HB 289-EXEC ETHICS: LEGAL FEES/FAMILY TRAVEL
8:57:15 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the final order of business was HOUSE
BILL NO. 289, "An Act authorizing state agencies to pay private
legal fees and costs incurred by persons exonerated of alleged
Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act violations; allowing certain
public officers and former public officers to accept state
payments to offset private legal fees and costs related to
defending against an Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act
complaint; and creating certain exceptions to Alaska Executive
Branch Ethics Act limitations on the use of state resources to
provide or pay for transportation of spouses and children of the
governor and the lieutenant governor."
8:57:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG, as prime sponsor of HB 289, noted that
at the last bill hearing, the committee had discussed three
issues. The first issue was whether the proposed legislation
should be expanded in Section 3 to allow [the use of state
resources to pay for] travel of a non-spouse of an executive.
Representative Gruenberg said both the bill drafter and attorney
general Judy Bockmon emphasized that it would be difficult to
draft such language. He said he would do as the committee
wished, but he advised against making that change. He said the
idea for the other two amendments came from Representative
Seaton.
8:59:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to adopt Amendment 1, labeled 26-
LS1304\C.1, Wayne, 2/24/10, which read as follows:
Page 3, line 16:
Delete "official"
Insert "officially designated"
There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
9:00:01 AM
REPRESENTAIVE SEATON moved to adopt Amendment 2, labeled 26-
LS1304\C.2, Wayne, 2/24/10, which read as follows:
Page 3, line 14:
Delete "is"
Insert "has been"
Page 3, line 15, following "customary":
Insert "at similar events"
Page 3, line 19:
Delete "are customary"
Insert "have been customary at similar events"
9:00:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG objected for discussion purposes.
9:01:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to adopt an amendment to
Amendment 2, to change "at" to "for".
9:01:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion purposes.
9:01:59 AM
JUDY BOCKMON, Assistant Attorney General/State Ethics Attorney,
Opinions, Appeals, & Ethics, Civil Division (Anchorage),
Department of Law, explained the need for the proposed amendment
to Amendment 2. She clarified that the proposed change would
take place at page 3, line 19. She said, "It seemed to me that
simply for context, use of the word 'for' rather than 'at' was a
better choice when the phrase starts with 'the invitation and
the person's attendance'."
9:02:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said that change seems to be stylistic,
and he removed his objection. There being no further objection,
the amendment to Amendment 2 was adopted.
9:03:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG removed his objection to Amendment 2,
as amended. [There being no further objection, Amendment 2, as
amended, was adopted.]
9:03:54 AM
CHAIR LYNN, after ascertaining that there was no one else who
wished to testify, closed public testimony.
9:04:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to report the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HB 289, Version 26-LS1304\C, Wayne, 2/22/10,
as amended, with individual recommendations and the accompanying
fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 289(STA) was
reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.