Legislature(1997 - 1998)

02/19/1997 01:07 PM House JUD

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
 HB 6 - RELEASE OF INFORMATION ABOUT MINORS                                    
 HB 3 - DISCLOSURES RE FELONY ARRESTS OF MINORS                                
 HCR 4 - SEPARATE RECORDS FOR DELINQUENTS & CINA                               
                                                                               
 Number 238                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN advised members the first order of business would be           
 a report by Representative Bunde, subcommittee chairman of HB 6,              
 "An Act amending laws relating to the disclosure of information               
 relating to certain minors," HB 3, "An Act relating to disclosures            
 of information about certain minors," and HCR 4, relating to                  
 records generated and maintained by the Department of Health and              
 Social Services.                                                              
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN excused himself for the purpose of testifying in               
 another standing committee meeting.                                           
                                                                               
 VICE CHAIRMAN CON BUNDE, chairman of the subcommittee assigned to             
 HB 6, HB 3 and HCR 4, advised members that Representative Pete                
 Kelly had provided an updated list regarding the release of                   
 information on felonies to the subcommittee.  The subcommittee                
 presented several language adjustments to Representative Kelly and            
 asked that he incorporate them into the original version of HB 6,             
 and provide a draft committee substitute for the full committee's             
 consideration.  The draft committee substitute could be found in              
 members' bill files.                                                          
                                                                               
 Number 376                                                                    
                                                                               
 VICE CHAIRMAN BUNDE advised members that the subcommittee also                
 recommended that a draft committee substitute be prepared on HB 3,            
 "An Act relating to disclosures of information about certain                  
 minors," which would incorporate the same list of crimes that would           
 trigger the release of information as in HB 6.                                
                                                                               
 VICE CHAIRMAN BUNDE pointed out that the subcommittee did not take            
 a position as to endorsing one bill over the other.                           
                                                                               
 Number 418                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN PORTER, member of the subcommittee, pointed              
 out that there was a substantial amount of discussion regarding the           
 criteria relating to the appropriate point to release information.            
 He added that the criteria in both bills was the majority opinion             
 of the subcommittee.                                                          
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER reiterated that the Prime Sponsor of HB 3,              
 Representative Pete Kott, agreed with the recommendations of the              
 subcommittee and a draft committee substitute had been prepared.              
 Representative Porter noted that if both HB 6 and HB 3 passed the             
 legislature, there would not be any confusion or contradiction over           
 what the criteria was for the release of information.                         
                                                                               
 Number 519                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ERIC CROFT expressed his apologies for the inability           
 to attend Monday's committee meeting because of weather conditions            
 and the need to overhead to Sitka, Alaska.  He pointed out that he            
 had been particularly concerned with the lower levels of burglary             
 and arson on buildings other than homes.                                      
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE CROFT advised members he had some additional                   
 language changes to HB 6 relating to the burning or burglarizing of           
 a shed, and also the ability to adjust a first time drug offender.            
 HB 3 - DISCLOSURES RE FELONY ARRESTS OF MINORS                                
                                                                               
 Number 2115                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN announced the next order of business would be HB 3,            
 "An Act relating to disclosures of information about certain                  
 minors."                                                                      
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PETE KOTT, sponsor of HB 3, explained the                      
 subcommittee on HB 3 met and the recommendation was to include the            
 list of offenses that are in HB 6.  He said that is the only                  
 addition to the committee substitute that is before the committee.            
                                                                               
