Legislature(2003 - 2004)

05/09/2003 02:00 PM Senate JUD

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
          SB   2-PARENT LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE BY CHILD                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS announced SB 2 to be up for consideration.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:40 p.m.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON,  sponsor of SB  2, said his school  district asked                                                               
that the legislature remove the  liability limit on parents - the                                                               
present one is $10,000 - to allow them to recover more damages.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OGAN  moved to adopt  version W of  SB 2, as  the working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DYSON said  that  SB 2  clears up  the  fact that  legal                                                               
guardians are not  held liable if they  accept the responsibility                                                               
of  being legal  guardian  for a  child that  is  not their  own.                                                               
Adoptive  parents of  hard-to-place  children are  also not  held                                                               
liable.  Foster parents  are not  held responsible  currently for                                                               
acts incurred by the kids.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  OGAN said  the district  could  sue the  student of  the                                                               
parent, but  invariably they go  after the parent because  of the                                                               
perception that they have deeper  pockets. They have tried to get                                                               
the  child to  reimburse the  parents with  use of  his Permanent                                                               
Fund Dividend, but  couldn't find a good  mechanism for attaching                                                               
the present  or future wealth of  a child. Even good  parents can                                                               
have bad  kids who could do  enough damage to something  that the                                                               
parents could become  impoverished for life. When the  kid is 18,                                                               
they get their  record washed clean according to  Alaska law, but                                                               
the parent has possibly been ruined.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON said  he thinks he is exaggerating,  because no one                                                               
gets ruined  for life by  incurring debt. That's  what bankruptcy                                                               
laws are  set up for.  If you don't  let the parent  reimburse to                                                               
the extent that  they are able, then  you say to the  rest of the                                                               
people  in the  community that  they get  the responsibility  for                                                               
paying for the damage a kid they had no control over did.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OGAN said he understands what  he is trying to do, but an                                                               
unlimited amount is too much.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  responded the version  coming over from  the House                                                               
has a limit of $15,000.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS asked if he  knows if any schools carried vandalism                                                               
insurance and what deductible they have.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. LARRY  WIGIT, Executive  Director, Public  Affairs, Anchorage                                                               
School District, said  they are self-insured which  means that it                                                               
would come out of their operating budget.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS  asked if they  have a  reserve set aside  for this                                                               
type of thing.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WIGIT replied  that  they  are required  by  law  to keep  a                                                               
minimum amount of money for  maintenance. Depending on the issue,                                                               
several million dollars would be available.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  OGAN  asked  if  there  was a  reason  they  don't  have                                                               
insurance.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WIGIT replied  that even  if  they did  have insurance,  the                                                               
premiums  would come  from monies  that could  be used  for other                                                               
purposes.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 03-43, SIDE B                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                              
SENATOR DYSON  said he is  willing to work with  Senators Seekins                                                               
and  Ogan  on  their  concerns,  one of  which  is  the  lack  of                                                               
accountability for kids within the school system.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. WIGIT said that they have some insurance, but [indisc].                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  asked if there are  legal steps a child  can take                                                               
to become emancipated.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON replied  a child could go to court  and apply to be                                                               
emancipated.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS  said he supports the  concept in the bill,  but at                                                               
the same  time, he worries about  what we're doing as  a state to                                                               
support parents who  want to keep kids from doing  those kinds of                                                               
things.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON said he agrees  with Senators Seekins and Ogan, but                                                               
he hopes  they will not  hold up action  on this bill  while they                                                               
await their solution.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEEKINS  said   he  would  not  want   to  make  liability                                                               
limitless. He asked  if it was improper under current  law to put                                                               
a dollar  judgment on a minor  and do they have  the authority to                                                               
change  that. He  thought that  if a  minor child  could be  held                                                               
responsible for  murder then they  could be held  responsible for                                                               
paying back part of a debt they incur.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH moved a conceptual  amendment to reinsert language                                                               
on page 1, line  14, and page 2, line 1  "not to exceed $25,000".                                                               
There was no objection and it was so ordered.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  OGAN  moved  to  pass   CSSB  2(JUD),  version  W,  from                                                               
committee with the  fiscal note and asked  for unanimous consent.                                                               
There was no objection and it was so ordered.                                                                                   

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