Legislature(2023 - 2024)SENATE FINANCE 532
02/08/2023 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB25 | |
| SB38 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 25 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 38 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
February 8, 2023
9:02 a.m.
9:02:24 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Olson called the Senate Finance Committee meeting
to order at 9:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair
Senator Donny Olson, Co-Chair
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Jesse Kiehl
Senator Kelly Merrick
Senator David Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Senator James Kaufman, Sponsor; Matthew Harvey, Staff to
Senator Kaufman; Alexei Painter, Director, Legislative
Finance Division; Jasmin Martin, Staff to Senator Wilson;
James Cockrell, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety;
Rob Carpenter, Deputy Director, Division of Legislative
Finance.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Joel Butcher, Association of Public Safety Communications
Officials.
SUMMARY
SB 25 REPEALING FUNDS, ACCOUNTS, AND PROGRAMS
SB 25 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
SB 38 INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES
SB 38 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Olson discussed the agenda. He explained that the
decision to hear the legislation did not indicate the
intent of the chair to move the legislation.
SENATE BILL NO. 25
"An Act relating to inactive state accounts and funds;
relating to the curriculum improvement and best
practices fund; relating to the fuel emergency fund
and fuel emergency grants; relating to the special
Alaska Historical Commission receipts account;
relating to the rural electrification revolving loan
fund and loans from the fund; relating to the
Southeast energy fund and grants from the fund; and
relating to the Exxon Valdez oil spill unincorporated
rural community grant fund and grants from the fund."
9:04:01 AM
Co-Chair Olson read the short title of the bill.
9:04:20 AM
SENATOR JAMES KAUFMAN, SPONSOR, read from the Sponsor
Statement (copy on file):
SB 25, in its current form, is intended to improve
performance by reducing administrative cost and
complexity associated with of maintenance and tracking
of accounts that are no longer needed but are still
open.
The state of Alaska at various times creates special
accounts to receive and hold money for certain
purposes, but over time some of those funds become
dormant and are no longer needed.
This can include filled funds that are not supporting
active programs, empty funds that are not supporting
active programs and funds held in trust.
Reducing the administrative burden of maintaining
unneeded funds is a prime example of the type of
incremental continuous improvement that is needed as
Alaska faces new fiscal challenges. Alongside this
important reduction, SB 25 creates a simple feedback
loop which provides decision-makers with the necessary
tools to reduce other funds as recommended.
To find candidates for this reduction, we performed an
initial screening for inactive funds. This led to an
analysis of the financial and statutory basis for 39
existing funds. The analysis and deliberative process
revealed six funds which are no longer needed for the
originally intended purpose and can therefore be
closed. Any proceeds can then be forwarded to the
Unrestricted General Fund. The specific funds for this
action are listed below:
AS 41.35.380 Alaska Historical Commission
Receipts Account
• AS 26.23.400 Fuel Emergency Fund
• AS 44.33.115 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Unincorporated Rural Community Grant Fund
• AS 42.45.020 Rural Electrification Revolving
Loan Fund
• AS 42.45.040 Southeast Energy Fund
• AS 14.07.182 Curriculum Improvement and Best
Practices Fund
9:07:08 AM
MATTHEW HARVEY, STAFF TO SENATOR KAUFMAN, addressed a
Sectional Analysis (copy on file):
Section 1:
Amends AS 24.20.020 to add a requirement for the
Legislative Finance Division to conduct a review of
inactive state accounts and funds at the beginning of
each new legislature and to submit an electronic
report including recommendations regarding which
inactive state accounts and funds should be repealed.
The report distribution list is included in this
section.
Section 2:
Adds a new subsection to AS 37.07.020 stating that the
governor may act upon the Legislative Finance Division
report in Section 1 of SB 25 by submitting legislation
in accordance with the report.
Section 3:
Repeals the statutory authority for the following
funds not supporting current or active programs.
