SENATE BILL NO. 15 "An Act relating to penalties for certain alcohol offenses involving persons under 21 years of age committed by a sex offender or child kidnapper." 10:04:10 AM SENATOR KEVIN MEYER explained that SB 15 would raise the penalty of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for registered sex offenders. 10:05:41 AM Co-Chair Stedman looked at the two fiscal notes in the packet. He stated that it was the intention of the committee upon the next reading of the bill to replace the Department of Corrections fiscal note with an indeterminate Senate Finance Committee fiscal note. 10:06:14 AM Senator Thomas wondered if the developmentally disabled were currently protected under statute from exploitation due to the distribution of alcohol. Senator Meyer replied that the developmentally disabled had not been considered during the crafting of the legislation. 10:07:18 AM ANNIE CARPENETI, DEPARTMENT OF LAW, CRIMINAL DIVISION, clarified that the substantive laws currently covered people who were unable to protect themselves, such as the developmentally disabled. She added that there were aggravating factors during sentencing for those found guilty of committing sexual acts on people who were particularly vulnerable. 10:08:10 AM Senator Olson wondered whether studies had shown that the increased penalties had cut down on the instances of assaults. Ms. Carpeneti replied that the theory was that children who consumed alcohol were more vulnerable to sexual attacks and that sex offenders had already displayed predatory conduct. 10:09:26 AM Senator Olson probed what was ultimately expected to be accomplished through the legislation. Senator Meyer replied that there were no documented studies that showed that passing legislation of this kind lowered the instances of registered offenders deploying alcohol to exploit minors. He said that the bill was intended to remove sex offenders who temped minors with alcohol from the streets and place them in rehabilitation. 10:11:27 AM Senator McGuire commented that as the committee discussed fixing societal wrongs it was important to take the weaknesses in the corrections system into consideration. She asked about family members who were registered sex offenders buying for minor family members, and wondered how many felons would be created as a result of the legislation. Senator Meyer understood that if it was proven in court that a family member on the sex offender registry bought alcohol for a minor family member - the legislation would apply. CHRISTINE MARASIGAN, STAFF, SENATOR MEYER, responded that according to the Anchorage Police Department in 2006-2007 there were 701 reported sexual assaults. Of all of the reported cases, 30 percent of the assaults involved victims 19 years old and younger. She relayed that for all of the reported assaults, more than half involved alcohol. According to national statistics people who used alcohol who were between the ages of 12 and 20 were not purchasing the alcohol themselves. She concluded that the intention of the legislation was to keep minors from obtaining alcohol from predatory people who used alcohol as a grooming tool in order to entice young people into sexual situations. SB 15 was HEARD and HELD in Committee for further consideration.