Legislature(2021 - 2022)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/27/2021 03:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB10 | |
| SB81 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 10 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 81 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 27, 2021
3:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Shelley Hughes, Chair
Senator Robert Myers, Vice Chair
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
Senator David Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 10
"An Act relating to the Funter Bay marine park unit of the state
park system; relating to protection of the social and historical
significance of the Unangax cemetery located in Funter Bay;
providing for the amendment of the management plan for the
Funter Bay marine park unit; and providing for an effective
date."
- HEARD & HELD
SENATE BILL NO. 81
"An Act requiring background investigations of village public
safety officer applicants by the Department of Public Safety;
relating to the village public safety officer program; and
providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 10
SHORT TITLE: FUNTER BAY MARINE PARK: UNANGAN CEMETERY
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) HANNAN
02/18/21 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/8/21
02/18/21 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/18/21 (H) RES, FIN
02/24/21 (H) TRB REPLACES FIN REFERRAL
02/24/21 (H) BILL REPRINTED
03/01/21 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
03/01/21 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
03/03/21 (H) RES REFERRAL MOVED TO AFTER TRB
03/03/21 (H) BILL REPRINTED
03/09/21 (H) TRB AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
03/09/21 (H) Heard & Held
03/09/21 (H) MINUTE(TRB)
03/11/21 (H) TRB AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
03/11/21 (H) Moved HB 10 Out of Committee
03/11/21 (H) MINUTE(TRB)
03/12/21 (H) TRB RPT 4DP
03/12/21 (H) DP: FIELDS, ORTIZ, CRONK, ZULKOSKY
03/26/21 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
03/26/21 (H) Heard & Held
03/26/21 (H) MINUTE(RES)
03/31/21 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
03/31/21 (H) Moved HB 10 Out of Committee
03/31/21 (H) MINUTE(RES)
04/05/21 (H) RES RPT 7DP 2NR
04/05/21 (H) DP: MCKAY, FIELDS, CRONK, HOPKINS,
HANNAN, SCHRAGE, PATKOTAK
04/05/21 (H) NR: RAUSCHER, GILLHAM
04/09/21 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
04/09/21 (H) VERSION: HB 10
04/12/21 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/12/21 (S) CRA, RES
04/23/21 (S) RES AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
04/23/21 (S) <Pending Referral>
04/27/21 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
BILL: SB 81
SHORT TITLE: VILLAGE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER GRANTS
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) OLSON
02/12/21 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/12/21 (S) CRA, STA, FIN
04/20/21 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/20/21 (S) Heard & Held
04/20/21 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
04/27/21 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE SARA HANNAN
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 10.
TIM CLARK, Staff
Representative Sara Hannan
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered a presentation on HB 10 on behalf
of the sponsor.
PRESTON KROES, Superintendent
Southeast Region
Alaska State Parks
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions about HB 10.
RICKY GEASE, Director
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Stated support for HB 10 on behalf of the
division.
SENATOR DONNY OLSON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SB 81.
KEN TRUITT, Staff
Senator Donny Olson
Alaska State Legislature
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions regarding SB 81.
JASON WILSON, Manager and VPSO Coordinator
Public Safety Department
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SB 81.
MICHAEL NEMETH, VPSO Coordinator
Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SB 81.
DARRELL HILDEBRAND, VPSO Coordinator
Public Safety Director
Tanana Chiefs Conference
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SB 81.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:30:28 PM
CHAIR SHELLEY HUGHES called the Senate Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.
Present at the call to order were Senators Gray-Jackson, Myers,
and Chair Hughes. Senator Wilson arrived soon thereafter.
HB 10-FUNTER BAY MARINE PARK: UNANGAN CEMETERY
3:31:33 PM
CHAIR HUGHES announced the consideration of HOUSE BILL NO. 10
"An Act relating to the Funter Bay marine park unit of the state
park system; relating to protection of the social and historical
significance of the Unangan cemetery located in Funter Bay;
providing for the amendment of the management plan for the
Funter Bay marine park unit; and providing for an effective
date."
