Legislature(2025 - 2026)GRUENBERG 120
03/14/2025 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s):|| Alaska Police Standards Council|| Commission on Judicial Conduct|| State Commission for Human Rights|| Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association|| Violent Crimes Compensation Board | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
March 14, 2025
1:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Andrew Gray, Chair
Representative Ted Eischeid
Representative Genevieve Mina
Representative Sarah Vance
Representative Mia Costello
Representative Jubilee Underwood
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Chuck Kopp, Vice Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Alaska Police Standards Council
David Ross Kenai
Daniel Carothers Juneau
Timothy Collins - Kodiak
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Commission on Judicial Conduct
Bill Satterberg Fairbanks
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
State Commission for Human Rights
Dorene Lorenz Juneau
Jessie Ruffridge Soldotna
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association
Jebediah Cox Wasilla
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Violent Crimes Compensation Board
Robert Urata Juneau
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DAVID ROSS, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the Alaska Police Standards Council.
DANIEL CAROTHERS, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the Alaska Police Standards Council.
TIMOTHY COLLINS, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the Alaska Police Standards Council.
BILL SATTERBERG, Appointee
Commission on Judicial Conduct
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the Commission on Judicial Conduct.
ED MARTIN, representing self
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to Mr. Satterberg's
appointment
DORENE LORENZ, Appointee
State Commission for Human Rights
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the State Commission for Human Rights.
JESSIE RUFFRIDGE, Appointee
State Commission for Human Rights
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the State Commission for Human Rights.
JEBEDIAH COX, Appointee
Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association.
DR. ROBERT URATA, MD, Appointee
Violent Crimes Compensation Board
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the governor's appointee to
the Violent Crimes Compensation Board.
LAUREL SHOOP, representing self
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in Support of Dr. Urata.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:44 PM
CHAIR ANDREW GRAY called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. Representatives Costello, Mina,
Eischeid, and Gray were present at the call to order.
Representatives Vance and Underwood arrived as the meeting was
in progress.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
^Alaska Police Standards Council
^Commission on Judicial Conduct
^State Commission for Human Rights
^Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association
^Violent Crimes Compensation Board
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Alaska Police Standards Council
Commission on Judicial Conduct
State Commission for Human Rights
Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association
Violent Crimes Compensation Board
1:03:23 PM
CHAIR GRAY announced that the only order of business would be
confirmation hearings. He informed the committee that although
absent from today's hearing, Representative Kopp is supportive
of Mr. Ross's confirmation.
1:04:16 PM
DAVID ROSS, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC),
Kenai police chief, said he served on APSC for the last three
years and looked forward to his continued service and an
opportunity to help address the need for a professional and
well-trained law enforcement workforce in Alaska.
1:05:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked Mr. Ross about his vision and goals
for APSC.
MR. ROSS said APSC's primary focus is to consider regulation
changes and officer certification to help retain good officers
and eliminate the "not good" officers. In response to a follow
up question, he said in recent years, the council considered a
broad regulation package that included changes to in-service
training; changes to the age of corrections officers; and
regulation changes in regard to creating a supervisory and a
management level certificate for law enforcement agencies.
1:07:48 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Mr. Ross's appointment.
After ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed
public testimony.
1:08:38 PM
DANIEL CAROTHERS, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council
(APSC), highlighted his 28 years of experience for the
Department of Corrections (DOC) [resume included in the
committee packet], and said he appreciated the governor for his
appointment.
1:09:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked Mr. Carothers about his vision for
APSC, as well as his work on the council.
MR. CAROTHERS shared his belief that his firsthand experience at
DOC gave him a good understanding of correctional and probation
officers and what kind of regulations and training would benefit
those positions.
1:10:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE, referencing Mr. Carothers's resume,
highlighted his varied work history and achievements and asked
about the probation and parole supervision classification system
that he implemented in 1982.
MR. CAROTHERS described the custody board he developed while
working as the district supervising probation officer in Bethel.
He said the board determined how often he would need to make
contact with each person on probation.
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Mr. Carothers's
appointment. After ascertaining that no one wished to testify,
he closed public testimony.
