05/11/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

         SB 119-STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR PRISONERS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:08:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 119, "An  Act relating to  state identifications                                                               
and  driver's  licenses  for  persons   in  the  custody  of  the                                                               
Department  of  Corrections;  relating to  state  identifications                                                               
issued by the  Department of Corrections; relating  to the duties                                                               
of  the  commissioner  of  corrections;  relating  to  misconduct                                                               
involving   confidential    information;   relating    to   voter                                                               
identification; relating  to identification for  fishing permits;                                                               
relating to  identification for debtor financing  statements; and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:09:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Dawson   Mann,  Staff,   Senator  Robert   Myers,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, presented SB  119 on behalf of  Senator Myers, prime                                                               
sponsor.  He  paraphrased the sponsor statement  [included in the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Senate   Bill    119   provides   easier    access   to                                                                    
     identification  cards  for   reentrants  upon  release,                                                                    
     granting them  an important tool for  reintegration. SB
 grants the Department  of Corrections the statutory                                                                    
     authority to  issue state IDs  to anyone  leaving their                                                                    
     custody that does not have an ID in their possession.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Individuals are required to present  a valid form of ID                                                                    
     in  order to  gain new  employment, apply  for housing,                                                                    
     drive a  car, open a  bank account, travel,  purchase a                                                                    
     phone, apply  for Medicaid  or Social  Security, obtain                                                                    
     medication,  and register  to  vote.  The inability  to                                                                    
     find housing  or employment  or obtain  medications are                                                                    
     significant  factors  in whether  or  not  a person  is                                                                    
     likely  to  reoffend,  endangering  public  safety  and                                                                    
     costing  the state  more money  once they  are back  in                                                                    
     prison.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Reentry  is   an  essential  part  of   public  safety.                                                                    
     Ensuring   reentrants   are  supported   during   their                                                                    
     transitional period helps  improve community well-being                                                                    
     and  public  safety.  By providing  reentrants  with  a                                                                    
     valid  form of  identification  upon  their release  we                                                                    
     also provide the individual with  an essential tool for                                                                    
     finding  housing,  employment,  and  medical  care  and                                                                    
     alleviate the risk of reoffending.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:11:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY,  prime sponsor of  the companion bill  to SB
,  offered  a  brief  explanation  of  the  legislation.    He                                                               
explained that  SB 119  would make  the identification  (ID) card                                                               
issued by the Department of Corrections (DOC) a valid state ID.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:12:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on SB 119.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:12:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DON  HABEGER, Coalition  Coordinator,  Juneau Reentry  Coalition,                                                               
testified  in support  of  SB 119.   He  shared  that the  Juneau                                                               
Reentry Coalitions  mission was to  ensure that barriers and gaps                                                               
to successful  reentry, such as  state ID,  were dealt with.   He                                                               
shared  a  personal  anecdote to  illustrate  the  difficulty  of                                                               
reentry into society without proper  identification.  He believed                                                               
that  the  bill  was  needed  and  encouraged  its  passage  from                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:15:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL GARBY, Advocacy Director,  American Civil liberties Union                                                               
of Alaska, testified in support of  SB 119.  He expressed support                                                               
for efforts to  equip those returning from prison  with valid ID,                                                               
which was  a critical piece  of reentry  efforts.  Too  often, he                                                               
said,  people were  released from  prison  with insufficient  ID,                                                               
which barred them from securing  safe housing, applying for jobs,                                                               
establishing  a  consistent  mailing  address  or  bank  account,                                                               
having  a steady  phone number,  accessing healthcare  outside an                                                               
emergency setting, or  booking air travel back  to their families                                                               
or communities if  needed, all of which, he  described as routine                                                               
tasks that were  taken for granted.   He said it was  in the best                                                               
interest of incarcerated people and  the safety of communities to                                                               
guarantee that [those releasing  from prison] were not ostracized                                                               
and given  the basic  tools needed.   He  said he  was encouraged                                                               
that SB 119 recognized this reality.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW closed public testimony on SB 119.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:18:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  moved to  report SB  119 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection,  SB 119 was reported out of the                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:18:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY, in  closing,  shared her  belief that  the                                                               
bill  was a  respectful way  to help  transition people  into the                                                               
community.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:19:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:19 p.m. to 3:22 p.m.