She identified the invited testifiers.
3:32:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SARA HANNAN, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 10, explained that this legislation
proposes to add the cemetery in Funter Bay to the existing
Funter Bay State Marine Park, which is located about 14 miles
due west of Juneau on the northern tip of Admiralty Island. She
said this was an ocean away for the Unangax people who were
forced to relocate from the Pribilof Islands, and the ecosystem
was completely different.
She noted that this bill was heard in the 31st legislature, but
did not make it through the process.
3:33:32 PM
CHAIR HUGHES recognized that Senator Wilson had joined the
committee.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN continued the introduction of HB 10
relaying the information in the following sponsor statement:
[Original punctuation provided.]
HB 10 will transfer the parcel of land that includes
the Unangax cemetery in Funter Bay from the Department
of Natural Resources Division of Land Mining and Water
to the Department of Natural Resources Division of
Parks and Recreation. The parcel will be added to the
Funter Bay Marine Park unit of the state park system
for land management.
HB 10 will preserve the cemetery and ensure its
protection so that we may remember those who died and
recognize the social and historical significance of
the site.
When the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands during
WWII, the Unangax people were forcibly removed from
the Pribilof Islands and interned in Southeast Alaska.
Some were sent to Killisnoo near Angoon, others were
sent to Burnett Inlet, some were sent to other
Southeast locations and the rest were sent to Funter
Bay near Juneau. They were given little notice and the
villagers could take only what they could carry. It
was hasty and traumatic. The Unangax were abandoned in
old cannery bunk houses not meant to house so many
people and not built for protection from winter's
harshness. Entire families were sheltered in small
cubicles that were separated sometimes only by
blankets. The living conditions were unsanitary and
there was inadequate food supply, no medical care, and
no facilities for bathing, cooking or using the
bathroom.
Less than 30 miles away in Excursion Inlet, 700 Nazi
Afrika Korps officers were imprisoned at a POW camp.
The Nazis, sworn enemies of the United States and
allies, were treated far better than the Unangax
because their conditions were guaranteed by
international law. The 700 German prisoners all
returned home after the war without a single one dying
during their imprisonment.
Back on the Pribilofs, the homes of the Unangax were
occupied by the U.S. military and looted, vandalized
and some were even burned down. The Unangax men were
forced back to the Pribilofs to harvest seal during
the summer months because the revenue was a source of
income for the U.S. government. The men did not want
to leave their families but were told that they would
not be permitted to return to their homes after the
war if they did not help harvest seal. This is a
disturbing parallel to when the Russians enslaved the
Unangax nearly two centuries earlier and forced them
to harvest seal on the then uninhabited Pribilofs.
The Unangax were left in the camp almost two years
after it was considered safe to return home. The
deadly conditions of the camp left the Unangax people
to suffer needlessly. As a direct result of this
policy, many Unangax interned in Southeast died and
some are buried in a cemetery in Funter Bay. The
descendants of those who were lost have maintained the
grave sites for 75 years.
This bill will protect the cemetery and surrounding
area for future generations without any additional
cost to the state.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN stated that HB 10 would move 250 acres of
state land in Funter Bay into an existing state marine park that
was established in the early 1980s. She explained that when
constituents brought the idea for protecting the cemetery
forward, she approached the Department of Natural Resources who
suggested moving all remaining parcels of state land in the bay
into the state park. The department pointed out that
consolidating management under the Division of State Parks and
Recreation would be more efficient than the current two agency
management and oversight system.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN said HB 10 will protect the historical and
cultural significance of the cemetery that has about 35 graves.
She directed attention to an image of the Unangax Cemetery and
noted that the first headstone was for a baby that died in the
fall of 1942, just a few months after arriving. She pointed out
that the residents of the other internment camps throughout
Southeast were able to return home two years earlier than those
who were held in Funter Bay.