1:15:28 PM
TIMOTHY COLLINS, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council
(APSC), Alaska State Troopers (AST) sergeant, detailed his
background in law enforcement [resume included in the committee
packet] and said if confirmed, he would work diligently to
uphold the highest standards of law enforcement in Alaska,
ensuring that officers are equipped with the training,
resources, and support their need to serve the community
effectively. He said he's committed to promoting transparency,
ethical policing, and accountability to foster trust between law
enforcement and the public they serve.
1:17:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked Sergeant Collins about his vision for
APSC, as well his work on the council.
SERGEANT COLLINS said ensuring that officers are held to high
standards, held accountable if they do something wrong, and
given a second chance if its deserved. In addition, he
suggested implementing mandatory management training for new
supervisors within police and corrections in Alaska, which is an
area that is lacking.
1:19:17 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Mr. Collins' appointment.
After ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed
public testimony.
1:20:08 PM
BILL SATTERBERG, Appointee, Commission on Judicial Conduct, gave
an overview of his professional background [resume included in
the committee packet]. He said he requested to serve because
the role of the judiciary is important, and the commission plays
an integral role in its integrity, impartiality, and
accountability.
1:22:37 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Mr. Satterberg's
appointment.
1:22:58 PM
ED MARTIN, representing self, testified in opposition to Mr.
Satterberg's appointment. He shared his experience with the
Commission on Judicial Conduct and expressed his hope that no
appointments would be made until conducting a full investigation
of the commission and its actions over the course of several
years. He urged members to review the documents he submitted to
the committee.
CHAIR GRAY closed public testimony on Mr. Satterberg's
appointment.
1:26:37 PM
CHAIR GRAY asked whether Mr. Satterberg, as a Fairbanks defense
attorney, would need to recuse himself in certain scenarios.
MR. SATTERBERG responded yes, he would recuse himself if the
case involved a close friend, if he were a complainant, or if he
could not maintain impartiality on an active case.
1:27:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE asked Mr. Satterberg for his response to
the request for more public engagement from the Commission on
Judicial Conduct.
MR. SATTERBERG agreed that there should be public access to
these boards and commissions, and that public input is
important; however, he observed that people can be long-winded
and that controls need to be established to maintain order,
respect, and brevity.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE asked whether there is an opportunity for
public comment at the meetings.
MR. SATTERBERG said there is a public comment period at the
beginning of the meeting, after which point, a closed session is
held to discuss matters that may be damaging if, for example, an
invalid complaint against a judge were to be a matter of public
record.
1:31:59 PM
DORENE LORENZ, Appointee, Alaska State Commission for Human
Rights (ASCHR), shared her extensive background in news, media,
and film [resume included in the committee packet]. She said
she has a strong sense of fairness and justice that was
engrained in her from her diverse family. She distributed a
booklet titled "Civil Rights Heroes of Alaska Volume," which she
hoped would engage young Alaskans.
1:34:03 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO asked what Ms. Lorenz hoped to
accomplish on ASCHR.
MS. LORENZ said ASCHR had several bills before the legislature
that she described as "cleanup common sense" items, including a
name change from the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights to
the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights; an update that
would align the date of the annual reporting requirements with
the fiscal year to ensure that everyone has the information at
the beginning of the year; and provide an opportunity for due
process.
1:36:53 PM
CHAIR GRAY questioned the difference between human rights and
civil rights.
MS. LORENZ described civil rights as the right to have credit,
somewhere to live, and respect within the workplace.
Conversely, human rights are the right to clean drinking water,
homeless shelters, food, and imprisonment for no reason, for
example, which are not under ASCHR's purview.
1:39:10 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Ms. Lorenz's appointment.
After ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed
public testimony.
1:40:00 PM
JESSIE RUFFRIDGE, Appointee, Alaska State Commission for Human
Rights (ASCHR), gave an overview of her personal and
professional background and her community service experience
[resume included in the committee packet], specifically in
support of teen parents through the nonprofit organization,
Young Life Alaska. In her past 4 years of service on the
commission, she said she has enjoyed the ability to engross
herself in the state's civil rights history and build
connectivity.
1:46:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked about the biggest challenges facing
the commission outside of the proposed name change.
MS. RUFFRIDGE shared her understanding that there had been
unrest and discord before her appointment to ASCHR. She said
solid representation and support for the commission's mission
has been the most satisfying aspect.
