05/13/2021 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

           HB 106-MISSING PERSONS UNDER 21 YEARS OLD                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:16:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SNYDER announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 106, "An  Act relating to missing persons under                                                               
21 years of age."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SNYDER noted that HB 106  is by request of the governor.                                                               
She asked the  Department of Public Safety to provide  a recap of                                                               
the bill.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:17:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LISA  PURINTON,   Chief,  Criminal  Records   and  Identification                                                               
Bureau,  Division of  Statewide  Services,  Department of  Public                                                               
Safety  (DPS), provided  a summary  of HB  106 on  behalf of  the                                                               
administration.  She explained that  HB 106 would align state law                                                               
with federal requirements as it  relates to missing persons under                                                               
the age 21.  She said  current state law requires law enforcement                                                               
agencies to report information for  missing individuals under the                                                               
age  of  18 to  the  state  and  national databases  for  missing                                                               
juveniles,  and to  the Missing  Persons Clearinghouse,  and this                                                               
information  must be  reported within  24 hours  of learning  the                                                               
person  has been  reported missing.   She  explained that  HB 106                                                               
would  increase the  age from  18 years  to individuals  under 21                                                               
years to address that vulnerable  population, usually college age                                                               
population,  that are  often away  from  the home  for the  first                                                               
time.   As well,  HB 106  would change  the 24-hour  timeframe to                                                               
within 2 hours  of receiving notification for  agencies to report                                                               
that  information  to the  state  and  national databases.    She                                                               
further  specified  that  HB  106 would  address  changes  to  AS                                                               
18.65.620 and AS 47.10.141.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KURKA  asked whether these are  already things the                                                               
state is  generally doing, and it  is just a matter  of codifying                                                               
the practice.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. PURINTON  confirmed that this is  correct.  She said  most of                                                               
the  law  enforcement  agencies  are  aware  of  this  difference                                                               
between  state law  and federal  requirements and  most do  their                                                               
best  to comply  with the  federal  requirement to  get the  data                                                               
entered  within two  hours of  receipt of  the information.   She                                                               
stated that right  now the department conducts  training with law                                                               
enforcement  and  trains them  to  the  more restrictive  federal                                                               
requirement.  But,  she continued, there is  no state requirement                                                               
for them  to do  that; the  bill addresses that  gap so  there is                                                               
conforming language on both sides.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:21:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX requested  confirmation  that this  proposed                                                               
change  is to  align  Alaska statute  with federal  requirements,                                                               
nothing more, nothing less.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. PURINTON responded that that is  correct.  She said there are                                                               
no   major  changes   other  than   to  increase   the  reporting                                                               
requirement to age  21 and to more timely  enter this information                                                               
into  the database,  which is  to align  state requirements  with                                                               
federal law.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:22:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY  moved to report  HB 106 out of  committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:23:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 4:23 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:23:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SNYDER,  after  confirming   there  was  no  objection,                                                               
announced  that HB  106 was  moved out  of the  House Health  and                                                               
Social Services Standing Committee.