Legislature(2025 - 2026)GRUENBERG 120
01/29/2025 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Department of Law | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
January 29, 2025
1:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Andrew Gray, Chair
Representative Chuck Kopp, Vice Chair
Representative Ted Eischeid
Representative Genevieve Mina
Representative Sarah Vance
Representative Mia Costello
Representative Jubilee Underwood
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF LAW
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
CORI MILLS, Deputy Attorney General (Civil Division)
Office of the Attorney General
Department of Law
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview of the Department
of Law.
ANGIE KEMP, Division Director
Criminal Division (Central Office)
Department of Law
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview of the Department
of Law.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:05:53 PM
CHAIR ANDREW GRAY called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. Representatives Underwood,
Costello, Mina, Eischeid, Vance, Kopp, and Gray were present at
the call to order.
^OVERVIEW: Department of Law
OVERVIEW: Department of Law
1:06:43 PM
CHAIR GRAY announced that the only order of business would be an
overview by the Department of Law (DOL).
1:07:08 PM
CORI MILLS, Deputy Attorney General (Civil Division), Department
of Law (DOL), co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "Alaska
Department of Law FY 2026 Overview" [hard copy included in the
committee packet]. She introduced DOL's leadership team and
shared the department's mission, duties per AS 44.23.020, and
values. In addition to its statutory duties, DOL participates
as a public advocate to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska
(RCA), enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws, and
oversees the adoption of regulation. She segued to the Civil
Division, which provides legal services to the executive branch
and effectively acts as the largest law firm in the state with
145 attorneys and 250 total staff.
1:18:56 PM
MS. MILLS, in response to a series of committee questions, said
there is a 6-7 percent vacancy rate for DOL attorneys, which is
down from 20 percent several years ago; the department struggles
to hire law office assistants; the ability to retain attorneys
has helped decrease the workload for the Child Protection
Section and contributed to a lower vacancy rate, despite a
smaller applicant pool; a new section was created that focuses
on recruitment and retention and oversees a successful
fellowship program within the Civil Division.
1:24:38 PM
MS. MILLS resumed the presentation with an explanation of the
Civil Division's organizational chart and the type of work
performed by each section. In response to further committee
questions, she gave an update on the Revised Statute 2477 (RS
2477) Chicken litigation, which asserted ownership of multiple
rights-of-way in Chicken, Alaska. She reported that the
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has filed a notice of
intent to sue on another large section of trails, so DOL is
working on a strategy to obtain as many trails as possible
rather than litigating each one. She also addressed the
department's cybersecurity efforts.
1:40:50 PM
ANGIE KEMP, Division Director, Criminal Division (Central
Office), Department of Law (DOL), continued the presentation
with an overview of the Criminal Division's mission. She
reported that Alaska's crime rate is at a 40-year low with a
reduction in sexual assault, property crimes, aggravated
assault, and burglary offenses. She reported that in fiscal
year 2024 (FY 24), the division's conviction rate was 82 percent
in felony cases, a statistical increase from prior years. She
highlighted several convictions across the state, illustrating
the department's statewide success, and listed the division's
regional leadership. She continued by detailing the stages of a
criminal case: investigation, informed referral, formal
referral, pretrial litigation, pretrial resolution, trial,
sentencing, and post-trial litigation.
1:55:46 PM
MS. KEMP, in response to committee questions, talked about
factors that may contribute to delays in pre-trial custody, and
highlighted the backlog that was created during the COVID-19
Pandemic. She reported that the average number of cases per
prosecutor is 144 and referenced a 1998 study that found that a
public defender should have no more than 59 cases assuming a 60-
hour work week. She suggested that this could be applicable to
prosecutors as well, which indicates that a rate of 144 may be
high. She spoke to the difference in caseload between rural and
urban Alaska, noting that in Dillingham, for example, there is
an average caseload of 339 per position. Increasing the number
of prosecutors is one path to lowering the average caseload;
however, currently, there are less law students and fewer that
pass the bar. She highlighted challenges with retention and
efficiency among younger prosecutors.
2:30:00 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| House Judiciary Committee Law Overview final.pdf |
HJUD 1/29/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Department of Law Overview |