• AS 14.07.182 Curriculum Improvement and Best
Practices Fund
• AS 26.23.400 Fuel Emergency Fund
• AS 41.35.380 Alaska Historical Commission Receipts
Account
• AS 42.45.020 Rural Electrification Revolving Loan
Fund
• AS 42.45.040 Southeast Energy Fund
• AS 44.33.115 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Unincorporated
Rural Community Grant Fund
9:08:37 AM
Co-Chair Stedman mentioned the re-establishment of account
balances through the reverse sweep, which was common
practice in previous years. He pointed out that certain
funds listed were holding accounts. He thought that there
was sometimes a political endeavor to do an energy
enhancement capital investment and the statutorily
established energy funds were used to make enhancement
equitable throughout the state. He used the example of a
new dam or power line extension. He shared concern that the
proposed policy could inadvertently put rural Alaska at a
disadvantage.
Co-Chair Olson shared Co-Chair Stedman's concern and
mentioned funds that had been used in the past to provide
energy to areas not on the Railbelt.
9:11:01 AM
Senator Kaufman relayed that the intent of the bill was to
reduce funds that were not needed. He explained that there
had been a long list that had been worked through. He
highlighted that the initial piece of the bill was to
comprise a list of funds for review and then delete
accounts that were not needed or no longer required. The
impetus for the bill had come from a discussion with the
Office of Management and Budget.
Co-Chair Olson thought Senator Kaufman was not opposed to
adding to or taking away from the funds previously listed.
Senator Kaufman answered affirmatively.
9:12:46 AM
Senator Wilson asked whether the sponsor knew the amounts
sitting in each of the funds and how long the funds had
been active.
Senator Kaufman stated that of the accounts listed, the
Fuel Emergency Fund had $22,523.74.
Co-Chair Olson asked about the amounts of other listed
funds.
9:13:40 AM
Senator Kaufman did not recall the entire list. He said
that work had been done to determine the 6 funds listed in
Section 3.
Co-Chair Olson asked whether there were any of the 6 funds
listed that had significant balances.
Senator Kaufman replied that the most significant balance
had been in the Fuel Emergency Fund.
9:14:17 AM
Senator Wilson asked whether there was a certain criterion
as to how long the funds were inactive before they were
removed.
Senator Kaufman relayed that that detail had not been
established. He thought it would be difficult to create a
useful criterion, the funds would be reviewed to determine
whether they were necessary.
9:14:56 AM
Senator Kiehl had a question about the bill structure. He
thought the bill suggested that the Legislative Finance
Division (LFD) make recommendations to the legislature
about funds to delete. He noted that LFD did not generally
provide opinions to the committee as a rule. He wondered
whether there was criterion that LFD should use in their
recommendations to the committee.
Senator Kaufman said that the funds that had been selected
by the assessment had been determined to be obviously
unnecessary. He said that there had been a range of
reasons. He thought that LFD would be providing
observations about the funds and not an opinion.
9:16:43 AM
Co-Chair Stedman expressed concern about the potential for
inequity and energy projects being concentrated in one area
of the state to the detriment of another. He mentioned the
Power Cost Equalization fund. He thought that the inability
to protect the funds from the sweep would prove problematic
in the future.
Senator Kaufman reiterated that the list was a result of
the assessment, and he would welcome any additions or
deletions. He stated that the bill would create a review
cycle to delete unnecessary accounts. He described the bill
as a bookkeeping and cleanup tool.
9:19:09 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman agreed with the concept proposed in the
bill. He addressed the Fuel Emergency Fund, which he
considered to be a "tool in the toolbox," that may not be
utilized for several years but would still be important to
fund emergencies in rural communities. He echoed the
concerns expressed by Co-Chair Stedman and Co-Chair Olson.
Senator Kaufman relayed that the bill had started with a
long list, and after review had been paired down to 6
funds. He suggested that any amendments that came forward
would be welcome.
