Legislature(2001 - 2002)
01/22/2002 01:45 PM House FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
January 22, 2002
1:45 P.M.
TAPE HFC 02 - 8, Side A
TAPE HFC 02 - 8, Side B
TAPE HFC 02 - 9, Side A
TAPE HFC 02 - 9, Side B
TAPE HFC 02 - 10, Side A
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Mulder called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:45 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Eldon Mulder, Co-Chair
Representative Bill Williams, Co-Chair
Representative Con Bunde, Vice-Chair
Representative Eric Croft
Representative John Davies
Representative Richard Foster
Representative John Harris
Representative Bill Hudson
Representative Ken Lancaster
Representative Jim Whitaker
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Carl Moses
ALSO PRESENT
House Speaker Brian Porter; Representative Gary Stevens;
Representative Kevin Meyer; Representative Sharon Cissna;
Representative Hugh Fate; Jay Lively, Commissioner,
Department of Health and Social Services; Janet Clarke,
Director, Division of Administrative Services, Department of
Health and Social Services; Russ Webb, Deputy Commissioner,
Department of Health & Social Services; Wilson, Condon,
Commissioner, Department of Revenue; Mike Maher, Director,
Division of Administrative Services, Department of Revenue;
Larry Persily, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Revenue;
Margaret Pugh, Commissioner, Department of Corrections; Bill
Parker, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Corrections;
Dwayne Peeples, Director, Administrative Services,
Department of Corrections; Candace Brower, Office of the
Commissioner, Program Coordinator, Department of
Corrections.
GENERAL SUBJECT(S):
Mission and Measure Reports:
Department of Health and Social Services
Department of Revenue
Department of Corrections
The following overview was taken in log note format. Tapes
and handouts will be on file with the House Finance
Committee through the 22nd Legislative Session, contact 465-
2156. After the 22nd Legislative Session they will be
available through the Legislative Library at 465-3808.
LOG SPEAKER DISCUSSION
Tape Malfunction* TAPE HFC 02 - 8
SIDE A
000 Co-Chair Mulder Convened the House Finance Committee
meeting at 1:45 P.M.
Department of Health and Social Services
026 JAY LIVELY, Distributed the Department's handout.
COMMISSIONER, [Copy on File]. He pointed out that the
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Department emphasizes public health,
AND SOCIAL SERVICES public welfare and public protection.
The core principles are reflected in the
mission of the Department and stem from
Article 7, Section 4 & 5 of the State
Constitution. In order to carry out the
mission, program support is offered in
the following areas:
* Safety Net Services to Poor,
Disabled & Elderly
* Protecting Alaskans
* Public Health
* Mental Health Beneficiaries
064 Commissioner Livey Noted an additional handout -Healthy
Alaskan 2010-Targets and Strategies for
Improved Health [Copy on File].
094 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #14 of handout #1 - the
percentage of Alaska Temporary Assistance
Program (ATAP) families meeting federal
work participation rates. In September
2001, 43% of all families were in
countable work activities and had
sufficient hours to meet the federal
participation rate requirements. In
December 2001, that rate increased to
53%. Federal law requires that states
meet work participation requirements.
The chart relates the meeting federal
work requirements. There is an
additional number not meeting all the
federal requirements.
123 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #15 - The measure of job
retention among adults receiving
Temporary Assistance by region. He noted
that the rate of job retention was 80%
statewide in FY00 and FY01. The goal for
job retention in FY02-03 is 80%.
145 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #17 - The percentage of
adults receiving temporary assistance who
have earned income. The caseload has
declined and it now becomes more
difficult to achieve higher percentages
of recipients with earned income as those
adults with more significant barriers to
employment make up a higher percentage of
the caseload.
163 Vice-Chair Bunde Asked about the 31% that are currently
working and how the more difficult people
would be placed.
176 Commissioner Livey Replied that all the measures will be
more difficult to achieve in the future
as the barriers to employment make it
more difficult to place the remaining
percentage.
180 Vice-Chair Bunde Addressed the 5-year challenge and how
the waivers will be addressed.
