HB 3-DEFINITION OF "DISASTER": CYBERSECURITY  2:47:33 PM CHAIR CLAMAN announced that the final order of business would be CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 3(STA), "An Act relating to the definition of 'disaster.'" [Before the committee was CSHB 3(STA).] 2:47:52 PM CHAIR CLAMAN opened public testimony on CSHB 3(STA). After ascertaining there was no one who wished to testify, he closed public testimony. CHAIR CLAMAN invited committee questions. REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN noted that a switch had been made from natural disasters to manmade disasters. He asked, "Is the intent of the sponsor to draw distinction between accidents versus the kinds of attacks and intentionality that we were talking about?" 2:49:26 PM ERICK CODERO-GIORGANA, Staff, Representative Mike Prax, Alaska State Legislature, answered that the intent is "to cover all of that." 2:50:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS asked Mr. Codero-Girogana to confirm he is staff for Representative Mike Prax. MR. CODERO-GIORGANA answered yes. He added, "I'm allowed to help today - Representative Johnson - for the bill, because I was helping her carry that bill." 2:50:33 PM CHAIR CLAMAN explained a recent switch of staff between the offices of Representatives Johnson and Prax to explain Mr. Codero-Giorgana's involvement. 2:52:03 PM MR. CODERO-GIORGANA, in response to a follow-up question from Representative Eastman as to whether the bill would cover both cyber attacks and cyber security attacks, answered, "The sponsor's intention is to cover all of it." 2:53:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND indicated she had, at a previous hearing on CSHB 3(STA), asked about political subdivisions. She then noted that Mr. Wyatt, the information technology (IT) director of the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough, had testified about a cyberattack in 2019. She asked whether the state would be assisting boroughs in protecting themselves and whether the definition of "disaster" in CSHB 3(STA) should be amended. MR. CODERO-GIORGANA answered that it will depend on the circumstances of each disaster. He explained that each district can seek assistance and would do so depending on whether the disaster was or was not contained. He stated that when that cyberattack occurred, the Mat-Su Borough tried to get additional assistance from the state by having the state declare the situation a disaster. He said because this was not clarified in statute, it did not happen. The district still received assistance, but "it wasn't as easy to get as if this had been in statute." He then referred to questions Representative Drummond had asked previously and noted one had not been answered at that time, which was that the Alaska Railroad is an instrumentality of the state "and therefore would be covered under the statute." REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND indicated she had just received from her staff a list of political subdivisions of the state, which she said addressed her questions. 2:56:01 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN, considering the broadness of the language in CSHB 3(STA), asked whether there was a good reason not to allow the governor to declare a disaster if there is a potential for federal aid, for example. He indicated that currently statute limits the governor's ability to declare a disaster. MR. CODERO-GIORGANA responded that under CSHB 3(STA), certain criteria must be met to declare a disaster, and whether or not the governor should or should not have the authority to call more disasters or fewer disasters is a policy call not being address under the proposed legislation. 2:57:28 PM CHAIR CLAMAN announced that CSHB 3(STA) was held over.