Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 106
03/13/2007 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s)|| Lieutenant Governor Designee | |
| Commissioner, Department of Administration | |
| Commissioner, Department of Public Safety | |
| Commissioner, Department of Corrections | |
| Alaska Public Offices Commission | |
| State Commission for Human Rights | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
March 13, 2007
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bob Lynn, Chair
Representative Bob Roses, Vice Chair
Representative John Coghill
Representative Kyle Johansen
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Andrea Doll
Representative Max Gruenberg
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Lieutenant Governor Designee
Talis Colberg - Palmer
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Commissioner, Department of Administration
Annette Kreitzer - Juneau
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Commissioner, Department of Public Safety
Walter C. Monegan III - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Commissioner, Department of Corrections
Joe Schmidt - Wasilla
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Alaska Public Offices Commission
Shirley R. Dean - Douglas
Elizabeth Johnston Hickerson - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
State Commission for Human Rights
Karen Rhoades - Wasilla
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
TALIS COLBERG, Appointee
as Lieutenant Governor Designee
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointed lieutenant governor
designee.
ANNETTE KREITZER, Acting Commissioner
Department of Administration
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointed commissioner of the
Department of Administration.
WALTER C. MONEGAN III, Acting Commissioner
Department of Public Safety
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointed commissioner of the
Department of Public Safety.
JOE SCHMIDT, Acting Commissioner
Department of Corrections
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointed commissioner of the
Department of Corrections.
SHIRLEY R. DEAN, Appointee
to the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC)
Douglas, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Alaska Public
Offices Commission.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR BOB LYNN called the House State Affairs Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04:37 AM. Representatives Roses, Coghill,
Johansen, Johnson, Doll, and Lynn were present at the call to
order. Representative Gruenberg arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
^Lieutenant Governor Designee
8:05:37 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the first order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Talis Colberg as
Lieutenant Governor Designee.
8:05:52 AM
TALIS COLBERG, Appointee as Lieutenant Governor Designee,
offered his background.
8:08:27 AM
MR. COLBERG stated that he is honored to have been appointed as
Lieutenant Governor Designee, and he said he can fill the tasks
required of that post, as well as the tasks of the lieutenant
governor if need be. In response to Chair Lynn, he said
although he has not given much thought to the possibility, in
the unlikely event he should have to act as governor, he would
be fair and honorable.
8:10:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES related that Governor Sarah Palin praises
Mr. Colberg's skill and abilities to fill the position of
Lieutenant Governor Designee.
8:10:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL encouraged Mr. Talis to keep an eye on
the ethics of the legislature. He stated his support of Mr.
Talis' appointment.
8:11:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN, on behalf of Mr. Talis and all the
upcoming people present for confirmation, stated that he is
aware of the great sacrifice made to serve the public, and he
expressed appreciation of all involved for their commitment to
the state.
8:12:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DOLL said she is pleased by all she has read
about Mr. Colberg and about how receptive he is to new ideas.
8:12:40 AM
CHAIR LYNN said that he has been impressed by Mr. Colberg.
8:13:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG related that he had received a phone
call from Mike Barnhill last night relating to "legislation to
solve the regent problem." He expressed his appreciated for Mr.
Barnhill's call and Mr. Colberg's cooperation.
8:14:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL moved to advance the confirmation of
Talis Colberg to the joint session of the House and Senate; he
requested unanimous consent. There being no objection, the
nomination of Talis Colberg to the position of Lieutenant
Governor Designee was advanced.
^Commissioner, Department of Administration
CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Annette Kreitzer as
commissioner of the Department of Administration.
8:14:31 AM
ANNETTE KREITZER, Acting Commissioner, Department of
Administration, presented a brief history of her prior
experience.
8:16:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES thanked Ms. Kreitzer for her conversations
with him regarding the Public Employees' Retirement System
(PERS), the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS), and the ARM
Board, and her willingness to discuss any and all issues brought
forward. He stated his support of her appointment.
ACTING COMMISSIONER KREITZER talked about having a unified state
position coming in to ARM Board meetings. She said other board
members like that approach.
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES said he appreciates that approach, as well,
because, having sat on the ARM Board, it sometimes felt like
some members of the board were having to act as referees.
8:19:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN noted that on paper it is apparent that
Ms. Kreitzer has experience in state government. Additionally,
he said he has worked with Ms. Kreitzer and has seen first hand
the dedication she has for her work. He said he knows that work
ethic will continue.
