Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/21/2023 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Consideration of Governor Appointees | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
March 21, 2023
3:29 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Scott Kawasaki, Chair
Senator Jesse Bjorkman
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator Kelly Merrick
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Matt Claman, Vice Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONSIDERATION OF GOVERNOR APPOINTEES
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SUCCESSOR
Commissioner Jason Brune
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
ALASKA POLICE STANDARDS COUNCIL
Rebecca Hamon - King Salmon
Steve Dutra - North Pole
Daniel Carothers - Douglas
- CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JASON BRUNE, Commissioner
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the appointee for Lieutenant
Governor Successor.
REBECCA HAMON, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
King Salmon, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified for reappointment to the Alaska
Police Standards Council.
CHIEF STEVE DUTRA, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
North Pole, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified for reappointment to the Alaska
Police Standards Council.
DANIEL CAROTHERS, Appointee
Alaska Police Standards Council
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Douglas, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as an appointee to the public seat
on the Alaska Police Standards Council.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:32:39 PM
CHAIR SCOTT KAWASAKI called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:29 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Merrick, Bjorkman, and Chair Kawasaki.
Senator Wielechowski arrived soon thereafter.
^CONSIDERATION OF GOVERNOR APPOINTEES
CONSIDERATION OF GOVERNOR APPOINTEES
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SUCCESSOR
ALASKA POLICE STANDARDS COUNCIL
3:33:30 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced the consideration of the Lieutenant
Governor Successor and welcomed Commissioner Jason Brune to the
witness table.
3:33:42 PM
JASON BRUNE, Commissioner, Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC), Juneau, Alaska, testified as the appointee
for Lieutenant Governor Successor. He stated that he has been
proud to serve under Governor Dunleavy since the first day of
the governor's first term in 2018. He spoke about his efforts to
earn the legislature's trust over the last four years and that
one of his proudest moments was when former Senator Begich
stated on the record that he regretted not voting for his
confirmation. He is honored to be selected as the lieutenant
governor's successor, but he prays it is never necessary. He
offered to answer questions.
3:34:22 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI joined the committee.
3:36:00 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked, should he assume to the role of
lieutenant governor, if there were things he would change within
the Division of Elections.
COMMISSIONER BRUNE responded that he would rely on legislators
to offer suggestions if changes need to be made.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI noted that the new director of the Division
of Elections (DOE) mentioned the possibility of the state
dropping its membership in the nonprofit Electronic Registration
Information Center (ERIC), which is the organization that works
with other member states to verify peoples' addresses to ensure
they aren't voting in multiple jurisdictions. He asked
Commissioner Brune for his position on the matter.
COMMISSIONER BRUNE said he finds the relationships he has with
other states valuable, and he believes that ensuring that people
don't vote multiple times in multiple jurisdictions is
important. However, he would need to follow up with a response
because he wasn't familiar with ERIC and what DOE previously
presented to the committee.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if he would advocate to eliminate
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) if he were to become lieutenant
governor.
COMMISSIONER BRUNE said he'd leave that decision to the people
to speak through the current initiative to repeal RCV or to the
legislature to take action through the legislative process.
3:39:48 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on the appointment of
Commissioner Brune as Lieutenant Governor Successor; finding
none, he closed public testimony.
3:40:35 PM
SENATOR MERRICK moved to forward the following name to a joint
session for consideration:
Lieutenant Governor Successor
Commissioner Jason Brune - Juneau
Signing the reports regarding appointments to boards and
commissions in no way reflects individual members' approval or
disapproval of the appointees; the nominations are merely
forwarded to the full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
CHAIR KAWASAKI stated that without objection the name would be
forwarded.
3:41:07 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked Rebecca Hamon to introduce herself and tell
the committee why she wanted to continue to serve on the Alaska
Police Standards Council.
3:41:48 PM
REBECCA HAMON, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
Department of Public Safety (DPS), King Salmon, Alaska,
testified for reappointment to the Alaska Police Standards
Council. She stated that she has served on the council since she
was first appointed by Governor Parnell. The council has a good
process to help the state have high-quality, well-trained police
that the people can support and trust. The council also works to
ensure that this is a good career. She would like to continue to
work on the regulations package in process to ensure the changes
make sense for the state.