 Number 2167                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JAMES said as she understands, the two bills have              
 the same lists.  She pointed out the committee did make some other            
 amendments to HB 6 and questioned whether it would be appropriate             
 to include those amendments in HB 3.  She said HB 3 makes the                 
 disclosure by the police department and HB 6 makes the disclosure             
 by the Division of Family and Youth Services (DFYS).                          
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE KOTT indicated that is correct.  He said it is done            
 on arrest.  The law enforcement agencies may release the                      
 information.  The bill does not directly have an affect on the                
 federal funding of the DFYS and it does not have the intent of                
 restructuring the DFYS.  Representative Kott said, "The previous              
 version essentially said that any crime committed, if it would have           
 been a felony if committed by an adult would have been releasable,            
 would have fallen into that category.  I think with the new list              
 that we have, some of the discussion that took place - one out of             
 five basically were found innocent.  I would submit that if you               
 look at this list and compare this list with the number of folks              
 who have moved through the system, I would say it's going to be               
 very small."                                                                  
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JAMES indicated she had a problem with that because            
 she would like to see the CINA (Children in Need of Aid) and the              
 delinquency separated for other reasons than the committee has                
 heard.                                                                        
                                                                               
 TAPE 97-22, SIDE A                                                            
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JAMES said the public wants this disclosure and if             
 the public didn't, the committee wouldn't be dealing with it.  Not            
 only does the public want to know who these delinquent kids are out           
 there doing things, but they also want to know what the punishment            
 will be.  She pointed out there is more than the public's right to            
 know as there is the punishment.  She explained her concern is that           
 had there been a sufficient amount of penalty for bad behavior, as            
 determined by the DFYS in the courts up until now, we wouldn't have           
 had such a push from the general public.  Representative James                
 explained a situation where she had a house sitter who kept a snow            
 machine in the garage and it was stolen.  The kid who sold the snow           
 machine was caught driving it.  The house sitter wanted to be sure            
 that kid was punished and filed a charge against him.                         
 Representative James said absolutely nothing was done.  The case              
 was turned over to the DFYS and absolutely nothing was done.  She             
 noted she supports HCR 4, relating to separate records for                    
 delinquents and CINA.  Representative James said losing federal               
 funds never breaks her heart because there is always something you            
 have to do to get them.                                                       
                                                                               
 Number 230                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE KOTT said the measure before the committee doesn't             
 carry a fiscal note.  He said he thinks what Representative James             
 is talking about is having the punishment fit the offense at the              
 end.  He said that's the reason why there is a public outcry for              
 the release of information at the beginning.  If there was this               
 kind of punishment at the end, then perhaps the cry at the                    
 beginning wouldn't have been so loud.  If that's the case, he                 
 doesn't believe splitting the DFYS is necessary in order to provide           
 that additional punishment.                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER explained one of the bills addresses                    
 releasing general information by law enforcement and the other                
 addresses releasing information by the DFYS.  Representative Porter           
 said by passing HB 3, it doesn't mean that they wouldn't pursue HB
 6 and they could pursue both.  The amendments made in the criteria            
 of HB 6 would be appropriate to make in HB 3.                                 
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER made a motion to adopt CSHB 3, Version F,               
 dated 2/19/97.                                                                
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN asked if there was an objection.  Hearing none, CSHB
 3, Version F, was before the committee.                                       
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER said he would like to make a conceptual                 
 amendment to include, in the appropriate portions of the bill, the            
 amendments that were made to HB 6 in the similar provisions.                  
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked if all of the provisions were                   
 applicable.                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN said he thinks Representative Porter said "as                  
 appropriate."  Where the bill talks about a misdemeanor or a                  
 felony, those would be sifted through by the drafter and that's not           
 a major issue.  It is the intent.  Chairman Green asked if there              
 was an objection to that concept.                                             
                                                                               