She summarized that SB 10 preserves the cemetery by placing it
in an existing state park, and it is at the request of
descendants of those who have family members buried at the
Funter Bay Unangax Cemetery.
3:40:09 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked if the baby whose grave marker she mentioned
died the same year as the relocation.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN answered yes; it was June 1942.
CHAIR HUGHES asked what year the Funter Bay detainees were
allowed to return to the Pribilofs.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN answered that people from Dutch Harbor
were allowed return home in 1944.
3:41:12 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked if there is any formal designation of the
cemetery as an historical site and if it has a formal name.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN answered that the cemetery has always been
known and it will be protected by being in the state marine
park, but it is rural and rustic. The Russian Orthodox Church
has been working with descendants to arrange memorial visits and
a working group has been cleaning up and maintaining the grave
sites for five or six years. The working group and the Friends
of Admiralty Island have plans to put up historical markers and
signage. She deferred further explanation to her staff who is
part of the working group.
3:44:25 PM
TIM CLARK, Staff, Representative Sara Hannan, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, stated that the working group has
been meeting weekly for about three years. This is a dedicated
group of descendants from Saint Paul and Saint George, people
from the Aleutians, the Tlingit & Haida community in Southeast,
Friends of Admiralty Island, and the Juneau City Museum. He
advised that the signage that was mentioned is intended to help
identify the short trail from the beach to the cemetery.
3:46:48 PM
CHAIR HUGHES commented that she has roots in the general area of
Funter Bay, but she did not realize that the people relocated to
Funter Bay were from Saint Paul and Saint George, which is where
her husband spent time in the 1970s to the 1990s providing
medical care. She asked how long it takes to travel from Juneau
to Funter Bay by water.
3:47:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN answered that it depends on the speed of
the boat but generally it is from 60-90 minutes. She noted that
the limiting factor often isn't the distance, but that the water
from the northern end of Admiralty Island down to Funter Bay can
be treacherous.
3:49:08 PM
CHAIR HUGHES commented on the possibility of a committee field
trip to Funter Bay and asked how many graves were in the
cemetery.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN answered that the U.S. National Park
Service looked at the possibility of an historical designation
for all the relocation camps and that survey determined that
there are 32 documented graves at Funter Bay. However, that does
not account for the unmarked graves and those that were moved to
the cemetery in Juneau where there was a Russian Orthodox
priest.
CHAIR HUGHES asked Mr. Clark to proceed with the PowerPoint.
3:50:28 PM
MR. CLARK advised that the PowerPoint provides visual aids for
the information Representative Hannon has already given. He
directed attention to the image on slide 2 of the Unangax
Cemetery in Funter Bay in 2017. This was the trip that he
accompanied then Speaker Edgmon and his constituents from the
Pribilofs and other locations in western Alaska to commemorate
the 75th anniversary of the relocation. He noted that the very
moving ceremony included Tlingit elders, Russian Orthodox Church
officials, and other interested parties. A large cross was
erected to mark the entrance to the cemetery.
MR. CLARK displayed the maps on slides 3 and 4 that offer a
perspective of the location of Funter Bay on the west side of
Admiralty Island relative to Juneau and a close up of the land
designations around the shoreline of the bay. The sections
marked A01 reflect the 162 acres of the existing Funter Bay
Marine Park. The section marked A02 is the primary area that HB
10 proposes to add to the existing park; it comes close to
connecting the noncontiguous A01 areas. It also includes an
island of state land in front of the cannery that would be added
to the park.
3:53:07 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked if there was still a gap between the existing
A01 areas.
MR. CLARK answered yes, it reflects private land in the area. He
referenced the large area on the south side of the bay colored
yellow and offered his understanding of the ownership. [This
area represents old mining claims in the area, shoreline
portions of which are private recreational properties.]