9:21:34 AM
Senator Merrick wanted to hear from LFD. She wondered
whether there was another account where the funds could
reside that would serve the same purpose.
Co-Chair Olson added that LFD would be called up later in
the meeting.
9:22:08 AM
Senator Kaufman thanked the committee for hearing the
legislation.
9:22:43 AM
ALEXEI PAINTER, DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE FINANCE DIVISION,
relayed that he would address some questions. He cited that
the Fuel Emergency Fund had not been used since 2000, when
the Disaster Relief Fund statute had been modified to allow
for fuel emergencies. He mentioned the Rural
Electrification Revolving Loan Fund, which had been
supplanted by the Electrical Service Extension Fund in the
1990s. He said that the use of that fund since then had
been to repay past loans, which had all been settled. He
mentioned the Southeast Energy fund, which was originally
capitalized as part of the Four Dam Pool project. He
continued that the PCE statute had been amended in 1999 to
divert the revenue into the PCE fund.
Mr. Painter continued to address the genesis of some of the
funds listed, noting that he had once worked at OMB and was
aware of the funds. He said that one of the criteria had
been to seek out funds that had no source of ongoing
revenue. He noted that there were still repayments being
made decades after the genesis of some funds, which meant
that the funds could not be repealed even after they had
been rendered obsolete. He thought the funds listed were
identified as having no ongoing source of revenue, no
current program, or likely future program that would
recreate them. He supposed that a committee or legislature
could add money to a fund outside of the original statutory
revenue flow, but they would be subject to the CBR sweep.
9:26:42 AM
Senator Wilson asked whether there was a time frame that
Mr. Painter recommended for deletion of funds.
Mr. Painter was not sure that there was a single answer to
Senator Wilson's question, but rather LFD would work
towards determining whether there was any ongoing activity
in the fund or prospect for replenishment. He thought that
there could be funds that were created by appropriation
that the legislature could want to fund again.
9:27:53 AM
Senator Bishop asked whether the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Unincorporated Rural Community Grant Fund was fully
expended.
Mr. Painter replied in the affirmative. He explained that
there had been two funds related to the spill: the civil
fund, which was still active, and the fund related to
criminal penalties, which was used to pay unincorporated
communities impacted by the spill and was completely
granted out.
9:28:45 AM
Co-Chair Stedman asked whether Mr. Painter had any
recommendations for a similar fund to use as a parking
garage for funds to assure equity in energy projects.
Mr. Painter thought one option would be to amend a fund to
create a new source of revenue. He stated that if there
were investment in a new project a portion of that revenue
could be diverted in the spirit of equity. Another option
would be to put the funds in a non-sweepable account
without a designed purpose, but there was a risk that the
funds could be unavailable from year to year. He
recommended statute modification in regard to maintaining
statewide energy equity.
9:30:46 AM
Co-Chair Olson thought it was unusual to have a
recommendation from LFD regarding the funds. He asked
whether his concern was misplaced. He thought Mr. Painter
had institutional knowledge, which added to his credibility
on the matter.
Mr. Painter clarified that he worked for OMB in 2020 and
not when the funds were created. He mentioned the Indirect
Expenditure Report, which gave the division the duty to
make recommendations on indirect expenditures and whether
they should be repealed. He thought that the idea behind
the legislation could fall under that purview.
Co-Chair Olson asked whether Mr. Painter was comfortable
with the duty.
Mr. Painter replied that LFD was not comfortable making any
kind of policy recommendation. He described that reviewing
the funds was something that the division could do in a
limited fashion, only looking at whether items were
following legislative intent. He thought that the divisions
scope would be limited and would be conservative in their
determinations in order to maintain a non-partisan stance.
9:33:21 AM
Senator Merrick asked what determined which funds were
sweepable, and whether the list of sweepable funds was
subject to change.