186 Commissioner Livey There is a 60-month time limit on public
assistance. Some of the family's time
st
limit will be up on July 1, 2002. Those
families are now being assessed for
waiver consideration. He acknowledged
that there would be some individuals and
families that will be adversely affected.
It is expected that there will be
approximately 70-80 clients per month
meeting the 60-month time line as of July
2002 and because of seasonal employment,
some families won't reach the time-line
for approximately 4 to 5 more years.
214 Vice-Chair Bunde Commented on the increase to minimum wage
and how that could impact people on
public assistance.
222 Commissioner Livey Explained that there is no specific
numbers available regarding that point.
229 Representative Requested an explanation of the
Harris Department's effort in getting work for
the people referenced and the training
that they will need in order to go to
work.
237 Commissioner Livey There is a full range of programs working
with individuals. Also, the Department
is working with employers for those in
the program or leaving the program. The
Department is attempting to do whatever
training a person needs to get a better
position.
259 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #20 - the average time
the Division of Medical Assistance takes
from receiving a claim to paying it. The
Division is very efficient. During the
last half of FY01, it took an average of
11.08 days to pay claims. Federal
regulation requires that 90% of all clean
claims received must be paid within 30
days and 99% of all clean claims received
must be paid within 90 days.
276 Vice-Chair Bunde Commended the Department for that rapid
payment schedule. He asked the time
period between the time that services are
provided and then paid.
283 Commissioner Livey A significant number are paid
electronically. The system slows down
when there is missing information. Those
claims have to be dealt with
individually. He added that an area,
which will affect the law, is HCFA, which
will have impact on payers, providers and
billers. He stressed that this will be a
big issue.
215 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #22 - The percentage of
total funds that are used to pay claims
compared to the percent used for
administration of the Division. He noted
that it is a fiscal measure of the
State's administrative overhead necessary
to support the medical assistance
programs.
325 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #23 - The percentage of
the providers who are participating in
the medical assistance program by region.
The total number of unduplicated
physicians who had at least one paid
claim during FY01 was 815. The measure
lists five types of provider services:
Physicians, Dentists, Pharmacies,
Hospitals, & Nursing Facilities.
341 Representative Croft Voiced concern that Medicaid has caused
the budget to grow so much over the past
five years.
350 Commissioner Livey Acknowledged that.
Commissioner Livey Listed the items that drive the budget.
365 Representative Croft Commented how cost increases have been
determined.
370 Commissioner Livey Explained that the Department does know
more about utilization.
378 JANET CLARKE, Clarified that the department could
DIRECTOR, DIVISION calculate the CPI to determine those
OF ADMINISTRATIVE costs.
SERVICES, DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL
SERVICES
382 Representative Croft Questioned how Alaska compares to other
states.
385 Commissioner Livey Replied that generally Medicaid uses more
cost procedures than other units. There
are other ways to make checks on payments
going out.
399 Representative Croft Reiterated that this element of the
budget has increased 500% over the past
number of years. He asked if there was
anything that could be done to slow it
down.
403 Commissioner Livey Replied that there are some states that
bid out portions of their program to
managed care.
409 Representative Croft Commented that he was searching on ways
to get a handle on that area.
415 Commissioner Livey Replied he did not believe that there was
anything in the Medicaid law to prohibit
that.
422 Commissioner Livey Added that there are federal
requirements, which have to be met.
There exists a full set of measures to
insure that the clients are getting
proper care.
427 Vice-Chair Bunde Asked the reasons that the costs are
going up. He thought that every Medicaid
procedure would be affected by each cost
increase.
433 Commissioner Livey Agreed. He added that the price of
health care in Alaska was flat for a
number of years and that in the past few
years as health care has become more
sophisticated, costs are dramatically
increasing. How to manage the general
funds costs are what need to be managed.
446 Representative Pointed out that there are provisions in
Harris State statute, and that there is a
mechanism for optional services.
453 Commissioner Livey Agreed that an options list had been
included.
457 Representative Croft Pointed out that usually that was a
public policy decision made by the
Legislature.
465 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #31 - Division of Family
and Youth Services, the length of time in
State custody before achieving adoption.
