Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/01/2000 09:22 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
MINUTES
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 1, 2000
9:22 AM
TAPES
SFC-00 # 42, Side A
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Sean Parnell convened the meeting at approximately
9:22 AM
PRESENT Co-Chair Sean Parnell, Senator Al Adams, Senator
Lyda Green, Senator Pete Kelly, Senator Loren Leman,
Senator Gary Wilken, Co-Chair Torgerson.
Also Attending: LAUREE HOUGONIN, Director, Alaska Network
on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; JACK FARGNOLI,
Office of Management and Budget.
Attending via Teleconference: Pat Pitney, Director of
Budget Development and Institutional Planning, University
of Alaska, Fairbanks, (did not testify.)
SUMMARY INFORMATION
SB 281-OPERATING BUDGET MISSIONS AND MEASURES
The Committee heard testimony from the Department of Public
Safety and the Office of Management and Budget. The bill
was held in Committee.
SENATE BILL NO. 281
"An Act relating to missions and measures to be
applied to certain expenditures by the executive
branch of state government and the University of
Alaska from the state operating budget for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 2001; and providing for an
effective date."
CO-CHAIR PARNELL gave a short synopsis of SB 281, which is
the Operating Budget Missions and Measures. He noted that
the Executive Budget Act sets forth the requirements for
the governor and the legislature with respect to budgeting.
He gave an historical overview of how Missions and Measures
came to be and added that when considering budgets, the
legislature not only considers numbers but also the
corresponding results of created programs and their
inherent goals. He then read actual language from the Act
previously referenced. He pointed out that state
government should account for how money is spent and as a
result, missions and measures for each department can be
established. He added that these initiatives are then
carried forward as they are developed. He outlined that
through this present legislation, it will be the first time
that Alaska will have a comprehensive set of missions and
measures passed into law. He continued that in the past
many departments have put measures into their transaction
detail books, which did not get much attention. He noted
that these present efforts have been met with greater
policy discussions between the legislature and
administration as to appropriation goals. He then gave an
example of these same mission and measure efforts in the
State of Texas. He added that in Alaska, a governor has
yet to accept budget numbers, along with missions and
measures in one bill for constitutional reasons.
Co-Chair Parnell stated that his vision is that by the end
of the summer, the legislature will formulate two bills
combined into one book so that when the public asks for a
synopsis of the state budget, this volume can be
distributed to show where funds are being spent. He
summarized that this process will help make the departments
more accountable for spending and the legislature more
responsible for the appropriation process.
LAUREE HOUGONIN, Director, Alaska Network on Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault testified. She noted that her
remarks would be specific to Section 123, page 38, of this
bill, more specifically in regards to the Council on Sexual
Assault, within the Department of Public Safety. She noted
that this Council plans and coordinates the state's
response to domestic violence and sexual assault. She
added that the Council provides for Grant opportunities to
local communities for response to these problems. She
pointed out that the Network has a concern about clarity
regarding proposed measures that apply to the Council's
responsibilities or the Victim Services and Batterer's
Intervention Program or both. She urged a review of this
Section to consider narrowing its scope.
Ms. Hougonin noted that if the legislature looks to reduce
these crimes statewide, an umbrella approach might be in
order to pull the Department of Law, Public Safety,
Department of Education and Early Development, etceteras,
under the auspices of rectifying domestic violence. She
added that it was necessary to agree on how the measures
will be used to determine the mission fulfillment, along
with a clear definition and understanding of the terms
contained within the measures.
Co-Chair Parnell asked what terms were not clear.
Ms. Hougonin stated that the language on page 38, line 24,
"the amount spent for and the percentage reduction in
domestic violence and sexual assault compared to the amount
spent for that purpose last year;" was unclear as to what
programs or departments this section spoke to. She
wondered how they would prove a negative in terms of
whether or not these crimes occurred and what the
department does in response. She added that her
organization would be happy to suggest alternative language
for clarification purposes. She noted that the Network
would be interested in measures that provide evaluation of
programs already in progress, while speaking to legislative
budget purposes as well. She suggested a means of
evaluating those areas in the state, which do not have
access to domestic violence services.
Co-Chair Parnell noted that these missions and measures
were crafted by both the House and Senate Budget
Subcommittees. He asked Ms. Houginine to provide the
Committee with written missions that the Network would like
to see incorporated into this legislation, along with three
or four corresponding measures.
JACK FARGNOLI, Office of Management and Budget, Office of
the Governor, testified that the Administration is aiming
to reach the goals of a missions and measures program for
the State of Alaska. He added that the Governor strongly
supports the concept of performance accountability and the
process commenced to make a shared foundation for budget
negotiations. He stated that there were two areas of
concern, which he would address, the first of these being,
the question of public process. He noted that there is a
good deal of public process related to the development of
annual budgets by state agencies and departments. He added
that to the degree, which this idea could be incorporated
more into the deliberation during the legislature's
[indiscernible] performance measures, giving the public
more input would be most beneficial. He added that the
Administration could work more directly with the public as
well, when formulating missions and measures, while
changing them as is necessary through the legislative
process.
Mr. Fargnoli continued that he hoped both the
Administration and the Legislature would not give "short
shrift" to important Alaska constitutional aspects of
missions and mandates of the departments that might be
unintentionally omitted or not fully emphasized to the
degree that they should.
Co-Chair Parnell asked if Mr. Fargnoli had any
constitutional or statutory specifics that he would like to
address related to SB 281.
Mr. Fargnoli responded that he did not. He continued that
there are departments and programs that incorporate strong
advisory boards that are affected by budgetary issues. He
felt as though these entities needed more inclusion in the
missions and measures process. He stated that with respect
to mission statements for commissioner offices and
administrative services functions, to the degree that the
legislature and administration uses a generic, "one size
fits all" approach to missions and measures, he felt as
though they were loosing "the baby with the bath water."
Co-Chair Parnell asked what amendments to SB 281 did the
administration feel needed to be made, if any.
Mr. Fargnoli responded that the administration's amendments
dealt specifically to three different departments. He
noted that these departments were Community and Economic
Development, Council on Domestic Violence and the
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
Co-Chair Parnell referred to Mr. Fargnoli's concerns
regarding public process language. He asked specifically
if proposed language would center on having more public
testimony such as in place for all legislative bills, or
would it be instituted up front with a town meeting format
in order that specific language and goals could be
established at the outset of SB 281.
Mr. Fargnoli responded that the compass of the
conversation, centered on establishing missions and
measures, had been smaller than it should be. He thought
this was a reflection of the administration and legislature
attempting different approaches to the establishment of the
missions and measures program.
Senator Leman wondered about the amendment he had offered
regarding the Mental Health Trust Authority and asked if
Mr. Fargnoli thought it made sense.
Mr. Fargnoli responded that he not seen it before, but on
its face it seemed to make sense.
Co-Chair Parnell asked that the Committee members or any
department with amendments for consideration, should submit
them by Friday of this week.
Senator Leman asked about a possible omnibus-editing job
for all the sections of SB 281. He noted an inconsistency
of language and terms used throughout this bill.
Co-Chair Parnell stated that he would be happy to work with
Senator Leman on this problem. He felt as though the
reference to "numbers of this and the number of that," was
flawed. He thought that in some cases this was
appropriate, but in others it only serves as a mere
inventory without giving an idea of what this number might
mean in comparison to a benchmark.
ADJOURNED
Senator Parnell adjourned the meeting at 9:59 AM.
SFC-00 (5) 03/01/00
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