SB 201-PUBLIC FINANCE WEBSITE                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of SB 201.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS moved  to adopt the committee  substitute (CS) to                                                               
SB 201,  labeled 25-LS1135\K, as  a working document.  Hearing no                                                               
objection, Version K was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:02:59 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI, Alaska  State Legislature, said the CS                                                               
tries  to address  a number  of concerns  that were  expressed in                                                               
this committee  last time.  There are  four changes.  The website                                                               
will be updated monthly rather than quarterly.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE asked if it changed the fiscal note.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI  said  he  was   told  there  would  be  no                                                               
difference. The data  is already on the computer.  He agreed with                                                               
the committee's  concern that  $10,000 was too  high of  a number                                                               
for the minimum  amount posted, so it was changed  to $1,000. The                                                               
CS   adds  a   section  dealing   with  aggregated   confidential                                                               
information, so no one person will be named -- just a total.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:05:33 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  said the next  change refers  to individual                                                               
payments to state  employees. The CS added  the word "individual"                                                               
to allow  the aggregate totals  to be made public  without naming                                                               
individual  payments.   The  governor  has  decided   to  have  a                                                               
governance council to review what is  in the database. He said he                                                               
supports that.  The reporting  is not  necessary because  of this                                                               
council. The  legislature can request  reports from  the council.                                                               
Regarding state  employees, the state  does not have  the ability                                                               
to list that information,  so it is left out for  now, but it can                                                               
be revisited by the governance council.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:07:35 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BUNDE  said he noted  that the administration  is already                                                               
doing something similar.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said  SB 201 will put the  public website in                                                               
law. The governor  can change things unless this  bill is passed.                                                               
Also, it  gives the legislature a  role in the debate  for adding                                                               
or removing items from the website.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:09:00 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  BUNDE noted  a review,  but wondered  about a  sunset so                                                               
that the legislature will automatically review it at that time.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he hadn't thought of a sunset.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS said  if this is good for the  state, perhaps the                                                               
school districts and municipalities should do it.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said  he looked into that, and it  is a good                                                               
idea, but fiscally it will be very expensive.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:10:12 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR FRENCH  moved the  committee substitute  (CS) to  SB 201,                                                               
labeled    25-LS1135\K    from    committee    with    individual                                                               
recommendations  and  attached  fiscal note(s).  There  being  no                                                               
objection, CSSB 201 (STA) passed from committee.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 9:11:17 AM until 9:11:34 AM.