to nine,  adding one  additional                                                                   
public member and one from the Department of Corrections.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:14:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Fairclough explained  that one public  member                                                                   
must be  from a rural  community. House  Bill 63  changes the                                                                   
public member's term  of office from two to  three years. The                                                                   
bill also changes  language from "shall" to  "may" in regards                                                                   
to the  Governor's consultation  with  the Alaska Network  on                                                                   
Domestic  Violence   and  Sexual  Assault  (ANDVSA)   in  the                                                                   
appointment of a public member  to the Council. House Bill 63                                                                   
also  clarifies  that public  members  may  not be  State  of                                                                   
Alaska employees.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:17:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough  continued that HB 63  modifies the                                                                   
requirements for  a quorum from  four to five  members. Staff                                                                   
positions are also changed to non-exempt.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:17:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Austerman requested  clarification that of the                                                                   
nine council members, four would  be public and five would be                                                                   
government employees.  Representative Fairclough  agreed that                                                                   
was  correct. Representative  Austerman  asked  why the  bill                                                                   
sets  up  fewer  public members  and  more  state  employees.                                                                   
Representative  Fairclough responded  that  it maintains  the                                                                   
current balance.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:19:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Thomas quoted  that the written  definition  of a                                                                   
rural area  contains the language  "not connected by  road or                                                                   
rail  to Anchorage  or Fairbanks"  (page 2,  line 17-19).  He                                                                   
observed that Haines  and Skagway are connected  by road, but                                                                   
pass through  a foreign country.  He wanted to know  how this                                                                   
was  being  addressed in  the  definition  of a  rural  area.                                                                   
Representative  Fairclough responded  that legislative  legal                                                                   
gave the rural definition specific  to this bill to ensure no                                                                   
community is  left out of serving  as a public member  of the                                                                   
council.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:21:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  mentioned that,  in addition to  Haines and                                                                   
Skagway, the small community of Hyder is connected by road.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:21:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Salmon cited two  meetings where  he received                                                                   
information on alcohol  and drug abuse in the  communities of                                                                   
Alaska  which  gave  him  a new  awareness  and  belief  that                                                                   
domestic violence  is an acute problem in the  state and this                                                                   
bill  moves in  the right  direction. He  stressed that  more                                                                   
information  and   funding  on  this  subject   needs  to  be                                                                   
delivered to the  villages. He remarked that  another problem                                                                   
is  the  small  number  of state  troopers  assigned  to  the                                                                   
villages.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:25:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze agreed  that it  is very  positive to  have                                                                   
members  from  the  Department   of  Public  Safety  and  the                                                                   
Department of Corrections on this council.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough encouraged support for HB 63.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze closed public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:26:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #1, 26-                                                                      
LS0138\C.1, Bullard:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 8, following "the"                                                                                            
          Insert "Alaska"                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 17:                                                                                                           
          Delete "5,500"                                                                                                        
          Insert "7,500"                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 19:                                                                                                           
          Delete "1,500"                                                                                                        
          Insert "3,500"                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Fairclough reported  that inserting  "Alaska"                                                                   
before  "Network"  would  match   the  actual  title  of  the                                                                   
network.  The  population  threshold for  a  rural  community                                                                   
would rise from  5,500 to 7,500; small  communities connected                                                                   
by roads would  have the population base moved  from 1,500 to                                                                   
3,500.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  WITHDREW  his OBJECTION.  There  being  NO                                                                   
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:27:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  referred to the zero fiscal  notes from the                                                                   
Department of  Health and Social Services and  the Department                                                                   
of Public Safety.  The Department of Corrections  fiscal note                                                                   
for $7,900 reflected  travel costs for new members  to attend                                                                   
four meetings  per year. Representative Fairclough  announced                                                                   
she checked the  Department of Correction's travel  budget to                                                                   
confirm  this  amount  was  not  being  duplicated.  Co-Chair                                                                   
Stoltze mentioned this amount was below minimum.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:29:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough  MOVED to report CSHB  63 (FIN) out                                                                   
of  Committee   with  individual   recommendations   and  the                                                                   
accompanying fiscal  notes. There  being NO OBJECTION  it was                                                                   
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 63 (FIN) was REPORTED OUT  of Committee with a "do pass"                                                                   
recommendation   and  a  new   zero  fiscal  note   from  the                                                                   
Department of Health and Social  Services and two  previously                                                                   
published fiscal notes: FN1 (DOC), FN2 (DPS).