Mr. Painter relayed that the statute that determined which
funds were sweepable had been deemed unconstitutional in
the 1990s. Since that time, the matter has been interpreted
and executed by the administration. He said that the
interpretation of sweepability of funds had changed as new
legal opinions had been penned as there was no current
statute.
9:34:28 AM
Co-Chair Olson asked whether Mr. Painter wanted to address
the fiscal note.
Mr. Painter discussed a fiscal note from the Legislature
with an allocation for Legislative Finance, OMB Component
774. He explained that the bill had a zero fiscal note, as
the new duty created by the bill could be absorbed by the
division.
9:35:16 AM
AT EASE
9:36:09 AM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Olson OPENED public testimony.
9:36:33 AM
Co-Chair Olson CLOSED public testimony.
9:36:47 AM
Senator Kaufman thanked the committee and expressed
appreciation for the members' questions. He reiterated that
amendments to the legislation were welcome.
SB 25 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
9:37:17 AM
AT EASE
9:38:40 AM
RECONVENED
SENATE BILL NO. 38
"An Act establishing the crime of interference with
emergency communications."
9:38:43 AM
Co-Chair Olson read the bill title. He noted that the
senate had passed the bill the previous session, but it had
not passed the other body.
9:39:28 AM
Senator David Wilson, Sponsor, offered a sponsor statement:
Senate Bill 38 establishes the offense of interference
with emergency communications. This statute would
apply when a person: repeatedly makes 911 calls to
report something they know has already been reported,
repeatedly calls 911 when there is no emergency, or
harasses or threatens a 911 operator.
Interference with emergency communications -- the
misuse, abuse, and disruption of 911 dispatch centers
-- is a problem that severely impacts public safety
and emergency response by delaying responses to real
emergencies. It is prevalent at dispatch centers
across Alaska and must be addressed.
During these disruptive events, other urgent emergency
calls must be placed on hold or delayed to meet
standards; industry standards are that all 911 calls
must be answered within 15-20 seconds. A dispatcher
could be required to place the parent of a choking
child on hold to answer repeated calls from a
harassing individual who is not in need of emergency
services, delaying necessary life-saving measures.
Under the language in the bill, that harasser could be
charged. Currently, state statute does not address
harassing behavior specific to 911 dispatch centers,
nor does it give law enforcement adequate recourse to
stop the behavior.
This problem is not unique to Alaska. Other states
have developed legislation that makes interfering with
emergency communications an arrestable offense --
which is the most effective way to stop the
interference -- thus allowing 911 telecommunicators to
focus on legitimate emergencies.
Please contact Jasmin Martin in my office at (907)465-
8165 or by email at Jasmin.Martin@akleg.gov for more
information. I respectfully ask for your support of
this legislation.
9:42:02 AM
JASMIN MARTIN, STAFF TO SENATOR WILSON, addressed a
Sectional Analysis (copy on file):
Section 1: Adds a new section (.785. Interference with
emergency communications) to AS 11.56. (Criminal
Law, 56. Offenses Against Public Administration).
(a) Establishes that a person commits a crime of
interference with emergency communication when they:
(1) Call 911 to elicit a first responder response for
a previously reported incident when there has been no
change in circumstances, and they have been instructed
to stop calling
(2) Make repeated 911 calls when there is no
emergency.
(3) Threaten 911 operator during a call to 911.
(b) Defines: "emergency communication," "emergency
communication center," and "emergency communication
worker."
(c) Establishes that this crime is a class B
misdemeanor.
Section 2: Adds a section to uncodified law that
specifies that this act is not applicable to offenses
committed prior to this legislation.
9:43:27 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman asked what communities had 911 operators,
and whether the communities had municipal operators or
operators answering on a statewide switchboard.
Senator Wilson relayed that there were regionally
contracted dispatchers and call centers throughout the
state that catered to communities. He thought the
Department of Public Safety commissioner could answer the
question.
Co-Chair Hoffman shared an incident in which a plane
crashed in Cook Inlet, which had not been successfully
responded to, which resulted in a fatality.