This measure is one of the most critical
steps and requires participation of many
"players".
480 Commissioner Livey Advised that Alaska's adoption length of
time has been declining since 1998. It
is down from 17 months to 12 months. The
target is 6 months. He spoke to the
Balloon Project.
490 Vice-Chair Bunde Asked if the Balloon project should be
continued.
493 Commissioner Livey Requested that it be continued.
495 Representative Asked the reason for the timeliness in
Hudson adoption concerns.
500 RUSS WEBB, DEPUTY Explained that these are often complex
COMMISSIONER, cases and are difficult to solve. Often
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH times they are charged emotionally.
AND SOCIAL SERVICES There are a series of protection rights
for the children and the parents. Once a
determination has been made, there have
been additional complications.
*Tape Now Working*
529 Representative Croft Asked about the length of time in State
custody before adoption - and the time
from parental rights. He inquired why it
took so long to place the child after the
parental rights had been terminated.
536 Mr. Webb Explained that the difficultly is finding
the appropriate adoptive parents. In
addition, many of the kids have complex
special needs. Finding a parent willing
to take on the special needs of the child
is difficult. He reiterated that there
are procedural steps, which have been
problematic.
551 Representative Croft Asked to see the percentage that is
subsidized adoptions. He asked about the
length of time from the adoption to the
termination. He inquired about the
procedural impediments hindering the
termination. There are many conflicting
interests.
560 Ms. Clarke Agreed that there are a number of
procedures that need some work within
that Division. She stated that the
Department would work with the
subcommittee to determine what those
issues are.
567 Vice-Chair Bunde Pointed out that these are older children
being discussed.
572 Representative Noted that many his constituents are
Hudson adopting children from overseas. He
encouraged that the State should be able
to provide a more fast track basis for
adoption.
582 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #35 - The percentage of
legitimate reports of harm that are
investigated. The target for the measure
is 100% of all legitimate reports of harm
be investigated. He noted that the
reports of harm are categorized into
three categories, the most serious, the
next level seriousness and the least
serious. He noted using community
service programs to help with the
investigations.
TAPE HFC 02 - 8, Side B
591 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page 36 - the turnover rate of
the Division of Family & Youth staff by
region. The target measure is a 10%
turnover rate in all regions.
586 Vice-Chair Bunde Asked why Anchorage had the highest
turnover number.
584 Mr. Clarke Replied that the challenges in that area
with the highest case loads. She
pointed out that the South central
section is newer for that Division. That
area has good long-term managers in that
area. Good managers go a long way and
can overcome difficulty seen in other
offices.
583 Mr. Webb Added that Anchorage has some of the
highest caseloads in the State.
580 Representative Croft Referenced Page #34 - and asked why that
page had not been discussed - the number
of closed cases in which there is a
reoccurrence of maltreatment. He pointed
out that it was twice as much as the
target.
562 Commissioner Livey Agreed it was a high number. He noted
that these were unsubstantiated reports
of maltreatment. The Department is doing
work with the numbers.
556 Representative Croft He stated that four times the federal
level should not be allowable.
552 Representative Questioned if there was a different way
Davies that the feds and the state define these
needs.
547 Mr. Webb Replied that the feds are more inclusive
in defining the numbers. The State facts
do not lead to that number - it is an
indeterminate finding, which makes the
number appear higher than it is.
536 Representative Referenced Page 26 - The number of
Davies children substantiated as abused or
neglected and the number of children
unconfirmed as abused or neglected by
region. He noted the 30% increase.
526 Mr. Webb Replied that there were a number of cases
that the information has been
outstanding. The directions for closing
out the case were not entered into the
system until this year.
520 Representative Advised that 10 cases a day is
Davies "shockingly" large. He asked how that
number could be reduced.
515 Mr. Webb Stressed that alcohol is a large
contributor to child abuse. It is
imperative that number be decreased. He
assessed that early help for the family
would help preclude the case down the
line.
500 Representative Asked if the number included 4,000
Davies children.
496 Mr. Webb Replied that there have been 4,000
substantiated abuse cases.