3:53:52 PM
MR. CLARK displayed the images on slide 5 of a baby's headstone
and the remnants of one of the old cannery bunk houses that was
used to house the [Unangax people from Saint Paul] who were
relocated to Funter Bay. [The people from Saint George were
housed across the bay at the old mine site.]
He concluded the presentation with a graphic showing the
location of the internment camp in Funter Bay relative to the
internment camps in Killisnoo near Angoon, the Wrangell
Institute, Burnett Inlet, and Ward Lake near Ketchikan.
3:55:11 PM
SENATOR MYERS asked when and why the existing Funter Bay State
Marine Park was created.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN answered that the park was created in 1983
as a rural marine park. She offered her understanding that it
was created to ensure that recreational boaters always have
access and that the shoreline is not entirely private. She
deferred further explanation to the current superintendent of
the park.
3:57:07 PM
PRESTON KROES, Superintendent, Southeast Region, Alaska State
Parks, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Juneau, Alaska,
explained that the Funter Bay Marine Park was created to set
aside state land for recreation purposes. The state has a number
of state marine parks but in the Juneau area there is St James
Bay, Taku Harbor, Funter Bay, Pavlov Harbor, and the 14 Channel
Islands in the Auke Bay area.
3:58:11 PM
RICKY GEASE, Director, Division of State Parks and Recreation,
Department of Natural Resources, Anchorage, Alaska, stated
support for HB 10 on behalf of the division. He said it would be
easy to accept the management responsibility for this site,
which has historical significance to the state and the culture
and memory of the Unangax people. He related that Mr. Kroes and
his staff have been privileged to work with a diverse group of
organizations and individuals on ways to provide better
management and protection for this significant cultural
resource.
3:59:22 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked when the request first was made to add the
cemetery to the Funter Bay State Marine Park and who brought it
forward.
3:59:57 PM
MR. KROES answered that the issue was brought to his attention
shortly after he became superintendent 3.5 years ago. At that
time he learned that Martin Stepetin, whose grandparents were
interned at Funter Bay, already was working with the division's
citizens advisory group on ways to protect the cemetery. Mr.
Kroes related that when he looked at the issue he suggested a
possible solution to provide protection was to add the cemetery
to the existing state marine park. He credited Mr. Stepetin with
trying to get the site designated a national landmark and said
that while that was unsuccessful at the time, it might be
revisited in the future.
MR. KROES addressed earlier questions. He advised that the name
of the park would continue to be the Funter Bay State Marine
Park and the cemetery would be an historic site within the park.
He noted that the division was working with tribal members and
elders from Saint Paul and Saint George to develop four
interpretive panels that will be placed in Funter Bay. With
regard to the question about funding and improving the cemetery
area, he clarified that there is no funding attached to the
bill. He expressed hope that funding from an existing grant
program could be used to reroute and improve the trail, make
improvements to the cemetery itself, and install the
interpretive panels.
CHAIR HUGHES thanked him for the information and asked him to
consider whether the stakeholders might want a formal name in
statute for the cemetery.
4:03:53 PM
CHAIR HUGHES held HB 10 in committee for future consideration.
SB 81-VILLAGE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER GRANTS
4:04:20 PM
CHAIR HUGHES announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 81,
"An Act requiring background investigations of village public
safety officer applicants by the Department of Public Safety;
relating to the village public safety officer program; and
providing for an effective date."
CHAIR HUGHES noted that the proposed committee substitute (CS)
for SB 81 was based on the changes the sponsor's office
recommended.
SENATOR MYERS moved to adopt the CS for SB 81, work order 32-
LS0362\I, as the working document.
4:04:59 PM
CHAIR HUGHES objected for discussion purposes.
4:05:09 PM
SENATOR DONNY OLSON, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska,
sponsor of SB 81, characterized the legislation as a work in
progress over the last several years. It would require the
Department of Public Safety (DPS) to conduct background
investigations on VPSO applicants and provide an effective date.
He deferred further comment to his staff, Mr. Truitt.
