03/17/2022 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

          SB   7-STATE TROOPER POLICIES: PUBLIC ACCESS                                                                      
          HB 255-STATE TROOPER POLICIES: PUBLIC ACCESS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:43:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  announced that  the next order  of business                                                               
would be  a combined hearing  of CS  FOR SENATE BILL  NO. 7(JUD),                                                               
"An  Act requiring  the Department  of Public  Safety to  publish                                                               
certain  policies and  procedures  on  the department's  Internet                                                               
website"  and  HOUSE   BILL  NO.  255,  "An   Act  requiring  the                                                               
Department  of  Public Safety  to  publish  certain policies  and                                                               
procedures on the department's Internet website."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:44:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELVI  GRAY-JACKSON,   Alaska  State  Legislature,  prime                                                               
sponsor,  introduced CSSB  7(JUD).   She paraphrased  the sponsor                                                               
statement  [included  in the  committee  packet],  which read  as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     This bill  would require that the  Department of Public                                                                    
     Safety  publish  on   their  website  the  department's                                                                    
     current policies and procedures  related to the conduct                                                                    
     of  peace   officers  employed  or  regulated   by  the                                                                    
     department.  The  duty  of  the  Department  of  Public                                                                    
     Safety   is  to   ensure  public   safety  within   our                                                                    
     communities and,  as such, the  public must be  able to                                                                    
     easily access the current  policies and procedures that                                                                    
     requires peace officers regulated  by the department to                                                                    
     adhere to.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:46:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR, prime  sponsor  of HB  255, provided  brief                                                               
introductory remarks.  She noted that  HB 255 did not include the                                                               
same amendments  as its companion  bill, CSSB 7(JUD),  which were                                                               
adopted during the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee (SJUD).                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:46:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KEITH  BAUGUESS, Staff,  Alaska State  Legislature, on  behalf of                                                               
Senator  Gray-Jackson,  prime   sponsor,  presented  a  sectional                                                               
analysis of SB  7 [included in the committee  packet], which read                                                               
as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1:  Amends AS 44.441.020 to  add the Department                                                                  
     of  Public Safety  shall publish  on their  website the                                                                    
     current policies and procedures  related to the conduct                                                                    
     of peace officers employed or regulated by the                                                                             
     department.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:47:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  asked what inspired the  sponsor to draft                                                               
this bill.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON remarked,  "I  was inspired  to bring  this                                                               
bill forward."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked what inspired her.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON said  she  was inspired  by recent  events,                                                               
such as  the death of  George Floyd  and others.   She referenced                                                               
[similar] incidents in the Municipality of Anchorage in 2019.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:48:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  asked whether  the  changes  made in  SJUD                                                               
added the Village Public Safety Officers provision.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON answered  yes.  She explained  that a second                                                               
amendment  was also  adopted in  SJUD, which  clarified that  any                                                               
confidential  information  that   disclosed  the  techniques  and                                                               
procedures for enforcement investigations  would not be provided;                                                               
further, that  any guidelines for law  enforcement investigations                                                               
and prosecutions would be excluded as well.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:49:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked  whether a member of  the public who                                                               
was using the  website would be able to see  what information was                                                               
excluded.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON deferred the question to Lieutenant Olsen.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:51:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  ERIC OLSEN,  Alaska  State Troopers  (AST), said  the                                                               
website noted that any redactions  had been limited to those that                                                               
were applicable to AS 40.25.120(a)(6)(E)-(G).                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  asked, "Are those roughly  similar to the                                                               
exemptions listed  in this  statute or  is there  a way  of tying                                                               
those two things together?"                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  OLSEN asked  Representative  Eastman  to clarify  the                                                               
question.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  asked if the  bill were to  pass, whether                                                               
the department  would reference,  on the website,  the exemptions                                                               
in this bill.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT OLSEN said  the department would have  to consult with                                                               
the  commissioner's office.   He  offered to  follow up  with the                                                               
requested information.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:53:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN  asked how  many pages of  policy currently                                                               
existed.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON said she had no idea.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT OLSEN answered hundreds of pages.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:54:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced  that CSSB 7(JUD) and  HB 255 were                                                               
held over.