Co-Chair Olson commented that the incident had been
significantly troubling.
9:45:26 AM
JAMES COCKRELL, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,
detailed that when individuals called into 911 for
frivolous reasons it wasted resources and caused undue
stress for dispatchers. He stressed that non-emergency
calls tied up the lines and interfered with the response to
real emergencies. He hoped that the threat of legal action
would deter people from calling 911 for any other reason
but for emergencies.
9:47:39 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman asked how the 911 dispatches were
addressed in major hubs in rural Alaska such as Unalaska,
Dillingham, and Bethel.
Commissioner Cockrell thought that each of those
communities had their own dispatch centers. He said that
areas outside of those communities were trunk lined to
the Fairbanks dispatch center.
Co-Chair Hoffman understood that in the past Bethel had its
911 dispatch operated by the police department, which
switched over during the off-business hours to the Alaska
State Troopers (AST). He asked whether this was still the
case.
Commissioner Cockrell replied that he did not know.
Co-Chair Hoffman wanted to have his question answered. He
acknowledged that the question veered from the intent of
the legislation under discussion. He emphasized that the
communities did not have the finances to have a 911
dispatcher, which was challenging for the safety of those
communities.
9:49:19 AM
Commissioner Cockrell acknowledged the struggles and
challenges that the department had in providing meaningful
service to rural areas of the state. He spoke of the
challenges of trunk lines. He said that the upgrades
necessary to phone towers were expensive.
Co-Chair Hoffman thought that after the request had been
made, the more important thing would be getting service to
rural areas of the state. He cited the need for additional
AST personnel in rural areas.
9:51:00 AM
Commissioner Cockrell commented that the department was
focused on putting more AST in rural areas. He knew there
were issues such as housing that had not been overcome. He
said he was committed to putting law enforcement in rural
Alaska.
Co-Chair Olson thanked the commissioner for his efforts. He
considered 911 calls and asked what role the Village Public
Safety Officer (VPSO) had in responding to 911 calls.
Commissioner Cockrell expressed that the VPSO Program was
important to the department. He relayed that VPSOs would be
alerted when 911 calls were made in communities they
served.
Co-Chair Olson asked what percentage of 911 calls were
perceived to be harassment as opposed to legitimate
emergency calls.
Commissioner Cockrell did not have the information at hand
but mentioned that when harassment calls came in it was
disruptive.
9:54:00 AM
Co-Chair Olson asked whether the department had the
capability to find where calls to 911 were originating.
Commissioner Cockrell said that land line location could be
determined but cell phones made tracking where phone calls
originated mor difficult to establish.
9:55:09 AM
Co-Chair Stedman asked for help understanding how the bill
with harassing or prank calls.
Commissioner Cockrell relayed that under the bill, if the
caller's location could be established, they could face
legal consequences.
9:56:04 AM
Senator Bishop asked whether calls would be traced in order
to identify offenders.
Commissioner Cockrell thought there were some experts who
could address Senator Bishop's question. He thought in many
situations the identity of frequently disruptive callers
was already known.
9:56:50 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman referenced his earlier question pertaining
to a plane crash in Cook Inlet. He recalled that the 911
call had gone up to Fairbanks and was not relayed to the
vicinity where the emergency occurred. He wondered how the
situation had been rectified.
Commissioner Cockrell thought the situation had occurred
six or seven years ago. He thought the emergency call had
been made on a satellite phone, which had relayed it to
Fairbanks. He thought the call had not been transferred to
Mat-Com, which had led to the lack of emergency response.
He did not know if there had been any resolution on the
matter.
Co-Chair Hoffman requested that the commissioner look into
how the problem could be rectified.
Commissioner Cockrell agreed to look into the matter.