8:21:32 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER KREITZER, in response to a question from
Representative Gruenberg, said there are many crime bills
introduced each year and the Public Defender Agency and the
Office of Public Advocacy are busy. She invited Representative
Gruenberg to let her know of particular bills about which he is
interested in hearing feedback from those entities. She assured
Representative Gruenberg that those entities are not prohibited
or discouraged in any manner from [giving feedback to the
legislature regarding crime bills].
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he does not have any particular
bill in mind, but has an interest in general in hearing from
those entities.
8:23:14 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER KREITZER, in response to a request made by
Representative Coghill, mentioned some of the entities overseen
by the Commissioner of Administration, which in entirety are:
the Division of Administrative Services, the Office of
Administrative Hearings, the Division of Finance, the Division
of General Services, Enterprise Technology Services, the Juneau
Business Office, the Division of Motor Vehicles, Public
Communication Services, the Division of Personnel & Labor
Relations, the Division of Retirement & Benefits, the Division
of Risk Management, the Public Defender Agency (PDA), the Office
of Public Advocacy (OPA), the Alaska Public Offices Commission
(APOC), and the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission. She said the
Division of Finance and the Division of Personnel & Labor
Relations have been combined.
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL estimated that Ms. Kreitzer has been
working as the Acting Commissioner of the Department of
Administration for just over a month.
8:25:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG noted that he is one of the members of
the Department of Administration finance subcommittee. He
indicated that there had been concern stated by some that the
commissioner of the Department of Administration sits on the ARM
Board. He stated, "We've looked into that and the statute
requires that you be on the ARM Board."
8:27:20 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER KREITZER, in response to Representative
Doll, said her biggest focus as commissioner will be on
recruitment and retention. She said one concern is the "gap in
experience" that happens when long-term workers retire and
nobody has been groomed to take their place.
8:28:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL moved to advance the confirmation of
Annette Kreitzer to the joint session of the House and Senate;
he requested unanimous consent. There being no objection, the
nomination of Annette Kreitzer to the position of commissioner
of the Department of Administration was advanced.
^Commissioner, Department of Public Safety
8:29:13 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Walter C. Monegan III
as commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.
8:29:23 AM
WALTER C. MONEGAN III, Acting Commissioner, Department of Public
Safety, offered his history. He said he has a great respect for
people, and his experiences have bound him tighter to public
service. He said he would like to infuse public safety into all
the state departments, and he pledged to work with all
departments to accomplish that goal. He offered an example of
that work in progress.
8:35:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES recalled a horrible Mountain View
Elementary School incident, when a deranged individual slashed
the throats of some children, and he said Chief Monegan's
actions in that instance showed both professionalism and
compassion.
8:37:04 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a concern stated by
Representative Doll, said currently there are 80 authorized
positions in the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program.
He reminded the committee that VPSOs are recruited and hired by
nonprofit agencies, and those agencies receive an administrative
cost of 15 percent from monies coming from both the state and
federal government. Mr. Monegan said he would like to create
three tiers of police officers: a tribal or village police
officer, a VPSO, and an Alaska State Trooper or municipal police
officer. He said officers in each tier would know what needed
to be done t reach the next level. He said once those tiers are
set up, he would like to explore the public safety
responsibilities of the state. He said he would like to get all
this done within four years.
8:40:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he has known Mr. Monegan for a
number of years, and he described him as someone of the highest
caliber and integrity. He stated support of Mr. Monegan's
appointment as commissioner.
8:41:48 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a question from
Representative Coghill, said many departments across the country
are having difficulty recruiting police officers. He said he
would like to lessen the intimidation factor of asking people to
serve for 25 years, by asking them instead to start out giving 5
years. He said people will get hooked once they've served that
many years. Mr. Monegan said he would like to work with the
University of Alaska to see about getting free education for
[Department of Correction] employees. Another idea he said he
would like to try is to give people the opportunity to take a
sabbatical after five years. Alaska State Troopers, he stated,
are the biggest recruiters, because they can inspire as role
models.
8:44:54 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a comment from
Representative Coghill regarding mandatory rotation, said when
troopers get done with the academy, they go through field
training and gain experience until they become solo troopers.
At that point, he said, he would like to send those troopers out
into a rural area for two weeks where they will continue their
education and witness how happy duty in the Bush is. He said he
hopes that will cause more troopers to want to bid on working in
the Bush. In response to a question from Representative Coghill
regarding housing, he said while some areas are still in dire
straights, other areas, such as Bethel, have campus-like housing
in town.
