Legislature(2023 - 2024)ANCH LIO DENALI Rm
08/10/2023 02:00 PM House SELECT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE ETHICS
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE ETHICS
AUGUST 10, 2023
2:00 PM
FULL COMMITTEE
2:03:22 PM
1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER
Chair Skip Cook called to order the meeting of the Select
Committee on Legislative Ethics at 2:04 pm.
Skip Cook directed Jacqui Yeagle to conduct roll call.
Roll call
Skip Cook
Conner Thomas
Joyce Anderson
Deb Fancher
Jerry McBeath
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Sara Hannan
With two legislators and five public members online, there
was a quorum to conduct business.
Senator Gary Stevens announced that he was in attendance by
phone.
Skip Cook asked if there were anyone other than committee
members online for the meeting. There was no response.
Others
Jacqui Yeagle
Skip Cook asked committee members to identify themselves
for the benefit of others when they speak.
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (+)
Skip Cook said the meeting was expected to last about 30
minutes, then he entertained a motion to approve the
agenda.
Jerry McBeath so moved. There were no objections. The
agenda was approved.
2:06:17 PM
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
Skip Cook entertained public comment. There was no public
comment.
2:06:30 PM
4. PLAN OF ACTION PENDING HIRE OF COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATOR
(+)
Skip Cook opened discussion of the next agenda item.
Conner Thomas read Joyce Andersons narrative explaining
her reason for requesting a leave of absence from the
committee.
TEMPORARY LEAVE: Joyce M Anderson requests a formal
temporary leave of absence from serving as a member to
the Select committee on Legislative Ethics beginning
Monday, July 17, 2023, through October 31, 2023.
REASON: To serve as Acting Ethics Administrator during
this period of transition to fill the position of
Ethics Administrator.
STATUTORY RESTRICTIONS: AS 24.60.120(f) states, "The
committee may contract for professional services and
may employ staff as it considers necessary. A
committee employee, including a person who provides
personal services under a contract with the committee,
may not be a legislator, an elected or appointed
official of state or local governmental entity, an
officer of a political party, a candidate for public
office, or a registered lobbyist. The legislative
council shall provide office space, equipment, and
additional staff support for the committee. The
committee shall submit a budget for each fiscal year
to the finance committees of the legislature and shall
annually submit an estimated budget to the governor
for information purposes in preparation of the state
operating budget. Public members of the committee
shall serve without compensation for their services,
but are entitled to per diem and travel expenses
authorized for board and commissions under AS
39.20.180.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Brent Cole, our attorney, has
reviewed the above statute and stated the action we
are taking, a temporary leave of absence, is
sufficient to meet the restrictions outlined.
ACTION NEEDED: Motion to approve a "Temporary Leave of
Absence" for Joyce Anderson from serving as a member
of the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics from
July 17, 2023, through October 31, 2023.
Skip Cook commented on the background of the request. At
the last committee meeting, a transition subcommittee was
formed. The subcommittee determined that the time required
to handle ongoing office tasks and the hiring process was
greater than anticipated. Skip Cook said he remembers in
the past the committee hired Joyce Anderson as an interim
administrator during the process of hiring a new
administrator. Joyce Anderson agreed to provide those
services to the committee again but statutorily could only
do so if she took a leave of absence as a public member of
the committee, hence the request for a temporary leave of
absence.
Skip Cook entertained questions or comments from the
committee.
Representative Sara Hannan announced that Senator Löki
Tobin had texted her saying that she was in attendance
online while traveling on a plane and she was on mute.
There were no questions or comments regarding the leave of
absence request.
Skip Cook entertained a motion to call a roll call vote to
grant Joyce Anderson's request for a temporary leave of
absence.
Deb Fancher so moved.
Skip Cook asked Jacqui Yeagle to proceed with a roll call
vote.
Roll call vote
Jerry McBeath Yes
Deb Fancher Yes
Conner Thomas Yes
Skip Cook Yes
Representative Sara Hannan Yes
Representative DeLena Johnson Yes
Senator Gary Stevens Yes
Senator Löki Tobin Yes
Joyce Anderson abstained. The motion carried.
Skip Cook said the committee would vote on Joyce Anderson's
contract, which will be drafted by Legislative Legal
according to the terms the committee submits to them. The
contract would run from July 17 until the end of October.
Skip Cook entertained a motion to approve a contract.
Jerry McBeath so moved.
Skip Cook asked Jacqui Yeagle to proceed with a roll call
vote on that question.
Roll call vote
Senator Gary Stevens Yes
Senator Löki Tobin Yes
Representative DeLena Johnson Yes
Representative Sara Hannan Yes
Skip Cook Yes
Conner Thomas Yes
Deb Fancher Yes
Jerry McBeath Yes
The motion carried.
Joyce Anderson brought to the committees attention that
she was chair of the house subcommittee and that Deb
Fancher as vice-chair would take over that role.
