05/09/1994 09:12 AM Senate JUD

                   SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE                                  
                          May 9, 1994                                          
                           9:12 a.m.                                           
                                                                               
                                                                               
  MEMBERS PRESENT                                                              
                                                                               
 Senator Robin Taylor, Chairman                                                
 Senator Dave Donley                                                           
 Senator Suzanne Little                                                        
                                                                               
  MEMBERS ABSENT                                                               
                                                                               
 Senator Rick Halford, Vice-Chairman                                           
 Senator George Jacko                                                          
                                                                               
 COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                            
                                                                               
 CONFIRMATION HEARING - Attorney General Bruce Botelho                         
                                                                               
  ACTION NARRATIVE                                                             
                                                                               
 TAPE 94-47, SIDE A                                                            
 Number 001                                                                    
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN ROBIN TAYLOR  called the Judiciary Committee meeting to             
 order at 9:12 a.m., and invited Attorney General Botelho to address           
 the committee.                                                                
                                                                               
 Attorney General Botelho said he was honored by his nomination by             
 Governor Hickel to serve as Attorney General.  Most of his                    
 professional life has been as a lawyer in the Department of Law,              
 having worked with seven attorneys general.  He also served for               
 three years as the deputy commissioner in the Department of                   
 Revenue, as well as a five-month period serving as acting                     
 commissioner in that department.                                              
                                                                               
 Attorney General Botelho outlined his family background, which has            
 a long tradition both in Alaska and as public servants.  His own              
 background in terms of growing up has been influenced by family and           
 school, as well as by the church and in scouting.                             
                                                                               
 Attorney General Botelho related that Governor Hickel, during the             
 course of this year, has identified three priorities for him to               
 pursue: (1)  continued prosecution of the state's federal                     
 litigation on a wide variety of fronts; (2) the collection of back            
 taxes; and (3) the continued rigorous enforcement of the state's              
 criminal laws and efforts to see legislation enacted during the               
 session.                                                                      
                                                                               
 Attorney General Botelho said he has identified that his personal             
 priority in terms of time be devoted to three issues: (1) the                 
 active attempts to collect back taxes; (2) resolution of the Mental           
 Health Trust Lands controversy; and (3) internal management issues            
 within the Department of Law.                                                 
                                                                               
 Number 158                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LITTLE asked if the Department of Law is setting up a                 
 separate unit for child support enforcement collections, and how              
 will it coordinate the Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) in           
 the Department of Revenue.  ATTORNEY GENERAL BOTELHO acknowledged             
 that was correct and pointed out that the Department of Law has               
 always provided legal services to CSED.  The difficulty has been              
 that because of other emergency proceedings involved in the                   
 process, child support enforcement efforts have gone to the bottom            
 of the stack and that has created a backlog in both the Department            
 of Law as well as CSED.  There will now be collections specialists            
 whose full time job will be to get that backlog taken care of.                
                                                                               
 Number 184                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY spoke to concerns with past problems with insurance            
 fraud in the state, and that he has heard the rumor that there is             
 the intent by the Department of Law to take the fraud investigator            
 position and use it for something else.  ATTORNEY GENERAL BOTELHO             
 agreed that insurance fraud has been a historic problem.  The                 
 Department of Commerce & Economic Development has funded two                  
 positions for the Division of Insurance to work full time on                  
 insurance fraud investigations.  One is located in Anchorage and              
 the other in Juneau, however, he has transferred the Juneau                   
 position to Anchorage so that the two attorneys can work together             
 full time with the bulk of the insurance division's work out of               
 Anchorage.                                                                    
                                                                               
 Number 251                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR expressed his pleasure with Attorney General                   
 Botelho's appointment and commended him for the job he has been               
 doing.                                                                        
                                                                               
 Number 260                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY moved that a letter be sent to Senate President                
 Halford stating that the committee has held a hearing on the                  
 appointment of Mr. Botelho as Attorney General and there were no              
 stated objections to his confirmation.  Hearing no objection, it              
 was so ordered by the Chairman.                                               
                                                                               
 There being no further business to come before the committee, the             
 meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m.