9:58:41 AM
AT EASE
10:00:14 AM
RECONVENED
JOEL BUTCHER, ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS
OFFICIALS (via teleconference), relayed that he resided in
Wasilla and was tech support for Mat-Com. He relayed that
he was part of the National Emergency Numbers Association
(NENA). He noted that there was no current state statute
that addressed or criminalized the type of activity
addressed in the bill. He qualified that the bill did not
propose to criminalize those that dialed 911 in error, but
rather those who abused the system. He urged support for
the legislation.
Co-Chair Olson asked for the percentage of people that were
misusing the system.
Mr. Butcher relayed that past experiences had occurred when
someone repeatedly called even after being asked to stop
calling. He said that the callers were either angry or in a
mental state where they felt they had no other
application to vent their frustration. He said that the
situations were rare but often happened at inopportune
times. He said that the legislation had been in the works
for several years and was the result of an instance where a
dispatcher had to file a police report personally in order
to get a caller to stop repeatedly calling 911 and
harassing the dispatcher. He said that calls of the nature
described in the bill happened to dispatchers in his
jurisdiction 2 or 3 times per year.
10:04:44 AM
Co-Chair Olson thought he heard that of 3,200 phone calls,
231 were accidental and 1 or 2 were menacing.
Mr. Butcher relayed that in the month of January 2023,
there had been 731 accidental misdials to the Mat-Com
dispatch center, none of which rose to the level of
harassment detailed in the bill.
Co-Chair Olson asked what other states had done to try and
stop the phone calls that were interfering with legitimate
911 calls.
Mr. Butcher shared that there were 23 states with similar
statutes. He had found statutes in seven different states:
Iowa, Tennessee, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and
California.
Co-Chair Olson asked how effective the statutes had been in
stopping illegal activity.
Mr. Butcher relayed that the statutes were effective and
being used to charge individuals that misused the system.
10:08:05 AM
Co-Chair Olson OPENED public testimony.
10:08:14 AM
Co-Chair Olson CLOSED public testimony.
10:08:22 AM
Senator Bishop asked what constituted a threat against a
911 operator and whether it was defined in statute.
Ms. Martin explained that threat was defined in AS
11.81.900 and was under the statutes related to extortion.
Senator Bishop asked whether a Class B misdemeanor applied
to minors.
Ms. Martin did not have the information at hand.
Senator Wilson answered affirmatively.
10:10:07 AM
Senator Wilson addressed FN 1 from the Department of
Administration, OMB Component 43. The note reflected
$225,000 of UGF funds through FY29 for the additional work
created by the legislation:
This bill creates several new crimes that are Class B
misdemeanors. The bill prohibits a person from
repeatedly contacting emergency services to report an
incident that has been previously reported after an
emergency worker instructs the person to stop making
contact. The bill also prohibits making repeat
contacts to emergency services knowing there is no
emergency or threatening an emergency worker.
New crimes result in additional workload for the
Office of Public Advocacy. The Agency is unable to
absorb additional workload increases as a result of
trial case backlog created by jury trial suspensions
in response to Covid-19 and by unprecedented
recruitment and retention challenges facing public
advocacy nationwide. The Agency is therefore
requesting one Attorney position in FY24 and beyond.
Senator Wilson addressed FN 2 from the Department of
Administration, OMB Component 1631. The note showed
expenses of $205,800 through FY29. The note had a similar
analysis of increased workload for the Public Defender
Agency as the previous note.
Senator Wilson addressed FN 3 from the Department of
Corrections, OMB Component 1381. The note reflected zero
fiscal impact:
This legislation amends AS 11.56 by adding a new
section AS 11.56.785 creating a crime of interference
with emergency communications. This legislation would
make interference with emergency communications a
class B misdemeanor.
Since this is a new offense, the department has no
historical data to be able to determine how many
convictions will occur under this statute or the
length of incarceration and cannot determine the
actual impact to the daily prison population.
However, based on the current prison population, any
increase can be absorbed within the department's
existing resources and capacity. Therefore, a zero
fiscal note is submitted for this legislation.
