04/03/1998 09:15 AM Senate FIN

MINUTES                                                                        
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                       
3 April 1998                                                                   
9:15 a.m.                                                                      
                                                                               
                                                                               
TAPES                                                                          
                                                                               
SFC-98, #111, Side A                                                           
                                                                               
                                                                               
CALL TO ORDER                                                                  
                                                                               
Senator Bert Sharp, Co-chair, convened the meeting at                          
approximately 9:15 a.m.                                                        
                                                                               
                                                                               
PRESENT                                                                        
                                                                               
In addition to Co-chairman Sharp, Senators Pearce, Donley                      
and Parnell were present when the meeting was convened.                        
Senator Phillips arrived shortly thereafter.                                   
                                                                               
Also Attending:  DAN SPENCER, Chief Budget Analyst, Office                     
of Management and Budget, Office of the Governor; JIM                          
BALDWIN, Assistant Attorney General, Governmental Affairs                      
Section, Department of Law; KRAG JOHNSON, staff to Senator                     
Jerry Ward; BRUCE RICHARDS, Program Coordinator, Office of                     
the Commissioner, Department of Corrections; JAYNE ANDREEN,                    
Executive Director, Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual                    
Assault, Department of Public Safety; LAURIE HUGENIN,                          
Director, Sexual Assault Network; JENNIFER BELL, Natives for                   
Sobriety; MIKE GREANY, Director, Division of Legislative                       
Finance; DAVE TONKOVICH, Fiscal Analyst, Division of                           
Legislative Finance; and aides to committee members and                        
other members of the Legislature.                                              
                                                                               
                                                                               
SUMMARY INFORMATION                                                            
                                                                               
                                                                               
 SENATE BILL NO. 347                                                           
                                                                               
"An Act relating to the increase of an appropriation                           
item based on additional federal or other program                              
receipts."                                                                     
                                                                               
                                                                               
Co-chair Sharp called SB 347.                                                  
                                                                               
(Due to a malfunction of the recording and teleconference                      
equipment this meeting was not properly recorded.  The short                   
set of minutes following was taken from the Secretary's                        
handwritten log notes, which are attached to the hard copy                     
for any future reference.)                                                     
                                                                               
DAN SPENCER, Chief Budget Analyst, Office of Management and                    
Budget was invited to join the committee.  He reviewed the                     
five RPL's brought before the committee.  The first three                      
were:  one, Sitka Airport; two, Department of Fish and Game;                   
and three, ASMI.                                                               
                                                                               
Senator Donley asked what had been done regarding ASMI.  Mr.                   
Spencer said they had worked closely with ASMI to resolve                      
the issue.  He noted the director of ASMI was not "canned"                     
however later left on his own.                                                 
                                                                               
Co-chair Sharp said this had set a very bad precedence.  The                   
director flagrantly spent money he did not have and then the                   
Governor bailed him out.  He hoped that they had learned                       
their lesson.  He said the State had no reason or precedence                   
to bail out ASMI.                                                              
                                                                               
Mr. Spencer continued the last two RPL's and noted they                        
were:  four, PILT; and five, EVOS.  He said the process for                    
requesting RPL's was not broken and had not been abused.                       
                                                                               
JIM BALDWIN, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Law                     
was invited to join the committee.  He said the dispute over                   
these had never been resolved and advised the Legislature                      
should appropriate the necessary funds.  There followed a                      
short discussion between Senator Parnell and Mr. Baldwin                       
regarding the 45-day rule.  Mr. Baldwin did not feel any                       
pressure under the 45-day rule and noted there had always                      
been an honorable compromise if necessary.                                     
                                                                               
Senator Phillips MOVED SB 347 and WITHOUT OBJECTION it was                     
REPORTED OUT with individual recommendations and zero fiscal                   
note prepared by Mike Greany, Director, Division of                            
Legislative Finance.                                                           
                                                                               
                                                                               
SENATE BILL NO. 242                                                            
                                                                               
"An Act providing for the forfeiture of good time                              
sentence credits of sex offenders who fail to                                  
successfully complete sex offender treatment programs."                        
                                                                               
KRAG JOHNSON, staff to Senator Jerry Ward was invited to                       
join the committee.  He read the sponsor statement into the                    
record.                                                                        
                                                                               
Senator Donley requested an amendment be made to page 1,                       
lines 9 - 10 to insert "participate in or".  Mr. Johnson                       
said the amendment would be acceptable to the sponsor.                         
                                                                               
Senator Donley MOVED amendment #1 and WITHOUT OBJECTION it                     
was ADOPTED.                                                                   
                                                                               
BRUCE RICHARDS, Program Coordinator, Office of the                             
Commissioner, Department of Corrections was invited to join                    
the committee.  He briefly explained for the committee that                    
there was a new zero fiscal note from the department.                          
                                                                               
(pause on record)                                                              
                                                                               
JENNIFER BELL, Natives for Sobriety was invited to join the                    
committee.  She said this was a good bill but would like to                    
see more cultural relevancy and sensitivity to Native                          
inmates.  Due to a language barrier in many instances people                   
were kicked out of programs for being non-responsive.                          
                                                                               
Mr. Johnson advised the committee that in last year's budget                   
monies had been allocated for culturally relevant programs.                    
He said Senator Ward watched this very closely.                                
                                                                               
JAYNE ANDREEN, Executive Director, Council on Domestic                         
Violence and Sexual Assault, Department of Public Safety was                   
invited to join the committee.  She commented briefly on the                   
bill.                                                                          
                                                                               
LAURIE HUGENIN, Director, Sexual Assault Network was invited                   
to join the committee.  She also offered brief comments to                     
the bill.                                                                      
                                                                               
Senator Phillips MOVED CSSB 342(FIN) and WITHOUT OBJECTION                     
it was REPORTED OUT with individual recommendations and zero                   
fiscal note, Department of Corrections.                                        
                                                                               
Co-chair Sharp reviewed the agenda for tomorrow and said the                   
committee would meet at 9:00 a.m.                                              
                                                                               
                                                                               
ADJOURNMENT                                                                    
                                                                               
Co-chair Sharp recessed the meeting at approximately 9:55                      
a.m.                                                                           
SFC-98 -3- 4/03/98