3:44:27 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked her to talk about the Crisis Now model
where a social worker or somebody who has behavioral health
training is called to evaluate the situation and decide whether
law enforcement is needed.
MS. HAMON said she works as an advocate for victims of domestic
violence and sexual assault and many of the people she works
with struggle with mental health issues or active addiction.
Interactions with law enforcement are often difficult and her
organization often looks for other options than the police
coming in "hot" when there's a call. She said the King Salmon
community is working to develop a system that relies on peer
support and crisis advocates to be with the police in response
situations that have a mental health component. She continued
that a team approach also seems important to change the
trajectory of teen suicide.
3:46:57 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI invited Chief Dutra to identify himself and tell
the committee why he wants to continue to serve on the Alaska
Police Standards Council.
3:47:08 PM
CHIEF STEVE DUTRA, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
Department of Public Safety (DPS), North Pole, Alaska, stated
that he would like to continue to serve on the Alaska Police
Standards Council for much the same reason as Ms. Hamon. It's a
noble cause and he believes in the mission of maintaining the
standards of police officers statewide. He said it's a lot of
work but it's rewarding. He likes to hold the line on police
standards and after 27 years he has the experience and training
to know what it takes to be a good officer.
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked what the dropout rate is for applicants who
don't go on to be a police officer.
CHIEF DUTRA said it's about half but that number is trending up.
He added that it's very difficult to keep officers until the end
of their careers.
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked why that might be.
CHIEF DUTRA attributed it to the lack of a retirement benefit
and that public service doesn't have the draw it once did. He
said more needs to be done to incentivize the career because
people are opting for careers that are more lucrative.
3:50:00 PM
SENATOR MERRICK asked him to share his thoughts on the statewide
policy manual.
CHIEF DUTRA said he's very supportive. It's used by 38 states;
it's beneficial to small departments that aren't capable of
producing a police manual; it's been vetted and meets high
police standards nationwide; it's been vetted judicially; and it
helps an agency that is seeking accreditation for professional
police standards.
3:51:39 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on the reappointment of
Chief Dutra to the Alaska Police Standards Council; finding
none, he closed public testimony.
3:52:11 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked Daniel Carothers to identify himself and
tell the committee about his interest in serving on the Alaska
Police Standards Council.
3:52:32 PM
DANIEL CAROTHERS, Appointee, Alaska Police Standards Council,
Department of Public Safety (DPS), Douglas, Alaska, stated that
he has lived in Alaska for 46 years and has a diverse
background, primarily in different corrections positions
throughout the state. He served as deputy commissioner for the
Department of Corrections under this administration for several
months before he retired, and just before that he ran a
polygraph business that included counseling and field probation
polygraphs. Currently he commercial fishes in the summer and
works for a pharmaceutical company to try to help people who
have been incarcerated address their drug addictions.
3:56:19 PM
SENATOR MERRICK referenced a July 31, 2018 letter he wrote about
repealing Senate Bill 91. She asked if he feels the changes the
legislature has made in law enforcement policy, including the
repeal of Senate Bill 91, have made a positive impact.
MR. CAROTHERS said the changes are definitely better than the
original law, but it's not perfect.
3:57:51 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on the appointment of
Daniel Carothers to the Alaska Police Standards Council; finding
none, he closed public testimony.
3:58:45 PM
SENATOR MERRICK moved to forward the following names to a joint
session for consideration:
Alaska Police Standards Council
Rebecca Hamon - King Salmon
Steve Dutra - North Pole
Daniel Carothers - Douglas
Signing the reports regarding appointments to boards and
commissions in no way reflects individual members' approval or
disapproval of the appointees; the nominations are merely
forwarded to the full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
CHAIR KAWASAKI found no objection and the names were forwarded.
3:59:52 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Kawasaki adjourned the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting at 3:59 p.m.
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