Skip Cook said that if a vice-chair is needed at some
point, the committee will address it.
Skip Cook asked Joyce Anderson to provide a subcommittee
report.
Joyce Anderson reported that the subcommittee met earlier
that day. The subcommittee reviewed the criteria and made
revisions to the documents. Joyce Anderson also reported
that the job had been posted on Workplace Alaska, and on
the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and
The Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) websites.
There are currently three applicants interested in the
position.
Joyce Anderson continued, saying the subcommittee finalized
a timeline and she will include a copy of it in a future
update to the committee. The subcommittee proposes
presenting the two final candidates to the full committee
at a meeting on September 29. Senator Gary Stevens and
Representative Sara Hannan agreed to join the subcommittee
for candidate interviews.
Skip Cook thanked Joyce Anderson for her report.
5. PUBLIC SESSION
2:18:39 PM
6. OTHER BUSINESS
Skip Cook moved to other business. He said committee action
was needed to approve renewal of two ongoing contracts.
Monique Rapuzzi's contract had expired on December 31,
2022, and it needed to be extended to June 30, 2024. The
contract amount was for up to $7,500 at $115/Hour. There
are no outstanding bills on the contract.
Skip Cook entertained a motion that the Select Committee on
Legislative Ethics amend the July 25, 2022, professional
services contract with Monique Rapuzzi dba Monique Rapuzzi
Case Preparation and Trial Assistance to make the Period
and Dates of Performance retroactive to January 1, 2023,
and extend the termination date to June 30, 2024 [and]
further move that the contract amount be increased to a
not-to-exceed total of $10,000.
Deb Fancher so moved.
Jerry McBeath asked for confirmation the contract would be
for $10,000.
Skip Cook replied affirmatively.
Representative Sara Hannan asked if the contract under
discussion would cover expenses between the end of the
contract in December and the start of this fiscal year.
Skip Cook said the contract is to extend the contract
retroactively and increase the amount to $10,000, probably
to cover [costs] for a 1 years rather than for one year.
Representative Sara Hannan said she did not think the
contract should begin on July 1, 2023, in case there are
outstanding bills from the time period between January and
June. She wondered if the contract should be for the time
period January 1, 2023, to [June] 30, 2024.
Skip Cook replied that the dates Representative Sara Hannan
mentioned are the dates of the contract.
Representative Sara Hannan said she thought she had heard
differently.
Skip Cook said the contract refers to it being retroactive
to January 1, 2023, and to extend the contract to June 30,
2024.
Joyce Anderson conducted a roll call vote on the question.
Roll call vote
Senator Löki Tobin Yes
Representative DeLena Johnson Yes
Representative Sara Hannan Yes
Deb Fancher Yes
Jerry McBeath Yes
Conner Thomas Yes
Skip Cook Yes
The vote was 7-0 in favor of amending the contract.
2:25:20 PM
Skip Cook directed the committee to review the contract
with outside attorney Brent Cole, which would run through
June 30, 2024. There are no outstanding bills on the
contract.
Joyce Anderson explained the committee had approved a
contract with Brent Cole for the period January 1, 2023,
and June 30, 2023. However, the contract was not signed by
all parties. Brent Cole was paid for a couple of invoices.
The contract needs to retroactively cover that period and
approve the contract to June 30, 2024.
Skip Cook asked if the rate would still be $225/hr.
Joyce Anderson replied that it would.
Skip Cook entertained a motion that the Select Committee on
Legislative Ethics amend the June 17, 2022, legal services
contract with Law Office of Brent Cole, P.C., to make the
Period and Dates of Performance retroactive to January 1,
2023, and extend the termination date to June 30, 2024,
[and] further move that the contract amount be increased to
a not-to-exceed total of $15,000.
Jerry McBeath so moved.
Skip Cook directed Joyce Anderson to conduct a roll call
vote.
Roll call vote
Representative DeLena Johnson Yes
Representative Sara Hannan Yes
Senator Löki Tobin Yes
Deb Fancher Yes
Jerry McBeath Yes
Conner Thomas Yes
Skip Cook Yes
The committee voted 7-0 in favor of the contract.
2:29:01 PM
Skip Cook welcomed Joyce Anderson as acting administrator.
Skip Cook entertained other business or comments.
Joyce Anderson said the ethics office would be sending out
a newsletter letting the legislature know that she had
assumed the role of acting administrator and that the
position had been posted, asking them to include the job
posting information in their newsletters. The newsletter
will also address the need for an alternate public member.
Skip Cook thanked Joyce Anderson.
7. ADJOURN
Skip Cook entertained a motion to adjourn.
Deb Fancher so moved. There were no objections.
The meeting was adjourned.
2:31:07 PM
ADJOURN:
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics Committee meeting packet.pdf |
JETH 8/10/2023 2:00:00 PM |