1:47:22 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Ms. Ruffridge's
appointment. After ascertaining that no one wished to testify,
he closed public testimony.
1:48:13 PM
JEBEDIAH COX, Appointee, Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar
Association ("the bar"), said thanks to the hard work of its
staff, the bar has been able to expand and enhance its [indisc.]
offerings, which allows its members to stay current with
evolving legal standards and practices. Additionally, the staff
worked tirelessly to manage and ultimately pay off the K Street
building, a significant milestone that represents sound
financial stewardship. Another testament to the staff's careful
planning and fiscal responsibility is that the bar's dues have
not increased in over a decade.
1:50:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA questioned the biggest challenges facing the
bar during Mr. Cox's time serving on the Board of Governors.
MR. COX said the bar has worked tirelessly on closing the
justice gap by adding more pro bono work, alternative licensing
methods, apprenticeship avenues, and recruitment tactics to
increase diversity in the field. Another hurdle was improving
Alaska's Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) cutoff score, which is now on
par with 40 other states. Additionally, the bar increased the
number of CLEs [Continuing Legal Education] to meet the
legislature's request.
1:52:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO asked whether there had been an uptick
in UBE applicants.
MR. COX said the number hasn't changed too much. The bar is
working to remove barriers by making allowances for medical
exclusions and other UBE approved accommodations, as well as
computer-based tests.
1:52:59 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Mr. Cox's appointment.
After ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed
public testimony.
1:53:51 PM
DR. ROBERT URATA, MD, Appointee, Violent Crimes Compensation
Board (VCCB), informed the committee that he had served on VCCB
for 4 years, and expanded on his professional background and
education [resume included in the committee packet]. He said he
particularly enjoyed helping victims of violent crime and hoped
to continue this work with the legislature's blessing.
1:55:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO asked about the compensation limits and
whether they hinder VCCB's ability to help victims.
DR. URATA acknowledged the function of compensation limits;
however, he expressed concern about the diminishing budget and
federal reimbursements.
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO questioned the limits for helping
families.
DR. URATA responded a maximum of $40,000, but that amount is
rarely awarded. He shared his understanding that most are
around $5,000 or $10,000.
1:57:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA questioned the biggest challenges facing
VCCB.
DR. URATA answered the budget and "being able to help everyone."
He suggested that the board may need to either make the average
award smaller or help fewer people.
1:58:43 PM
CHAIR GRAY opened public testimony on Dr. Urata's appointment.
1:59:10 PM
LAUREL SHOOP, representing self, testified in support of Dr.
Urata's appointment. She explained that Dr. Urata had been an
immeasurable contribution to the board and helps families in a
significant way.
1:59:44 PM
CHAIR GRAY closed public testimony on Dr. Urata's appointment.
2:00:02 PM
CHAIR GRAY moved to advance the confirmations of David Ross,
Daniel Carothers, and Timothy Collins to the Alaska Police
Standards Council, Bill Satterberg to the Commission on Judicial
Conduct, Dorene Lorenz and Jessie Ruffridge to the Alaska State
Commission for Human Rights, Jebediah Cox to the Board of
Governors of the Alaska Bar Association, and Robert Urata to the
Violent Crimes Compensation Board to the joint session of the
House and Senate for consideration. She reminded members that
signing the reports regarding appointment to boards and
commissions in no way reflects individual members' approval or
disapproval of the appointees, and that the nominations are
merely forwarded to the full legislature for confirmation or
rejection. There being no objection, the confirmations were
advanced.
2:00:43 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 2:00 p.m.
2:00:53 PM
CHAIR GRAY gave closing remarks.
2:01:46 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:01 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Jedediah Cox Alaska Bar Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Alaska Bar |
| William Satterberg Judicial Conduct Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Judicial Conduct |
| Dan Carothers Police Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Police |
| Robert Urata VCCB Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Violent Crimte Comp |
| Timothy Collins Police Standards Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Police Standards Council |
| David Ross Police Standards Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Police Standards Council |
| Jessie Ruffridge Human Rights Resume 2025_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Human Rights |
| Dorene Lorenz Human Rights Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HJUD 3/14/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Human Rights |