8:48:28 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to Representative
Coghill, said once the jet [used by former Governor Frank
Murkowski] is sold, troopers will come to the legislature with a
request for a second twin engine aircraft. He said soon there
will be Alaska Wildlife Troopers flying out over Bristol Bay and
the Bering Sea area. He said the problem with using commercial
or charter planes is that sometimes the troopers will end up
pushing the envelope in bad weather to get to where they need to
go, and a charter won't take that risk.
8:50:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL stated that there is no doubt that when a
trooper walks into a village, he/she is known and respected. He
named the following issues that still need attention: housing,
retention, and "respect from our support bases." He said that
because of the lack of resources, felonies are being given
greater attention than misdemeanors.
8:52:14 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES said he would like to see an additional
tier added: a recruit or trainee. He said he thinks there is
opportunity to use students in the Reserve Officers' Training
Corps (ROTC) program. He reported that less than 15 percent of
those students go on to join the military. He recommended
setting up a scholarship program for those students to get their
associate degree and then train to be a trooper. He said he
thinks those students who come from Bush communities to go
through this type of program would experience less of a hurdle
in going back to serve in the Bush than someone not from the
Bush originally.
8:56:04 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN said there has been a move within
the Alaska Police Standards Council to consider a tier called,
"Reserved Officer Program." He said at one point, about 80
percent of his staff came from that program. He talked about
academies and "lateral" academies.
8:58:17 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to Chair Lynn, said
there used to be a student trooper program, and Anchorage used
to have a police explorer program. However, due to budget
constraints, those programs no longer exist. He said he thinks
the way to continue is through the School Resource Officer (SRO)
program. He offered further details. He said he is taking
steps toward the idea Representative Roses mentioned regarding
using the Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage.
9:00:04 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a question from
Representative Doll regarding the high rate of sexual assault in
Alaska, said he would like to see the Department of Public
Safety work more closely with the Alaska State Troopers in the
field. He said there is a gap between where the troopers leave
and social services picks up.
9:02:11 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a question from
Chair Lynn about the sexual registry program, said he would like
to work with the Department of Corrections to get up-to-date
change of addresses from former inmates. In response to a
follow-up question regarding sex offenders who move to Alaska
from other states, he said he hopes there will be communication
between states. If that information is not forthcoming, he
said, then that sex offender's records will be pulled up when
he/she is pulled over for another reason, such as a traffic
stop. He spoke of a national conference he attended which
stressed the importance of "fusion" - all public safety entities
communicating with each other so that "instead of becoming
silos, we can actually become a safety net."
9:05:03 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to Representative
Gruenberg, confirmed that "the brown shirts" - having been
incorporated into "the blue shirts" by the previous governor -
are being reinstated by Governor Sarah Palin, this time as
Alaska Wildlife Troopers. He offered further details.
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a question from
Representative Gruenberg about [3M™ Opticom™ Priority Control
Systems ("Opticoms")] - a device installed in emergency vehicles
to control traffic lights, said he has reservations about using
those devices in police cars for two reasons: First, the cost
would be exorbitant; and second, the devices could encourage
officers to over rely on technology, resulting in accidents.
9:10:03 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to Chair Lynn, said the
issue of security in the capitol and in court houses around the
state has been discussed, and practices have been conducted. He
talked about the balance between using security devices in the
capitol versus allowing the public easy access to its
legislators. He mentioned various means of adding security that
are available.
9:12:05 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to a question from
Chair Lynn about the possible effect caused by an anticipated
influx of people moving to Alaska to build a gas pipeline,
reviewed the system from public safety to courts to correctional
facilities. He said there is a 9-year backlog in the process
between the court and the district attorney's (DA's) office and
throughout the rest of the system. He remarked that the recent
increase in the number of judges, sanctioned by the legislature,
has been helpful. Putting perspective on Chair Lynn's concern,
he stated that he would worry more about losing staff from the
police department to jobs on the pipeline.
9:15:46 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to Representative
Gruenberg, said he would supply him with a report of results
pertaining to a security request for the court house in Bethel.
9:16:45 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER MONEGAN, in response to Representative
Johansen, said Sitka is the best place for training troopers,
and will continue to be the appropriate place to turn recruits
"from green into blue." He said he would support a firearms
range in Fairbanks. He spoke of honing skills across the state.
He said he would like to see the Kulis Air National Guard Base
become the Department of Public Safety's new headquarters.