490 Representative Observed that this is a sad indication of
Hudson what is happening in Alaska. He hoped
that the Department was looking at other
states and how they deal successfully
with these concerns.
484 Vice-Chair Bunde Encouraged the subcommittee to explore
further these concerns.
477 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #38 - The Division of
Juvenile Justice. The mission of that
division is to protect and restore
communities and victims while holding
juvenile offenders accountable for
correcting their behavior.
474 Commissioner Livey Page #41 - The percent of ordered
restitution and community work service
that is paid or performed by the Juvenile
Offender. Mr. Livey noted that 87% of
the restitution was completed. The youth
has to confront the victim as well as pay
some restitution for the damage done. He
addressed the case management and
victim's support aspects.
463 Co-Chair Mulder Referenced Page #39 - the percentage of
juvenile offenders that re-offend.
457 Ms. Clarke Referred Co-Chair Mulder to Page #43 -
The percentage of juvenile offenders that
re-offend. The percentage of offenders
during FY01 that re-offended was 46%.
The number of kids being measured is the
ones coming out of institutions. 61% re-
offended, however, there is no national
standard for re-offense. The Division
has chosen a two-year window. The 61%
could have been any type of offense. She
acknowledged that the number was dis-
heartening.
439 Co-Chair Mulder Stressed that the very fact that the
State of Alaska is in the 50% recidivism
rate which is not good.
432 Mr. Webb Explained that it was a very small and
wide net being charted. This is a small
population and represents the most
difficult kids.
416 Commissioner Livey Agreed that flags should be raised with
this data and that the re-offenses need
to be checked.
411 Representative Croft The number is 5,000, which are referred,
and the number is about 1/2 of those that
are easy to deal with. He asked the
recidivism rate that does not require on-
going intervention help.
404 Mr. Webb Stated that has not routinely been
measured. Historically, most kids do not
show back up in the system. Those kids
that do will most likely have problems
later on in life long-term.
396 Representative Croft Asked for further information be provided
on the kids that need the formal
provision services.
387 Ms. Clarke Noted that this concern has been on the
Division of Juvenile Justice's work plan.
They have received federal money to help
track the process to track this segment
of the population.
378 Co-Chair Mulder Pointed out that to treat the juvenile
area intelligently must have good
information available.
374 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #47 - The percentage of
two-year old children in the State who
are fully immunized. He noted that the
target is 90%. He admitted that the
State has additional work to do.
363 Vice-Chair Bunde Requested a regional breakdown on the
number.
360 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #56 - Division of Alcohol
and Drug Abuse, the rate of binge or
chronic drinking by age group. He
stressed that more services are needed
for these kids. There is fairly high
percentage of kids binge drinking. There
has been talk about expanding the ASAP
program. Some of the data shows inhalant
abuse.
337 Vice-Chair Bunde Noted the 9th - 12th grade benchmark. He
suggested that the sample material was
too broad. He voiced concern with the
drinking patterns of the younger group.
331 Commissioner Livey Offered to check how the data was
gathered and break it down into different
age categories for Committee members.
322 Commissioner Livey In response to Co-Chair Mulder, he
addressed Page #57, indicates adult
chronic drinking. There are two different
categories, youth and adult.
316 Representative Croft Asked if the State was comparable to the
National average.
312 Ms. Clarke Pointed out that Anchorage was excluded
from the data. The data is as cued
without that information.
305 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page #68 - Division of Mental
Health and Developmental Disabilities,
the average length of time that
developmentally disabled consumers are on
a waiting list before receiving full
services. He noted that the amount of
time has been shrinking. He pointed out
that while those individuals are on the
waiting list they are receiving a small
amount of services.
286 Commissioner Livey Referenced Page 72 - the average length
of stay at the Alaska Psychiatric
Institute. He noted that the average
length of stay for those that are there
for less than 180 days is on the average
of 10 days. Rapid turnover does depend
on the types of services available in the
local communities.
Department of Revenue
256 WILSON, CONDON, Distributed the handout from the
COMMISSIONER, Department. [Copy on File].
