ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
March 26, 2018
3:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Matt Claman, Chair
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Vice Chair
Representative Louise Stutes
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux
Representative David Eastman
Representative Chuck Kopp
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Lora Reinbold
Representative Charisse Millett (alternate)
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky (alternate)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 148
"An Act relating to powers of the Alaska Police Standards
Council; and relating to background checks for admission to
police training programs and certification as a police officer."
- MOVED SB 148 OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 355
"An Act relating to the crime of criminally negligent burning;
relating to protection of and fire management on forested land;
relating to prohibited acts and penalties for prohibited acts on
forested land; and providing for an effective date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 75
"An Act relating to gun violence protective orders; relating to
the crime of violating a protective order; relating to a central
registry for protective orders; relating to the powers of
district judges and magistrates; requiring physicians,
psychologists, psychological associates, social workers, marital
and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors to
report annually threats of gun violence; and amending Rules 4
and 65, Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure, and Rule 9, Alaska
Rules of Administration."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 148
SHORT TITLE: BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR POLICE/TRAINING
SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
01/18/18 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/18 (S) STA, JUD
02/08/18 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
02/08/18 (S) Moved SB 148 Out of Committee
02/08/18 (S) MINUTE(STA)
02/09/18 (S) STA RPT 3DP 2NR
02/09/18 (S) DP: MEYER, GIESSEL, EGAN
02/09/18 (S) NR: WILSON, COGHILL
02/26/18 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/26/18 (S) Heard & Held
02/26/18 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
03/02/18 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/02/18 (S) Moved SB 148 Out of Committee
03/02/18 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
03/05/18 (S) JUD RPT 1DP 3NR
03/05/18 (S) DP: COGHILL
03/05/18 (S) NR: WIELECHOWSKI, COSTELLO, KELLY
03/14/18 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
03/14/18 (S) VERSION: SB 148
03/15/18 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/15/18 (H) JUD
03/21/18 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
03/21/18 (H) Heard & Held
03/21/18 (H) MINUTE(JUD)
03/26/18 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
WITNESS REGISTER
BOB GRIFFITHS
Executive Director
Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC)
Department of Public Safety
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the hearing of SB 148, answered a
question.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:02:22 PM
CHAIR MATT CLAMAN called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. Representatives Claman, Eastman,
Kopp, LeDoux, and Kreiss-Tomkins were present at the call to
order. Representative Stutes arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
SB 148-BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR POLICE/TRAINING
3:02:51 PM
CHAIR CLAMAN announced that the only order of business would be
SENATE BILL NO. 148, "An Act relating to powers of the Alaska
Police Standards Council; and relating to background checks for
admission to police training programs and certification as a
police officer."
3:03:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN referred to [Section 1, AS
12.62.400(a)(19)] page 2, lines 28-31, which read as follows:
(19) admittance to a police training program
under AS 18.65.230 or for certification as a police
officer under AS 18.65.240 if that person's
prospective employer does not have access to a
criminal justice information system.
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked why this was not an issue
previously, or if it was an issue, how was it handled.
3:04:43 PM
BOB GRIFFITHS, Executive Director, Alaska Police Standards
Council (APSC), Department of Public Safety, reiterated his
testimony from the previous hearing and advised that prior to
last year, the Alaska Police Standards Council (ASPC) was deemed
a law enforcement agency. Under that authority, he said, the
ASPC routinely ran fingerprints as a law enforcement agency,
except, two years ago, unbeknownst to the ASPC, the FBI
reclassified the Police Standards Councils as a licensing
agency, thereby, losing its access to the fingerprint-based
background checks. In order to gain back that authority, he
advised that SB 148 adds it to the list for occupational
licenses on pages 1-2 of SB 148.
3:05:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS moved to report SB 148, labeled
30-GS2594\A out of committee with individual recommendations and
the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, SB 148
passed out of the House Judiciary Standing Committee.
3:07:03 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:07 p.m.