SB 295-LICENSING: DISCLOSURE OF MINORS' RECORDS  MR. DAVID MITCHELL, staff to Senator Pete Kelly, sponsor of SB 295, made the following statement. Both state and federal laws currently require all child and adult care licensing authorities to review criminal histories of every individual aged 16 or older who is seeking either a care license, employment with a care provider, or residing in the home with a care provider. Criminal history information for persons under 18 is not accessible through the Alaska Public Safety Information Network but is available through the Division of Juvenile Justice. Due to the language in the current statute, the division may release certain information for specific situations to only a few of the licensing agencies. The fact that an applicant may have a son living in the home who is a convicted child molester could be kept from the licensing agency because of limitations on the division's authority to release that information. This bill would give the Department of Health and Social Services clear authority to provide all child and adult care licensing agencies access to appropriate licensing information. This bill will help facilitate the licensing of suitable individuals, as well as help ensure that quality of care and safety concerns are met for every client receiving services in a care facility or program. MR. MITCHELL offered to answer questions. There being no questions, CHAIRMAN TAYLOR took further testimony. MR. ROBERT BUTTCANE, Division of Juvenile Justice, Department of Health and Social Services, stated support for SB 295 as it will take care of an omission in the division's statutes. SB 295 will allow the division to work with licensing agencies to make sure they have access to delinquency information to ensure they are licensing people who will preserve the safety of people being cared for in elderly and child care facilities. MR. BUTTCANE said the recent spate of laws that passed at the federal and state levels regarding licensing for care facilities mandate that licensing agencies have access to records of persons 16 and older. Alaska's current delinquency records confidentiality statute is written in such a way that it doesn't include all conditions that arise in licensing situations. SB 295 will provide explicit authority to the division to provide information for those purposes. There being no further testimony or questions, SENATOR COWDERY moved SB 295 from committee with its accompanying fiscal notes and individual recommendations. CHAIRMAN TAYLOR announced that without objection, the motion carried.