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.