Legislature(2013 - 2014)CAPITOL 120

03/28/2014 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ HB 205 TRAFFIC OFFENSES: FINES/SCHOOL ZONES TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+= SB 64 OMNIBUS CRIME/CORRECTIONS/RECIDIVISM BILL TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ HB 282 LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
+= HB 235 CONFIDENTIALITY OF APOC COMPLAINTS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
           HB 235-CONFIDENTIALITY OF APOC COMPLAINTS                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO.  235, "An Act requiring the  Alaska Public Offices                                                               
Commission   to   maintain   the   confidentiality   of   certain                                                               
proceedings, documents, and information."                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:11:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BOB  LYNN moved to adopt  the Committee Substitute                                                               
(CS) for  HB 235,  Version 28-LS1130\Y,  Bullard, 3/27/14  as the                                                               
working document.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG objected.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:12:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PETE HIGGINS,  Alaska  State Legislature,  turned                                                               
the discussion over to his staff.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
THOMAS STUDLER, Staff, Representative  Pete Higgins, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, noted an  addition to the title of  HB 235 regarding                                                               
sanctions for  those who file  false or frivolous  complaints [to                                                               
the Alaska  Public Offices Commission  (APOC)].  A  new paragraph                                                               
was added  to Section 1 to  say that the proceedings  relating to                                                               
an investigation are  confidential until it is  determined that a                                                               
violation has occurred.  In Section  2, he said the following was                                                               
added:                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Except   to  the   extent   that  the   confidentiality                                                                    
     provisions are  waived by the subject,  the complainant                                                                    
     shall keep  confidential the fact that  they have filed                                                                    
     a  complaint  under  this  section,   as  well  as  the                                                                    
     contents of  the complaints  filed. If  the complainant                                                                    
     violates  any  provision  of the  confidentiality,  the                                                                    
     commission  shall  immediately dismiss  the  complaint;                                                                    
     however,  the  dismissal  of  the  complaint  does  not                                                                    
     affect the right of the  commission or any other person                                                                    
     to  initiate  a complaint  based  on  the same  factual                                                                    
     information.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:13:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. STUDLER said that a new  subsection was added in Section 3 to                                                               
allow for  appealing the APOC  decision to the Superior  Court by                                                               
either the  complainant or the  respondent within 30 days  of the                                                               
decision.   He added that  Section 4  was amended by  adding that                                                               
the  complaint and  all documents  relating to  the investigation                                                               
are confidential  until it has  been determined that  a violation                                                               
has occurred.   "We went on  by adding a new  [subsection], (m),"                                                               
to  further  define  that  within 30  days  after  accepting  the                                                               
complaint,  the  commission  shall determine  whether  the  facts                                                               
substantiate  an   allegation  and  whether  there   is  credible                                                               
evidence   for  further   investigation   and  proceedings.   The                                                               
commission may delegate  this duty to make  that determination to                                                               
an  employee/investigator  of  the  commission  to  expedite  the                                                               
process, he said.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:14:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. STUDLER turned  to Section 5, which says  that the commission                                                               
needs  to make  a determination,  based on  the facts  before it,                                                               
whether the  allegation has merit.   "One  of the things  that we                                                               
added in  here is  that ...  if you  make a  false claim  ... the                                                               
commission shall dismiss the complaint  and order the complainant                                                               
to reimburse the respondent for his  costs and court costs."  The                                                               
respondent is to reimburse APOC  as well, he said.  Additionally,                                                               
APOC  may decline  to consider  any further  complaints filed  by                                                               
that  particular individual.   The  CS also  includes [subsection                                                               
(o)] as follows:                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  sanctions  authorized  in  this  section  are  not                                                                    
     exclusive  and do  not preclude  any other  remedies or                                                                    
     rights of  action the respondent  may have  against the                                                                    
     complainant.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. STUDLER  stated that the  updates are to protect  the process                                                               
of APOC so that when complaints  are brought forward, they are in                                                               
good faith and have merit.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:16:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN  asked  about   a  complaint  with  multiple                                                               
allegations and one is deemed to be frivolous.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STUDLER said  he believes  that the  allegations with  merit                                                               
would go forward.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:17:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked how APOC would be reimbursed.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. STUDLER  answered that  if the  person files  allegations and                                                               
some  were substantiated  and others  were not,  he believes  the                                                               
commission  would  have  to  look at  the  clear  and  convincing                                                               
evidence  of whether  the allegations  were filed  in bad  faith.                                                               
Since some of  the allegations were upheld, "I would  have to say                                                               
that would not be in bad  faith, because there was merit to those                                                               
cases."    He  added that  he  did  not  want  to speak  for  the                                                               
commission.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:18:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN said he would like to have that clarified.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
PAUL  DAUPHINAIS,  Executive   Director,  Alaska  Public  Offices                                                               
Commission, Alaska  Department of Administration, said  he is not                                                               
authorized to speak  for the commission, and "we try  not to deal                                                               
with hypotheticals."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:19:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GABRIELLE LEDOUX  asked about  a complaint  being                                                               
dismissed and the complainant decides  to file an appeal with the                                                               