DEPARTMENT OF
REVENUE
236 Commissioner Condon Highlighted the Child Support Enforcement
Division - the total operating budget as
compared to the total amount of
collections. In fiscal year 2001, the
cost effectiveness was $5.04 collected
for every $1 spent in the operating
funds.
202 Commissioner Condon Discussed the percentage of current child
support collected. He noted that as of
September 30, 2001, 51.2 percent was
collected of what was billed. He pointed
out that the national average is 56%
percent. There is room for improvement.
190 Commissioner Condon The next measure is the number of cases
where adjustment is overdue by 30 days or
more. He pointed out that there were
6,000 adjustments overdue at the
beginning of the fiscal year. By the
beginning of FY01, that number decreased
to 3,150. By the end of this fiscal
year, the number is now down to 267.
170 Commissioner Condon Noted that orders are needed to provide
collection. The State has been at the 77
and 80 percent level. The current rate is
79 percent. The national average is 61
percent.
150 Commissioner Condon Discussed the percentage of arrearages.
The State collects 68.5 percent of those
arrearages. The national average is 54.4
percent.
135 Representative Croft Observed that most of the complaints come
from the orders. He congratulated the
Commissioner in reducing the number.
123 LARRY PERSILY, Explained that the rate of arrearage is
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, affected by the collection of permanent
DEPARTMENT OF fund dividends. He observed that Alaskan
REVENUE orders run higher than other states.
107 REPRESENTATIVE HUGH Observed that increased collections by 4
FATE percent. He questioned if fees by third
parties had been included.
90 Mr. Persily Explained that there was one-third party
contract, which was ended. The contract
was not successful. The fee was about 14
to 15 percent of collectables.
73 Representative Referred to permanent fund dividend
Whitaker collections. He questioned if the
Department could make an application on
behalf of individuals.
52 Commissioner Condon Noted that the individual most often
makes the order unless it comes to the
State through the Court. The State can
force application through the Court.
44 Mr. Persily Advised that incarcerated felons do not
receive a dividend.
38 Representative Asked the Courts relationship to the
Hudson Department.
25 Commissioner Condon Clarified that the Court issues orders,
which are carried out by the Department.
14 Commissioner Condon Stated that the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board information would be
provided for the new year.
TAPE HFC 02 - 9, Side A
07 Commissioner Condon Discussed the Alaska Municipal Bond Bank
Authority. He noted that it was
successful. A little over $50 million
dollars was loaned as compared to the $25
million dollars in the previous year. The
cost of the program was 1 percent of the
bonds issued.
24 Commissioner Condon Reviewed the Alaska Permanent Fund
Corporation's measures. He noted that the
Corporation has paid less for management
fees than comparable asset class. The
Corporation over 5 years has achieved
close to their medium mark for returns.
74 Representative Croft Questioned why domestic equalities were
down and real estate was up.
83 Commissioner Condon Did not know the answer. He suggested
that performance should be compared to
the benchmark. The Fund performed close
to the national mark. He emphasized that
it can be misleading to compare the Fund
to performance of managers.
135 Commissioner Condon The one year return on the permanent fund
was -3.26 percent. The benchmark was -
4.46 percent. The Fund achieved 9.51
percent over 5 years. The benchmark was
9.63 percent. Adjusted rate of return
overtime with inflation was 7 percent
over 5 years.
174 Mr. Persily Reviewed the Alaska Housing Finance
Corporation (AHFC). He observed that they
have done a good job of trimming down
their administrative cost and protecting
market share and revenue.
205 Representative Questioned if the operating expense had
Lancaster been reduced due to market shares going
up.
210 Mr. Persily Explained that the volume affected
performance.
218 Commissioner Condon Listed the responsibilities of the
Treasury Division. That division has the
responsibility of managing the money for
retirement funds. The measure is the
investment returns against performance
benchmarks. The performance of the funds
for five years against the benchmark
applicable. The other funds listed have
not been in existence for five years.
263 Commissioner Condon Referenced Page #7 - Administrative costs
per dollar of investment. The costs
cover all costs incurred within the
Treasury Division as well as all the
external managers pertained to invest
money in the treasury and pension funds.
The average large costs are 28 basis
points.
