Legislature(2001 - 2002)
03/22/2001 03:05 PM House HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 19-CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT/SOC SEC. # CHAIR DYSON announced that the committee would hear CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 19(HES), "An Act relating to federal child support enforcement requirements regarding social security number information, employer reports about employees, and certain kinds of automated data matching with financial institutions; repealing the termination date of changes made by ch. 87, SLA 1997, and ch. 132, SLA 1998, regarding child support enforcement and related programs; repealing the nonseverability provision of ch. 132, SLA 1998; repealing uncodified laws relating to ch. 87, SLA 1997, and ch. 132, SLA 1998; and providing for an effective date." Number 0667 BARBARA MIKLOS, Director, Central Office, Child Support Enforcement Division, Department of Revenue, came forth in support of SB 19. She said that this is a very similar bill to HB 41, which was passed out of the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee. There are two major differences. One is that SB 19 has a five-year sunset instead of a two-year sunset. The second difference is that it does not have the amendment allowing for a child support payment to be held over if there are too many payments in one month. CHAIR DYSON asked if it would bother her if those two amendments were made. MS. MIKLOS, referring to the two-year sunset, responded that in those two years there is going to be a new governor, and there is a chance that there won't be a child support director, or if there is a new child support director, that person may not understand these issues. She remarked that she would be happier if it were a three-year sunset. REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL remarked that there will be a new governor, which is a good reason why this should be up for discussion. Number 0829 REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL made a motion to adopt the proposed House committee substitute (HCS) for CSSB 19, Version P, 22-GS1002\P, Lauterbach, 3/7/01, as the working draft. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA objected. She said she believes the division has shown a great deal of effort and success in cleaning up a lot of problems that had been present early on. She said she has witnessed clients of hers get off of welfare and change their lives around because their partners in parenthood finally began to take personal responsibility. She said she thinks it is a good idea to review the divisions and departments to see if they are doing what they should be doing. CHAIR DYSON asked Representative Cissna what she is objecting to with the [adoption of Version P]. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA responded that her objection was to the effective date. She removed her objection. Number 1224 CHAIR DYSON announced that there being no further objection, [Version P] was before the committee. Number 1256 REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA made a motion to adopt conceptual Amendment 1, to change the effective date on page 6, line 16, to 2006. REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL objected. A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Cissna, Joule, Wilson, and Dyson voted for the amendment. Representatives Kohring, Coghill and Stevens voted against it. Therefore, Amendment 1 was adopted by a vote of 4-3. Number 1353 DENNY WEATHERS testified via teleconference. She stated: In 1998, Alaska State Legislature and Governor Knowles sold my rights, among other people's rights and freedom, to the federal government under duress. Those were the very words stated on HB 344, which passed in 1998. During the testimony this year, and the prior year it showed that the people of Alaska were opposed to HB 344. In fact, the only people for it [were] the government employers, two government employees, and the legislature. And they forced the use of a federal social security number on Alaska documents. Up until 1998 the social security number was not required. Now persons renewing licenses are being denied without the social security [number]. There were several bills in Juneau, as well as Washington, D.C. - HR 220, Identity Theft Protection Act, in Washington, D.C. - to halt the use of social security numbers on documents. House Bill 344 was set to sunset this summer, ending many of the problems for most of us refusing to use or divulge our social security [numbers]. On February 6, 2001, Governor Knowles passed that a requirement of social security numbers be continued so the state could collect the blackmail money. The Senate voted 14 to 4 to set out the federal government. The will of the people was ignored. Instead of America, Home of the Free, I now live in Communist Alaska, where we are required to (indisc.) paper to live or to believe. Oh, excuse me; I forgot - you need a federal number in Alaska to die now. It is stated in Section 4 of your bill there. Maybe the people still have a chance, which I doubt now, listening to you. I thought the House of Representatives was willing to stand up to the federal government. But I see you are willing to take the blackmail money, too. ... I would ask that you vote no on ... SB 19. The social security number is a federal number and was not required to be used in Alaska until 1998. You could make that effective date on [SB] 19 and [HB] 41 immediate, because also if you say, "We're going to get rid of the child support for social security number, but not until we collected money and used you people." I and my husband paid and arranged for our own children, as all parents did and their parents. Our sons do not owe child support; in fact, I think the majority of Alaskans don't owe child support. So, I say please don't punish us for someone else's child support. Number 1520 ERIC WEATHERS testified via teleconference. He stated that he is opposed to SB 19 because he believes it is only another way to require the use of social security numbers. He said: I've been denied a driver's license for not providing a social security number. And I have been arrested for it and put in jail for eight hours - I just got out - all because the social scientists want money, supposedly for stopping dead-beat dads. I'm just wondering how long I'll be put in jail next time I'm stopped for driving, or hunting, or fishing. I think your time would be much better spent disarming the people. That way, you guys could all stay home and let the federal government and social services run the state. Number 1580 CHAIR DYSON made a motion to rescind the committee's action in adopting Amendment 1. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA objected. A roll call vote was taken [again for conceptual Amendment 1]. Representatives Cissna, Joule, and Wilson voted in favor of Amendment 1. Representatives Stevens, Kohring, Coghill, and Dyson voted against it. Therefore, Amendment 1 failed by a vote of 3-4. Number 1710 REPRESENTATIVE JOULE made a motion to move HCS for CSSB 19, version 22-GS1002\P, Lauterbach, 3/7/01, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. There being no objection, HCS CSSB 19(HES) moved from the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee.
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