Superior  Court, "then  are  all records  of  the Superior  Court                                                               
sealed?"   Normally  things are  openly filed  with the  Superior                                                               
Court,  she  explained.   If  the  idea  is to  have  information                                                               
confidential until  there has been  a decision that an  APOC rule                                                               
has been  violated, "what are you  going to do with  the Superior                                                               
Court?"                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:20:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. STUDLER said he will get back on that.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE NEAL FOSTER noted the  changes in Section 4, where                                                               
all  documents  relating  to an  investigation  are  confidential                                                               
until it  is determined that  a violation  has occurred.   "If no                                                               
violation  occurs,   is  there  any  provision   that  maybe  the                                                               
documents do  become open, but  maybe not  for, say, a  period of                                                               
six months?"                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. STUDLER  said "we" had  not thought about  that.  He  said he                                                               
would have to respond later.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:21:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIGGINS said  he sees no reason  why an allegation                                                               
without merit should become public.   The purpose of HB 235 is to                                                               
ensure that  only violations with  merit become public.   "You're                                                               
thinking  that for  historical  reasons  you want  to  put it  in                                                               
there, but as  an individual and a citizen of  the state, I don't                                                               
see  where that  would be."    He said  he cannot  speak for  the                                                               
commission on that issue because  he really has not thought about                                                               
it.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:22:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN  asked  if   the  exonerated  defendant  can                                                               
request  that the  allegation become  public in  order to  expose                                                               
what a "rotten" person the complainant is.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIGGINS  said, yes, there is  a provision allowing                                                               
the defendant to waive confidentiality.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:23:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FOSTER said he totally  understands that side, but                                                               
he thought that people might want  to know what happened, and the                                                               
file could become  open "sometime down the road" for  the sake of                                                               
transparency.  He noted that he  did not feel strongly one way or                                                               
another.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG said  he spoke  with Mr.  Studler about                                                               
the bill  extensively. This is  the only APOC bill  the committee                                                               
is likely  to see this  year, he stated, and  he has a  couple of                                                               
concerns.   This  year's APOC  report made  one suggestion  for a                                                               
legislative change.   He noted that the legislators  used to have                                                               
to do  a post-election 10-day  report. The APOC  report suggested                                                               
reinstituting  that  obligation,  which requires  legislators  to                                                               
review their  contributions and expenditures  that occurred  in a                                                               
flurry a few days  before the election.  "As it  is now, there is                                                               
no post-election  report for months,  and so huge  $100,000 fines                                                               
accrue,  and if  we did  a simple  report to  recap that  10 days                                                               
after, that would probably catch a  lot of these things and bring                                                               
those potential fines back into line."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:25:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   GRUENBERG    noted   that   the    statute,   AS                                                               
15.13.390(a), states  that if  a person violates  the law  by not                                                               
having  a  properly  completed  and  certified  report,  like  if                                                               
something is missing  or if the report is late,  there is a civil                                                               
penalty  of not  more  than $500  per  day. He  said  APOC has  a                                                               
regulation,  2AAC50.855,  which states  that  the  amount of  the                                                               
penalty must  be determined by  multiplying the daily  maximum by                                                               
the number  of the days the  report was late or  incomplete.  "It                                                               
changes a  maximum into  a benchmark and  results in  huge unfair                                                               
fines," he  stated.   "It is terrifically  unjust, and  what they                                                               
have to do  now is apply mitigators that  really don't apply-just                                                               
to bring this back into line."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LANCE PRUITT asked  if Representative Gruenberg is                                                               
indicating that there should be a  report a week or two after the                                                               
election instead of the one due on February 15.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:28:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  said it  would not eliminate  the year-                                                               
end report; it would be in  addition to it.  Legislators once had                                                               
to do it  and "we simply repealed it because  it was extra work."                                                               
The result  has been people  getting hit with huge  fines because                                                               
they messed  up in some  manner, and  the mistake was  not caught                                                               
for three months because people do  not look at the reports until                                                               
they  do their  next one.   By  reinstituted the  above-mentioned                                                               
report, people will triple check,  which will eliminate the fines                                                               
except for the 10-day period.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that HB 235 was set aside.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:31:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
HB282 Sponsor Statement.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
HB 282 ver. N.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CSHB 282 (L&C) Sectional Analysis.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CS HB 282 L&C.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CSHB 282 (L&C) Amendment P.1.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CSHB 282 (L&C) Amendment P.3.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CSHB 282 (L&C) Amendment P.4.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CS HB282 (L&C) Amendment P.5.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CSHB 282 (L&C) Fiscal Note~DOR.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
HB 282 Opposition Letter~Mellen Investment Company.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
HB282 Supporting Documents - Realtor Letter.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
HB282 Supporting Document-Email Kris Abegg 02-24-2014.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
HB282 Supporting Documents-Letter Cathleen Hahn 03.11.14.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
HB282 Opposition Letter~AK Hotel & Lodging Association.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 282
CSHB235 verY.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 235
CSHB 235 ver Y Explanation of Changes.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 235
CSHB 235 ver Y Section Analysis.pdf HJUD 3/28/2014 1:00:00 PM
HB 235