282 Representative Croft Asked if there was any ability of the
smaller funds to leverage the permanent
funds investment.
288 Commissioner Condon Replied that was a possibility.
Currently, the State does not do that.
Each large fund is separately managed and
each of those funds does have an
investment horizon. The Treasury on the
other hand does expect a quick
turnaround. That is established
differently. The Permanent Fund is not
set up like that.
313 Commissioner Condon Spoke to the various "pools" that the
Department has based on fixed equity and
investment. A small fund can have an
asset allocation, which makes the most
sense. The Permanent Fund requires a
certain asset allocation.
323 Representative Inquired about the PERS & TERS retirement
Hudson trust fund board.
327 Commissioner Condon Replied that the investment of that money
is the fiduciary responsibility of the
Alaska State Pension Investment Board.
There are separate boards within each
system and it deals with issues and
concerns separate to each of those
boards. The Commissioner of Revenue is
on that Board.
348 Representative Voiced concern that those funds stay
Hudson adequately managed.
352 Commissioner Condon Responded that the asset allocation of
the retirement system and the PFD are
very closely monitored. During the past
couple years, the equity allocations in
the retirement systems has been
considerably higher than that in the
Permanent Fund system.
363 Commissioner Condon Commented on the Pension Investment
Board. He referenced Page #7 - the Tax
Division and the Division budget as
compared to the total amount collected by
the Division.
372 Commissioner Condon The amount of tax collected is spent on
the Tax Division. There are not a large
number of major disputes.
380 Commissioner Condon Referenced Page 9 - Office of the
Commissioner - The percentage of division
that meets assigned performance measures;
the average time taken to respond to
complaints and the questions that have
been elevated to the Commissioner's
Office. Additionally, the average time
taken to issue decisions in child support
claims and permanent fund dividend
appeals.
400 Co-Chair Mulder Inquired the average amount of time taken
in formal appeals for the Permanent Fund.
405 Mr. Persily Agreed that people should not have to
wait six month for an answer for appeal
concerns. He noted that there are now
volunteers within the Department of
Revenue to help with last year's reviewed
cases. He admitted that it has gotten
out of hand. All of last year's cases
are expected to be cleared out very soon.
412 Co-Chair Mulder Acknowledged that the appeal process
could be difficult.
Department of Corrections
440 MARGARET PUGH, Provided Committee members with a
COMMISSIONER, handout. [Copy on File]. She noted that
DEPARTMENT OF the mission of the Department of
CORRECTIONS Corrections was to protect the public by
confining, supervising, and
rehabilitating offenders under the
custody of the Department.
450 Commissioner Pugh Highlighted the measures as proposed by
the Department. She stated that the
Department does approximately 30,000
bookings a year. There are 4,684 people
in custody today. There are 2,242 in
state. She listed the number in Arizona,
treatment houses, half way houses, and
home furlough. There are 300 more this
year than last year. She noted that the
population projection could be addressed
in subcommittee.
421 Commissioner Pugh Addressed Page 1 - the number of
convicted felons released in a calendar
year who return to incarceration after
being convicted of a new felony within 1,
2, and 3 years after release. There are
only five other states that run a unified
system that Alaska runs.
495 Representative Asked if the returnees are parole
Hudson violators.
515 Commissioner Pugh Replied that it would only be those that
are first timers with a second felony
crime. There are other ways to collate
the data discussed.
521 Commissioner Pugh Pointed out that the highest rate of
return is within the first year of
release. That is the most vulnerable
time.
530 Commissioner Pugh In response to Co-Chair Mulder's query,
Commissioner Pugh pointed out that the
management information system came on
line in early December. She noted that
the Department is partnering with other
states to bring on other modules to save
money. The State of Alaska has been
working with the State of Utah. Colorado,
Idaho and New Mexico want in on this.
There are other modules to develop such
as the medical module, even though the
data is better than it has been.
550 Commissioner Pugh Referenced Page 1 - the number of days in
which the Department's facilities are
filled at greater than their emergency
capacity. In April, the new Anchorage
jail will open and that should take the
pressure off the system for the short-
term. She added that bookings are down a
little this year.