4:05:48 PM
KEN TRUITT, Staff, Senator Donny Olson, Alaska State
Legislature, reminded the committee that during the initial
hearing on SB 81, he mentioned that the stakeholders were
interested in amending the original bill to retain management of
the VPSO Program grant within the Department of Public Safety
(DPS) rather than transferring it to the Department of Commerce,
Community and Economic Development (DCCED). That is what the CS,
version I, accomplishes. He noted that only the former Section 5
was affected. It proposed an amendment to DCCED's enabling
statute to give specific authority to that department to manage
the grant. That section was removed, and the subsequent four
sections were renumbered accordingly.
4:07:30 PM
CHAIR HUGHES found no questions or comments and removed her
objection. Finding no further objection, CSSB 81, version I, was
adopted as the working document.
4:08:09 PM
CHAIR HUGHES announced invited testimony.
4:08:18 PM
JASON WILSON, Manager, Public Safety Department, Central Council
Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau, Alaska,
advised that he has been the region's VPSO coordinator for about
16 years. He related that Tlingit & Haida has over 32,000 rural
tribal citizens throughout the state, many of whom live in
communities that are not connected to the road system. They are
most accessible by boat or plane. In these communities, the VPSO
program fills a critical law enforcement need. He reported that
Tlingit & Haida currently has 10 VPSOs located in Hydaburg,
Saxman, Kake, Angoon, Pelican, Kasaan, and Thorn Bay.
MR. WILSON stated support for SB 81 and thanked the sponsor and
his staff for their tireless work on the legislation to provide
more flexibility within the VPSO program so coordinators are
able fill VPSO positions and get the equipment that officers
need to do their job. He said the program was developed in 1978
and many of the statutes and regulations governing the program
have not been updated since then.
He mentioned the importance of government-to-government
communication and expressed confidence that SB 81 would help
ensure that funding for the VPSO Program does not change with
each administration and DPS commissioner. He reiterated Tlingit
and Haida's support for SB 81 and its commitment to stand with
the state to find solutions to provide public safety to rural
communities in Alaska.
4:15:41 PM
MICHAEL NEMETH, VPSO Coordinator, Aleutian Pribilof Islands
Association (APIA), Anchorage, Alaska, stated that he has been a
certified village public safety officer since 2002 and the VPSO
Coordinator for APIA for the past nine years. He described SB 81
as a bipartisan boots-on-the-ground all stakeholder effort to
improve the VPSO Program.
He related that the training requirement for VPSOs under 13 AAC
96.100 of the Alaska Administrative Code is 240 hours, which is
shamefully low. Officers currently receive 1,000 hours of
training at the academy as well as 96 hours of rural fire
protection training, but an arbitrary decision could reduce that
training to the minimum. Additionally, just some VPSO programs
continue to provide emergency trauma technician training because
it is no longer required. This change was made without
consultation. He said interpretation of the code and regulation
has been inconsistent and it has affected the ability of VPSOs
to do their job.
4:18:32 PM
MR. NEMETH highlighted that SB 81 sets the minimum training
requirement to 826 hours, 650 hours of which is law enforcement
training. This is the minimum that the Alaska Police Standards
Council will accept for a police officer in Alaska. He expressed
support for 96 hours of rural fire protection training,
reinstating the 40 hours of emergency trauma technician
training, and 40 hours for search and rescue. He noted that the
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy currently devotes just
eight hours to search and rescue. He said the proposed new
minimum training hours will give VPSOs confidence to fulfill the
duties of the position, help with recruitment and retention, and
improve the overall quality of the officer.
4:21:21 PM
DARRELL HILDEBRAND, VPSO Coordinator, Public Safety Director,
Tanana Chiefs Conference, Fairbanks, Alaska, stated that he
retired as an Alaska State Trooper after 20 years of service.
