Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 120
03/05/2007 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar | |
| Commission on Judicial Conduct | |
| Alaska Judicial Council | |
| 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 5, 2007
1:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Nancy Dahlstrom, Vice Chair
Representative John Coghill
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Max Gruenberg
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jay Ramras, Chair
Representative Ralph Samuels
Representative Lindsey Holmes
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar
Donald McLean, D.D.S. - Wasilla
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Commission on Judicial Conduct
Henry K. Novak - Kenai
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Alaska Judicial Council
Charles M. Kopp - Kenai
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Violent Crimes Compensation Board
Gerad G. Godfrey - Eagle River
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DONALD McLEAN, D.D.S., Appointee
to the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Board of
Governors of the Alaska Bar.
HENRY K. NOVAK, Appointee
to the Commission on Judicial Conduct (CJC)
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Commission on
Judicial Conduct (CJC).
CHARLES M. KOPP, Appointee
to the Alaska Judicial Council (AJC)
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Alaska
Judicial Council (AJC).
GERAD G. GODFREY, Appointee
to the Violent Crimes Compensation Board (VCCB)
Eagle River, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Violent
Crimes Compensation Board (VCCB).
ACTION NARRATIVE
VICE CHAIR NANCY DAHLSTROM called the House Judiciary Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:05:55 PM. Representatives
Gruenberg, Dahlstrom, Coghill, and Lynn were present at the call
to order.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
^Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar
1:06:10 PM
VICE CHAIR DAHLSTROM announced that the committee would first
consider the appointment of Donald McLean, D.D.S., to the Board
of Governors of the Alaska Bar.
1:07:22 PM
DONALD McLEAN, D.D.S., Appointee to the Board of Governors of
the Alaska Bar, relayed that he is a long-standing member of the
community and has been a practicing dentist in Alaska for 29
years, and mentioned that he has been attending a long-distance
legal education program in order to obtain an executive juris
doctorate degree. He said he would like to put some of his
knowledge, experience, and effort towards serving the state. In
response to questions, he said he would not be sitting for the
Alaska bar exam once he obtains the aforementioned degree.
1:12:33 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of Donald McLean, D.D.S., as appointee to the
Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar. There being no objection,
the confirmation was advanced from the House Judiciary Standing
Committee.
^Commission on Judicial Conduct
1:13:10 PM
VICE CHAIR DAHLSTROM announced that the committee would next
consider the appointment of Henry K. Novak to the Commission on
Judicial Conduct (CJC).
1:13:52 PM
HENRY K. NOVAK, Appointee to the Commission on Judicial Conduct
(CJC), relayed that he's always had an interest in the field of
law and now runs a drug and alcohol treatment program that
serves the communities of Kenai and Homer. He said he has had a
lot of contact with the legal profession and is very familiar
with concepts of confidentiality and ethics. He offered his
belief that he would be an asset to the CJC. In response to
comments and questions, he said he would do his best to ensure
that the CJC maintains an ethical process.
1:19:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN made a motion to advance from committee the
nomination of Henry K. Novak to the Commission on Judicial
Conduct. There being no objection, the confirmation was
advanced from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.
^Alaska Judicial Council
1:20:41 PM
VICE CHAIR DAHLSTROM announced that the committee would next
consider the appointment of Charles M. Kopp to the Alaska
Judicial Council (AJC).
1:21:23 PM
CHARLES M. KOPP, Appointee to the Alaska Judicial Council (AJC),
recounted his educational history, and said that as police chief
of the Kenai Police Department (KPD), he's been working closely
with the judiciary and is familiar with and has an interest in
all of the issues the AJC deals with. In response to questions,
he said that with regard to appointments to the Alaska Supreme
Court, for example, he would be looking for candidates that have
integrity, are fair, and have [a suitable] judicial temperament
and experience. He acknowledged that how the judiciary
interprets the law has lately become a matter of public
discussion, but said that he is confident that the AJC, as a
group, will choose judicial candidates wisely. He said he is
pleased with how the AJC has been set up and with the
information the AJC has made available on its web site regarding
the criteria that judicial applicants must meet.
MR. KOPP, in response to comments and questions, relayed that he
would keep an open mind and give all judicial candidates an
equal and fair hearing. He suggested that his resume
illustrates that he is committed to the good of Alaskans, and
said he sees his service on the AJC as being critical for the
greater public good. He went on to say that the most important
traits for a judge to have are a sense of fairness and an
ability to communicate well, which, he acknowledged, also
includes the ability to listen. In response to further
comments, he indicated that his experience as a member of the
Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC), as a police officer, and
as acting city manager will stand him in good stead as a member
of the AJC.
1:41:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN made a motion to advance from committee the
nomination of Charles M. Kopp to the Alaska Judicial Council.
There being no objection, the confirmation was advanced from the
House Judiciary Standing Committee.
^Violent Crimes Compensation Board
1:42:37 PM
VICE CHAIR DAHLSTROM announced that the committee would last
consider the reappointment of Gerad G. Godfrey to the Violent
Crimes Compensation Board (VCCB).
1:44:11 PM
GERAD G. GODFREY, Appointee to the Violent Crimes Compensation
Board (VCCB), relayed that he has served on the VCCB for four
years, and that at the time he started his service, the VCCB was
functioning at a bare minimum and there was a lot that needed to
be done with regard to streamlining certain processes and
establishing a comprehensive approach to the tasks set before
it. He mentioned that of those seeking assistance from the
VCCB, rural Alaskans are overrepresented as a population. To
address this issue, the VCCB developed a three-year plan and has
established a relationship with a sub agency of the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOA). However, there is still a lot that
needs to be done which would enable the VCCB to function more
efficiently.
MR. GODFREY mentioned that he is anticipating that the VCCB will
be dealing with over 1,000 claims a year. In one sense, this is
a positive thing because it illustrates that the VCCB is doing
its job, but it is also discouraging because it illustrates that
there are a lot of victims of violent crime in the state. He
mentioned that the court system, law enforcement entities, and
healthcare providers are required by law to inform victims of
violent crimes about the existence of the VCCB. The VCCB is an
extremely motivated board, and will be focusing efforts to
encourage religious entities to also disseminate information
about the VCCB to those that may need it.
MR. GODFREY opined that the current VCCB board is in the process
of setting a new standard for future boards to follow, and said
that his hope is to be able to continue to serve so as to be
able to "finish what we started." In response to questions, he
relayed that when the VCCB receives funds from the state,
primarily from garnished permanent fund dividends (PFDs), the
federal government matches those funds at a rate of sixty cents
on the dollar; that the VCCB's typical annual budget runs
between $1.5 million and $2 million; and that most grants the
VCCB applies for can probably be taken care of in-house. He
mentioned that [there is] a problem in that the Council on
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA) is refusing to
submit grants for various victim advocacy programs, and relayed
that he will be investigating that issue further and hopes that
it can be resolved.
MR. GODFREY mentioned that the VCCB had requested an intern,
both last year and this year, to compile the VCCB's statistical
information for the benefit of the VCCB and the legislature. In
response to a question, he indicated that it might be helpful if
driving under the influence (DUI) crimes could be added to the
statutory list of compensable crimes; the current board does
compensate victims of such crimes, but future boards may decide
not to.
1:58:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of Gerad G. Godfrey to the Violent Crimes
Compensation Board. There being no objection, the confirmation
was advanced from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 1:59 p.m.
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