565 Commissioner Pugh Measure - The average time taken to
respond to complaints and questions that
have been elevated to the Commissioner's
office. The response time is currently
8.1 days.
571 Commissioner Pugh Page #2 - the mission of the Division of
Administrative Services is to provide
support services to departmental
programs. The legislature intends to
measure the success of the division in
achieving its mission by considering the
cost of the division as compared to the
personnel costs for the Department.
TAPE HFC 02 - 9, Side B
593 Commissioner Pugh Continued. She listed the measures
referenced on Page 2.
*The number of late penalties incurred
for payroll divided by the number of
paychecks issued.
*The number of late penalties incurred
for vendor payments divided by the number
of vendor payments issued.
*The number of complaints received
concerning payroll errors divided by the
number of paychecks issued.
*The number of outstanding audit
exceptions divided by the audit
exemptions during the fiscal year.
571 Commissioner Pugh Noted that the new prison will open in
February 2002. She invited all Committee
members to the opening.
558 Commissioner Pugh Referenced Page 3 - Division of
Institutions
*The number of inmates assaulted by
staff while in custody.
*The number of inmates assaulted by
other inmates while in custody.
*The number of inmate suicides.
*The average cost per day per inmate.
*The total cost of the program compared
to the number of participants.
543 Representative Inquired the average length of stay of
Davies per offenders in the electronic
monitoring program.
538 Commissioner Pugh Did not know, but thought they could
determine that number for Committee
members.
531 Representative Indicated that he did not understand the
Davies wording of the measure.
526 Commissioner Pugh Explained that the cost was determined by
how much it would cost to monitor versus
holding that person in the CRC bed or
institution. These are real costs, not
cost avoidance.
522 Representative Commented that was interesting way of
Davies looking at the situation. He thought it
could be less than a $1 dollar per day.
518 Co-Chair Mulder Interjected that it was a marginal
increase per day.
515 Commissioner Pugh Noted that there was a rolling enrollment
and a rolling release. She offered to
provide the specifics of that
information.
509 Representative Croft Commented that it appeared that the State
could save $125 thousand dollars by
cutting the program but it would actually
cost the State much more than that.
502 Representative Asked cost per day for incarceration
Hudson outside the State.
Commissioner Pugh Replied that the total cost was $57-$60
dollars per day in State. She added that
there has been a policy decision to
return the prisoners to the State of
Alaska.
495 HOUSE SPEAKER BRIAN Asked if the costs were getting better or
PORTER worse.
490 DWAYNE PEEPLES, Expanded on the Department's formula. He
DIRECTOR, stated that the cost does not include all
ADMINISTRATIVE the innovation programs that have been
SERVICES, DEPARTMENT implemented over the last decade. Medical
OF CORRECTIONS services are scud as well as the
administrative overhead. The cost could
be approximately $105 dollars. He added
that it has been confusing and
contentious with the subcommittee and
consequently they are looking at a cost
allocation plan. The determined number
could drop over time from the number of
days over cap. The cost would drop down
to $110.
470 Co-Chair Mulder Asked if that would happen with the new
jail coming on line.
469 Mr. Peeples Responded that the new jail coming on
line would not hit until later during the
year. It is always a moving target with
the number of beds.
468 House Speaker Porter Stated that if the formula keeps
changing, it is difficult for Legislators
to make the appropriate determination.
467 Co-Chair Mulder Explained that there are really only two
numbers, the hard bed costs and the
overall costs. Alaska is far ahead of
most states.
464 House Speaker Porter Inquired what the number was in the last
fiscal year.
459 Commissioner Pugh Offered to provide that number for
members.
456 Mr. Peeples Emphasized that it will vary with how
many people there are.
450 Commissioner Pugh She reminded members that the numbers are
always an average.
443 Commissioner Pugh Pointed out that it is a successful and
cost effective option. She added that
the program should be expanded. She
addressed the inmate health care. The
average medical cost per inmate $11.10
per day. The amount of inmate co-pay
fees collected was $66,157 dollars.