 Number 450                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JAMES said she appreciated the comments by                     
 Representative Porter that HB 3 and HB 6 are not mutually                     
 exclusive.  She said what her real belief is about this issue is              
 that it already distresses her to punish before they're proven to             
 be guilty.  Representative James said, "I agree with Representative           
 Porter in his assessment of the discharge of some of these issues             
 that that is probably part of the reasons why were here today, is             
 because many of these offenses are not properly treated."                     
 Representative James indicated if the young people had not been               
 getting away with these offenses over the years without any                   
 apparent punishment, the public wouldn't be distressed.  The public           
 wants it because they have the right to know and they want don't              
 want these kids to be harbored and protected.  She said HB 3 and HB
 6 doesn't do it for her.  She stated she is "more happier with HCR
 4 all by itself."  Representative James said the DFYS and the                 
 courts could have been doing a better job and they haven't been.              
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ indicated the public is not universally              
 behind any idea of disclosure.  He read from information on the               
 Governor's Conference on Youth and Justice titled, "Thoughts on               
 Confidentiality of Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings From Around the           
 State:  Anchorage, report the incident but not the juvenile's name;           
 Bethel, don't publish names; Fairbanks, names in the paper may                
 create a hero syndrome; Juneau, do not publish names, it                      
 stigmatizes the child; Ketchikan, too much is hidden now but                  
 unfettered disclosure would create problems with labeling and                 
 racial discrimination; Kotzebue, serious offenses in older kids               
 should be made public; Nome, want reporting of outcome, whether               
 names should be reported depends of seriousness of offense, age of            
 offender and whether this is a repeat offender."  Representative              
 Berkowitz noted that the problem is in small towns where people               
 know of the incident already.                                                 
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JAMES said she attended the Governor's Conference on           
 Youth and Justice and that is not what she heard.  She noted she              
 has read parts of the information and that is not what she heard at           
 the conference.  Representative James said she would have to                  
 disagree that that was the message out of Fairbanks.                          
                                                                               
 Number 707                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE CROFT said having voted to move HB 6 out of                    
 committee, he questions the need for HB 3.  As he understands, it             
 was originally meant as a way not to lose our funds.  With the                
 passage of HB 6, it would mean that when a child admits guilt or              
 when there is such a frustration with it that they file a petition,           
 their name is going to be disclosed on identical standards.  In               
 terms of either punishment or protection, he would question what              
 would be gained by doing that from arrest.  There is a branch point           
 where both ends are covered fairly quickly with just a couple of              
 checks to make sure we have the right person.  He said, "Why we               
 would need to disclose it at arrest when have that bill preceding,            
 I seriously question."                                                        
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE KOTT said he believes it is a policy call.  If an              
 arrest has been made based on probable cause and based on the seven           
 listed items, he thinks there is substantially good evidence that             
 would be available.  He noted probably most of the perpetrators               
 would have been caught in the act.  Again, the operative word is              
 "may."  If the law enforcement agency doesn't have a suspect or if            
 there is any question, he is sure they won't release the name.                
 They are not going to arbitrarily and capriciously release the name           
 of everybody they apprehend.                                                  
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER said the other difference between HB 3 and HB
 6 is that it isn't a mandatory release.  It says "may."  He said it           
 would be his guess that most law enforcement agencies would utilize           
 the release in conjunction with contact and discussions with the              
 DFYS.                                                                         
                                                                               
 Number 860                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ asked what the liability would be to the             
 state if there is no probable cause for arrest and disclosure is              
 made.                                                                         
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER responded, "The same liability that would               
 accrue, whether it was an arrest where there wasn't a release, you            
 have the potential for an improper arrest.  If you have released              
 the name, I don't know that there is a distinction between an                 
 improper arrest, in an adult's case whether the name was released             
 or not.  I don't think that there is such a distinction and I don't           
 know that there would be with a juvenile."                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE CROFT said he thinks that is probably right.  It               
 would be a question of greatly increasing the damages, but the                
 liability wouldn't be any different.                                          
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN asked if there was any further discussion on HB 3.             
 There being none, he asked what the will of the committee was.                
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG made a motion to move CSHB 3(JUD), as                 
 amended, out of committee with the accompanying zero fiscal notes.            
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN GREEN said there was objection and asked for a roll call             
 vote.  Representatives Porter, Rokeberg, James and Green voted in             
 favor of the motion.  Representatives Croft and Berkowitz voted               
 against the motion.  Chairman Green announced CSHB 3(JUD) was moved           
 out of the House Judiciary Committee with individual                          
 recommendations.                                                              

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