9:19:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES moved to advance the confirmation of Walter
C. Monegan III to the joint session of the House and Senate; he
requested unanimous consent. There being no objection, the
nomination of Walter C. Monegan III to the position of
commissioner of the Department of Public Safety was advanced.
^Commissioner, Department of Corrections
9:19:48 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Joe Schmidt as
commissioner of the Department of Corrections.
9:20:05 AM
JOE SCHMIDT, Acting Commissioner, Department of Corrections,
related his personal history to the committee.
9:22:25 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER SCHMIDT, in response to Chair Lynn, said he
would ultimately like to see the department operating smoothly
by national standards, releasing prisoners in better shape than
that in which they were when incarcerated. He said he would
like to decrease recidivism, and he acknowledged that although
the prison population is a community problem, people look to the
Department of Corrections to solve it or make it better.
9:25:15 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER SCHMIDT, in response to Representative
Roses, said the department is moving in the direction of
increasing the use of ankle monitoring devices. He said the
question the department has to ask is, "What do we need to do to
stop this person from harming [others]?" He said sometimes the
person needs to be locked up tight, while other times he/she can
be out making a living, supporting and being supported by
family. He said although an ankle monitor cannot prevent a
person from committing a crime, it can show where the person was
when committing it. He said staff resources are key in managing
those on ankle monitors.
9:27:29 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER SCHMIDT, in response to Representative Doll,
said he thinks Alaska has been successful in the field of
corrections. He reported that there has never been an officer
killed in a hostage situation or gang overthrow. He stated that
the department employs direct supervision and management, and it
uses housing units that are broken down into smaller
dormitories, and he indicated that those factors contribute to
the success of the department.
9:29:21 AM
ACTING COMMISSIONER SCHMIDT, in response to Representative Doll,
said he does not readily know what percentage of those
incarcerated for substance abuse are being put into the
substance abuse treatment program. He said a study done over
the last couple years shows that 92 percent of prisoners that
come in to the system have a substance abuse issue. He reported
that the department does 33,000 bookings a year. He offered to
come back to Representative Doll with information pertaining to
the percentage the department is "putting into it in terms of
[rehabilitation]."
9:30:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL moved to advance the confirmation of Joe
Schmidt to the joint session of the House and Senate; he
requested unanimous consent. There being no objection, the
nomination of Joe Schmidt to the position of commissioner of the
Department of Corrections was advanced.
^Alaska Public Offices Commission
9:31:27 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Shirley R. Dean to
the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
9:31:57 AM
SHIRLEY R. DEAN, Appointee to the Alaska Public Offices
Commission (APOC), emphasized her support of APOC's stance that
public office and public appointments are a public trust. She
stated she is an advocate for accountability in government, and
she posited that APOC's mission is a major key to effective and
efficient government. She said her past experience illustrates
that she is qualified for the position and she assured the
committee that she has the commitment it takes to serve.
9:33:10 AM
MS. DEAN, in response to a question from Chair Lynn, said she
has just now started reading regulations and reviewing bills,
thus she said she cannot comment on ethics bills at this point.
9:33:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES expressed appreciation of Ms. Dean's
willingness to serve.
9:34:23 AM
CHAIR LYNN highlighted APOC's position in serving the public and
guiding legislators to interpret rules.
9:35:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL said APOC serves as both advisor and
police, and he said timeliness is an important issue.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG expressed appreciation of Ms. Dean's
prior experience with the State Commission on Human Rights.
9:37:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to advance the confirmation of
Shirley R. Dean to the joint session of the House and Senate; he
requested unanimous consent. There being no objection, the
nomination of Shirley R. Dean to the Alaska Public Offices
Commission was advanced.
9:38:08 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Elizabeth Johnston
Hickerson to the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
9:38:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he has known Ms. Hickerson since
approximately 1984. He offered a brief history of Ms.
Hickerson's experience since that time. He stated his support
of Ms. Hickerson's appointment to APOC.
9:39:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to advance the confirmation of
Elizabeth Johnston Hickerson to the joint session of the House
and Senate; he requested unanimous consent. There being no
objection, the nomination of Elizabeth Johnston Hickerson to the
Alaska Public Offices Commission was advanced.
^State Commission for Human Rights
9:39:51 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the last order of business was the
confirmation hearing on the appointment of Karen Rhoades to the
State Commission for Human Rights.
9:39:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES moved to advance the confirmation of Karen
Rhoades to the joint session of the House and Senate; he
requested unanimous consent. There being no objection, the
nomination of Karen Rhoades to the Alaska Public Offices
Commission was advanced.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at
9:41:18 AM.
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