Senator Wilson addressed FN 4 from the Department of Law,
OMB Component 2202, which reflected zero fiscal impact:
This bill establishes the crime of interference with
emergency communications. A person is guilty of
interfering with emergency communications if they
knowingly make repeated calls to an emergency
communications center to report an incident that has
already been reported and continues to call after
being asked not to, makes repeated calls to an
emergency communications center knowing that there is
not an emergency, or threatens an emergency
communications worker.
Interference with emergency communications is a class
B misdemeanor.
It is unclear how many additional cases would be
referred to the Criminal Division for prosecution if
this bill were to pass. However, the targeted conduct
is very specific and, therefore, the department does
not anticipate that the potential increase in cases
will have a fiscal impact.
Senator Wilson addressed FN 5 from the Department of Public
Safety, OMB Component 3346, which was a zero fiscal note:
This bill deters the misuse and abusive calls that
cause disruption to 911 dispatch centers and
appropriately holds offenders accountable by
criminalizing conduct relating to interference with
emergency communications. Interference with emergency
communications creates situations that can delay
response time to real emergencies. During these
disruptive events, other urgent emergency calls must
be placed on hold or delayed in order to meet the
industry standard that all calls must be answered
within 15-20 seconds.
Current laws do not address harassing behavior
specific to 911 emergency dispatch centers and
dispatch personnel.
To charge under harassment in the second degree (AS
11.61.120), dispatchers must file individually as the
victims of harassment which gives the harassing
individual access to a dispatcher's first and last
names through court records rather than protecting
their anonymity. The crime of false information or
report (AS 11.56.800) does not cover incidents where
harassment or other disruptive calls are made but no
report or information was provided.
Having a specific statute that addresses calls that
intentionally interfere with emergency communications
can help reduce this problem and allow 911 dispatchers
to focus on doing their best to assist with legitimate
emergencies.
There is no fiscal impact.
10:13:20 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman asked whether the current version of the
bill was identical to the bill that had passed the
committee the previous year.
Senator Wilson cited that there was a small change to the
bill that was technical in nature.
Co-Chair Hoffman asked if FN 1 and FN 2 were different than
the fiscal notes in the previous legislation.
Co-Chair Olson pointed out that there were staff from LFD
that could address the fiscal note.
Senator Wilson answered that the fiscal impact notes were
new. He said that additional analysis has been requested
from the Department of Public Safety.
10:16:01 AM
ROB CARPENTER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE
FINANCE relayed that the notes containing fiscal impact
were minimal and some indeterminate. He thought that the
fiscally impacted agencies should go through the regular
budget process to request the funds they might need as a
result of the legislation.
Senator Wilson understood that there was a cost to the
state. He referenced an incident in Big Lake where there
had been a drowning emergency that was impeded by over 80
harassing calls to dispatchers. He emphasized that the bill
was intended to provide a deterrent to individuals to
refrain from misusing the 911 service.
Co-Chair Olson asked how to separate those people that had
mental health issues and might need emergency assistance
from those making harassing calls.
Senator Wilson relayed that the bill provided a tool to
send a first responder to a home to check on the caller. He
mentioned a mobile crisis response team could be sent to
assist people in crisis.
SB 30 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Olson discussed housekeeping.
ADJOURNMENT
10:20:38 AM
The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 25 - Sponsor Statement Version A.pdf |
SFIN 2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 25 |
| SB 25 - Sectional Analysis Version A.pdf |
SFIN 2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 25 |
| SB 38 Supporting Document - Letters Received as of 1.23.23.pdf |
SFIN 2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 38 |
| SB 38 Sectional Analysis v. A 1.17.2023.pdf |
SFIN 2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 38 |
| SB 38 Sponsor Statement 1.17.2023.pdf |
SFIN 2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM |
|
| SB 38 PSEA lettter of support SB 38 Senator Wilson.pdf |
SFIN 2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 38 |