SB 265-SEX OFFENDERS & CHILD KIDNAPPERS    1:05:41 PM CHAIR ALBERT KOOKESH announced SB 265 to be up for consideration. SENATOR LESIL MCGUIRE, sponsor of SB 265, said she brought a committee substitute version E. SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI moved to adopt CSSB 265, labeled 25- LS1449\E. There were no objections and it was so ordered. SENATOR MCGUIRE said the goal of the bill is to try and capture the 1 out of 10 sex offenders who are not registering. 1:06:06 PM SENATOR MCGUIRE said her first attempt was modeled after Nevada that said when you into the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), you would have to be sure you were in compliance with state law, which is why it was originally referred to the Transportation Committee. SENATOR MCGUIRE said neither the DMV nor the Department of Administration (DOA) support the Nevada model, so she looked at other ways to get compliance for the outstanding 11 percent. She and staff came up with using the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) application process as a tool, because it would probably bring more people into compliance than using a driver's license would and the administrative costs would be minimized. She said this new CS also addressed the fact that rural Alaska does not have DMV offices located in all of Alaska's small communities. CHAIR KOOKESH said since SB 265 no longer had a transportation component, he wanted to move it on to the State Affairs Committee. SENATOR DONALD OLSON asked why they decided not to follow the Nevada model. SENATOR MCGUIRE replied that the concerns raised centered primarily around rural Alaska and how people would be able to get in on an annual basis to get their drivers' license renewed. It would be a hardship for them. The other concern was more of an administrative issue. DMV is actually under the Department of Administration (DOA) and not the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and DOA had concerns about how this program would be administered. However, she said the Nevada has worked incredibly well there and it might be something they could consider in the future. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the bill needs a resolution for a title change. SENATOR MCGUIRE replied that could be addressed in the State Affairs Committee. 1:09:33 PM SENATOR JOHN COWDERY asked how many offenders receive PFDs. SENATOR MCGUIRE replied that statistics show between 10 and 11 percent of all felony sex offenders required to register are not complying. KATHRYN MONFREDA, Chief, Criminal Records and Identification Bureau, Division of Statewide Services, Department of Public Safety (DPS), said her duties include administration of the sex offender registry and between 195 and 305 offenders are out of compliance with the registration process. A quick study of 40 out-of-compliance offenders indicated that two-thirds had applied for PFDs where half of them had a valid driver's license or ID SENATOR COWDERY asked if people who apply for PFDs were now going to have to go through some sort of screening process, because that's what her sponsor statement sounded like. SENATOR MCGUIRE answered that they are working on the actual process, but she didn't envision a background check. Rather she thought if someone's name popped up as someone out of compliance, that would initiate a verification process at that level. TREVOR FULTON, staff to Senator McGuire, responded that the sponsor statement was referring to the Nevada model where every time a person renewed his driver's license an electronic query would be sent to the sex offender registry. The query would come back as either a zero, a one or a two. A two indicates a convicted sex offender who is out of compliance. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the Permanent Fund and if it had taken a position on this bill and if it had a fiscal note. CHAIR KOOKESH replied that a fiscal note had been requested, but it hadn't arrived yet. SENATOR MCGUIRE also replied that the Permanent Fund didn't oppose the bill, but they were working with her to make sure the administrative process was set up in a way that would work with their business practices. 1:14:05 PM SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI moved to report CSSB 265(TRA) from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, the motion carried.