Tanana Chiefs Conference hired him as the VPSO Coordinator about
18 months ago. He stated support for SB 81 generally and
specifically for the flexibility to allow TCC to utilize roving
VPSOs. He noted that not explicitly prohibited in the previous
regulations, but administrations viewed the need to budget for
them differently. SB 81 eliminates the fear that a new
administration might withhold funding to a grantee for using the
rover program.
MR. HILDEBRAND highlighted the advantages of roving VPSOs. They
serve multiple communities with less manpower, provide
continuity of service, and provide coverage when the Alaska
State Troopers (AST) cannot fly into a village due to weather or
manpower issues. He related that the TCC region has 37 villages
with no public safety presence except through limited AST rural
visits. The rover program was very effective in the past and
made it possible for TCC to serve more communities with limited
VPSOs.
He acknowledged the perceived drawback to the rover program was
that it created a significant increase in TCC's travel budget.
However, the positive outcomes included community policing,
identification of infrastructure needs such as fire protection,
general outreach, and increased law enforcement presence. He
said the relationship with AST counterparts is strong, the rover
program has a proven record, and it is the best solution to the
high demand and need for VPSOs in the TCC region that has
limited law enforcement resources.
MR. HILDEBRAND thanked the sponsor for introducing SB 81, which
would allow TCC the flexibility to utilize rover VPSOs to better
serve communities.
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON asked Mr. Nemeth in what community he
worked as a VPSO.
MR. NEMETH answered that as the VPSO Coordinator for the
Aleutian Pribilof Island region he is based in the main office
in Anchorage. He noted that as an officer he served in the
communities of Saint George and Nelson Lagoon.
4:25:56 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked if he supported the 826 hours of training or
if he was suggesting changes. She noted he specified 40 hours
for emergency medical services training.
MR. NEMETH said having the 826 hours in the bill and the
flexibility to formulate the training as he enumerated seemed
reasonable, but it would be more straightforward it was
specified in the bill.
4:27:10 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked him to submit the list to the committee and
she would provide it to the sponsor to have the conversation.
The address is scra@akleg.gov.
CHAIR HUGHES asked Mr. Hildebrand if regional rover VPSOs were
specifically mentioned in the bill or if he was suggesting they
be allowed.
4:27:55 PM
MR. HILDEBRAND replied the bill does not specifically mention
regional rovers, but it allows grantees the flexibility to work
with the program office ... [The call was dropped].
CHAIR HUGHES asked the sponsor if the use of regional rovers was
a specific provision in the bill.
4:28:38 PM
SENATOR OLSON answered it was a good idea. He deferred to Mr.
Truitt to point to the location in the bill that provides
flexibility to use rovers.
4:28:50 PM
MR. TRUITT directed attention to page 5, lines 4-10 that speaks
to one VPSO per village and the option for the grant recipient
to request more than one. He said the bill was specifically
drafted to remove the prohibition against hiring itinerant
roving VPSOs and make the practice acceptable.
CHAIR HUGHES asked if he was saying that was addressed in the
bill or if clarifying language was necessary.
MR. TRUITT replied he would verify that it was addressed and
communicate the exact page and line.
4:30:19 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON commented on her experience with the VPSO
Program when she was the city manager for the City of Akutan
from 2009-2012. She thanked the sponsor for bringing the bill
forward and noted that she was a co-sponsor.
CHAIR HUGHES asked Mr. Truitt if he had closing comments.
4:30:50 PM
MR. TRUITT answered the Chair's question about roving VPSOs. He
read subsection (f) on page 5 and relayed that Legislative Legal
did not use the term "roving" based on their drafting manual.
Rather, the provision refers to traveling village public safety
officers who serve multiple villages within the grantee's
region.
4:31:17 PM
CHAIR HUGHES asked him to follow up with Mr. Hildebrand and
relay that information.
4:31:57 PM
CHAIR HUGHES [held SB 81 in committee.]
4:32:12 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Hughes adjourned the Senate Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee meeting at 4:32 p.m.