426 Commissioner Pugh Listed the inmate programs.
*Batterer's Program
*MCCC Sex offenders Program
*LCCC Sex offenders program
*Adult Basic Education
*GED
*Youth Offender Program
*Vocational/Technical program
*Substance Abuse Programs
400 Representative Croft Asked about the recidivism rates within
those programs such as in the batterer's
program.
396 Commissioner Pugh Pointed out that Page 6 demonstrates
information regarding that concern. The
measure indicates the re-admit numbers
who completed inmate programs during
previous incarcerations.
358 Representative Voiced confusion with the numbers listed
Davies in the batterer's program.
350 CANDACE BROWER, Explained how the determination was
OFFICE OF THE measured. The data was gathered
COMMISSIONER, verbally, self report system. The number
PROGRAM COORDINATOR, lists all people within that system and
DEPARTMENT OF the number assumes that they successfully
CORRECTIONS completed the program.
328 Representative Assumed that the numbers could not be
Davies compared.
325 Commissioner Pugh Agreed that the program needs to be
revisited and then edited. It should be
measured.
314 Co-Chair Mulder Need to be specific with the programs.
The challenge with the MIS is getting the
data information.
302 Commissioner Pugh Someone developed the module. She
offered to provide the needed data. She
addressed the re-entry aspect for the
prisoners. Commissioner Pugh noted that
there is a lot of information available
nationally. She commented that when the
Alaska system is completed, it could be
one of the best in the nation.
285 Commissioner Pugh Referenced Page 6 - Alaska Correctional
Industries (ACI) - The percentage of
program participants who receive jobs
after release. She addressed the income
divided by expense for each ACI program.
270 Co-Chair Mulder Pointed out that one of the largest
percentage of re-offenders return within
their first year of release. He thought
that meant that those inmates were not
getting jobs skills that would lead to
employment on the outside.
263 House Speaker Porter Asked what would cause a "transfer" in
the middle of a program.
258 Commissioner Pugh Usually those persons are transferred to
Arizona for overcrowding reasons. She
noted that most often the best guys are
transferred outside. She agreed with Co-
Chair Mulder and that there needs to be
more emphasis on job training and pre-
release skills.
246 Representative Croft Pointed out a mistake listed on Page 6
under the Hiland Mountain Garment
expense, which should be $81,284.45.
230 Commissioner Pugh Acknowledged that was a mistake. She
added that this year there have been
funds generated.
222 Commissioner Pugh Interjected that component of the budget
does included wages.
205 Commissioner Pugh Referenced Page 7.
202 Co-Chair Mulder Clarified that the actual ACI program
does not cover their expenses, however,
the costs of the products are covered.
192 Commissioner Pugh Stated that by statute, State personnel
should not be paid out of the product
fund.
182 Commissioner Pugh The percentage of inmate pay is used to
their pay restitution. In FY01 was .04%
that percentage of inmate pay often used
to pay child support, which is listed as
the #1 priority. Only 10% of the
prisoners are working in ACI and not all
have restitution ordered or child
support.
137 Commissioner Pugh Referenced Page 8 - Division of Community
Corrections whose mission is to develop
and maintain public safety through
supervision standards in conjunction with
the regional chief probation officers,
and provide for public safety through
supervision of adult felons who are
placed in the division's jurisdiction.
114 Commissioner Pugh The number of inmates on felony probation
divided by the number of probation
officer set out by geographical area.
102 Commissioner Pugh Page #9 - The Parole Board
The mission of the Board is to administer
the release of eligible correctional
inmates while providing for public safety
and for the successful integration of
parolees into the community. The change
in the number of discretional paroles who
are arrested and returned to custody each
year in 2001 was 34.
078 Commissioner Pugh Addressed the percentage of monitored
parolees who are employed each calendar
quarter. The second quarter of FY02,
there were 759 monitored parolees.
030 Speaker Porter Recommended a longer charting of
comparable data and the trends.
016 Commissioner Pugh Voiced her appreciation for the input of
the Legislature and the subcommittee.
011 Co-Chair Mulder Pointed out that this was the first year
in which full statistics were provided.
TAPE HFC 02 - 10, Side A
002 Co-Chair Mulder ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned
at 4:56 P.M.
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