HB 106-VILLAGE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS  10:06:59 AM CHAIR MENARD announced the consideration of HB 106. [CSHB 106(STA) (Title AM) was before the committee.] 10:07:06 AM REPRESENTATIVE REGGIE JOULE, Alaska State Legislature, said he has worked for some time on HB 106. Alaska's regional nonprofits contract with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to provide village public safety officer (VPSO) services around much of rural Alaska. In his area, the Northwest Arctic Borough (NWAB), the regional nonprofit that runs the VPSO program had an interest in allowing NWAB to run the program. The borough was willing to take it, but current law prohibits that. HB 106 allows a nonprofit, with agreement with DPS, to decline a grant and then the commissioner can provide the grant to a municipality. This would only occur after the regional nonprofit declines to administer the grant. This is not intended to take away from the regional nonprofits. CHAIR MENARD said she has a soft heart for nonprofits, and this is good for the western region. 10:10:28 AM SENATOR FRENCH said he was on a VPSO task force. It is a program that needs strengthening, and he is in complete support. He asked if there are municipalities that are ready to go, or is this a structure for the future. ELIZABETH HENSLEY, Intern for Representative Joule, said the NWAB is prepared to take on the program. There will be additional discussions and work with the commissioner. SENATOR FRENCH asked if the NWAB would be viewed as a municipality. MS. HENSLEY said, yes, the definition of municipalities includes five different statuses of cities and boroughs. 10:12:09 AM SENATOR PASKVAN mentioned the issue of the municipality having or not having police powers. He asked if accepting the grant creates a police power that hasn't been accepted by the municipality. MS. HENSLEY said the intent is to provide VPSOs in villages where there are no police or other public safety officials. The definition of rural area would help with that. It relates to who can receive a VPSO; they have to be in a rural area. Boroughs that use their police powers don't use VPSOs. For example, the North Slope Borough would qualify as a municipality that could receive a grant because the population is less than 10,000, but they wouldn't go for it because they are already using their policing powers. 10:13:53 AM MIKE SMITH, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Fairbanks, said the conference runs the VPSO in the Interior, and originally had concerns with the bill. He thanked Representative Joule for the changes. Now the conference supports the bill. SENATOR MEYER said HB 106 is an excellent idea. COMMISSIONER JOE MASTERS, Department of Public Safety (DPS), said he worked closely with Representative Joule. The bill will allow the DPS to contract with a borough when it is less than optimum for a nonprofit to administer the VPSO program. It is in the best interest of the state to have the most suitable agency administer the program to make it most effective. DPS supports HB 106. 10:15:55 AM SENATOR FRENCH moved to report CS for HB 106 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, CSHB 106(STA) (Title AM) moved out of committee.