ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SELECT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE ETHICS  AUGUST 10, 2023 2:00 PM   FULL COMMITTEE    2:03:22 PM 1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER  Chair Skip Cook called to order the meeting of the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics at 2:04 pm. Skip Cook directed Jacqui Yeagle to conduct roll call. Roll call  Skip Cook Conner Thomas Joyce Anderson Deb Fancher Jerry McBeath Representative DeLena Johnson Representative Sara Hannan With two legislators and five public members online, there was a quorum to conduct business. Senator Gary Stevens announced that he was in attendance by phone. Skip Cook asked if there were anyone other than committee members online for the meeting. There was no response. Others  Jacqui Yeagle Skip Cook asked committee members to identify themselves for the benefit of others when they speak. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (+)    Skip Cook said the meeting was expected to last about 30 minutes, then he entertained a motion to approve the agenda. Jerry McBeath so moved. There were no objections. The agenda was approved. 2:06:17 PM 3. PUBLIC COMMENT    Skip Cook entertained public comment. There was no public comment. 2:06:30 PM   4. PLAN OF ACTION PENDING HIRE OF COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATOR  (+)    Skip Cook opened discussion of the next agenda item. Conner Thomas read Joyce Andersons narrative explaining her reason for requesting a leave of absence from the committee. TEMPORARY LEAVE: Joyce M Anderson requests a formal temporary leave of absence from serving as a member to the Select committee on Legislative Ethics beginning Monday, July 17, 2023, through October 31, 2023. REASON: To serve as Acting Ethics Administrator during this period of transition to fill the position of Ethics Administrator. STATUTORY RESTRICTIONS: AS 24.60.120(f) states, "The committee may contract for professional services and may employ staff as it considers necessary. A committee employee, including a person who provides personal services under a contract with the committee, may not be a legislator, an elected or appointed official of state or local governmental entity, an officer of a political party, a candidate for public office, or a registered lobbyist. The legislative council shall provide office space, equipment, and additional staff support for the committee. The committee shall submit a budget for each fiscal year to the finance committees of the legislature and shall annually submit an estimated budget to the governor for information purposes in preparation of the state operating budget. Public members of the committee shall serve without compensation for their services, but are entitled to per diem and travel expenses authorized for board and commissions under AS 39.20.180. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Brent Cole, our attorney, has reviewed the above statute and stated the action we are taking, a temporary leave of absence, is sufficient to meet the restrictions outlined. ACTION NEEDED: Motion to approve a "Temporary Leave of Absence" for Joyce Anderson from serving as a member of the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics from July 17, 2023, through October 31, 2023. Skip Cook commented on the background of the request. At the last committee meeting, a transition subcommittee was formed. The subcommittee determined that the time required to handle ongoing office tasks and the hiring process was greater than anticipated. Skip Cook said he remembers in the past the committee hired Joyce Anderson as an interim administrator during the process of hiring a new administrator. Joyce Anderson agreed to provide those services to the committee again but statutorily could only do so if she took a leave of absence as a public member of the committee, hence the request for a temporary leave of absence. Skip Cook entertained questions or comments from the committee. Representative Sara Hannan announced that Senator Löki Tobin had texted her saying that she was in attendance online while traveling on a plane and she was on mute. There were no questions or comments regarding the leave of absence request. Skip Cook entertained a motion to call a roll call vote to grant Joyce Anderson's request for a temporary leave of absence. Deb Fancher so moved. Skip Cook asked Jacqui Yeagle to proceed with a roll call vote. Roll call vote  Jerry McBeath Yes Deb Fancher Yes Conner Thomas Yes Skip Cook Yes Representative Sara Hannan Yes Representative DeLena Johnson Yes Senator Gary Stevens Yes Senator Löki Tobin Yes Joyce Anderson abstained. The motion carried. Skip Cook said the committee would vote on Joyce Anderson's contract, which will be drafted by Legislative Legal according to the terms the committee submits to them. The contract would run from July 17 until the end of October. Skip Cook entertained a motion to approve a contract. Jerry McBeath so moved. Skip Cook asked Jacqui Yeagle to proceed with a roll call vote on that question. Roll call vote  Senator Gary Stevens Yes Senator Löki Tobin Yes Representative DeLena Johnson Yes Representative Sara Hannan Yes Skip Cook Yes Conner Thomas Yes Deb Fancher Yes Jerry McBeath Yes The motion carried.   Joyce Anderson brought to the committees attention that she was chair of the house subcommittee and that Deb Fancher as vice-chair would take over that role. Skip Cook said that if a vice-chair is needed at some point, the committee will address it. Skip Cook asked Joyce Anderson to provide a subcommittee report. Joyce Anderson reported that the subcommittee met earlier that day. The subcommittee reviewed the criteria and made revisions to the documents. Joyce Anderson also reported that the job had been posted on Workplace Alaska, and on the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and The Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) websites. There are currently three applicants interested in the position. Joyce Anderson continued, saying the subcommittee finalized a timeline and she will include a copy of it in a future update to the committee. The subcommittee proposes presenting the two final candidates to the full committee at a meeting on September 29. Senator Gary Stevens and Representative Sara Hannan agreed to join the subcommittee for candidate interviews. Skip Cook thanked Joyce Anderson for her report. 5. PUBLIC SESSION    2:18:39 PM    6. OTHER BUSINESS    Skip Cook moved to other business. He said committee action was needed to approve renewal of two ongoing contracts. Monique Rapuzzi's contract had expired on December 31, 2022, and it needed to be extended to June 30, 2024. The contract amount was for up to $7,500 at $115/Hour. There are no outstanding bills on the contract. Skip Cook entertained a motion that the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics amend the July 25, 2022, professional services contract with Monique Rapuzzi dba Monique Rapuzzi Case Preparation and Trial Assistance to make the Period and Dates of Performance retroactive to January 1, 2023, and extend the termination date to June 30, 2024 [and] further move that the contract amount be increased to a not-to-exceed total of $10,000. Deb Fancher so moved. Jerry McBeath asked for confirmation the contract would be for $10,000. Skip Cook replied affirmatively. Representative Sara Hannan asked if the contract under discussion would cover expenses between the end of the contract in December and the start of this fiscal year. Skip Cook said the contract is to extend the contract retroactively and increase the amount to $10,000, probably to cover [costs] for a 1 years rather than for one year. Representative Sara Hannan said she did not think the contract should begin on July 1, 2023, in case there are outstanding bills from the time period between January and June. She wondered if the contract should be for the time period January 1, 2023, to [June] 30, 2024. Skip Cook replied that the dates Representative Sara Hannan mentioned are the dates of the contract. Representative Sara Hannan said she thought she had heard differently. Skip Cook said the contract refers to it being retroactive to January 1, 2023, and to extend the contract to June 30, 2024. Joyce Anderson conducted a roll call vote on the question.   Roll call vote  Senator Löki Tobin Yes Representative DeLena Johnson Yes Representative Sara Hannan Yes Deb Fancher Yes Jerry McBeath Yes Conner Thomas Yes Skip Cook Yes The vote was 7-0 in favor of amending the contract. 2:25:20 PM Skip Cook directed the committee to review the contract with outside attorney Brent Cole, which would run through June 30, 2024. There are no outstanding bills on the contract. Joyce Anderson explained the committee had approved a contract with Brent Cole for the period January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2023. However, the contract was not signed by all parties. Brent Cole was paid for a couple of invoices. The contract needs to retroactively cover that period and approve the contract to June 30, 2024. Skip Cook asked if the rate would still be $225/hr. Joyce Anderson replied that it would. Skip Cook entertained a motion that the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics amend the June 17, 2022, legal services contract with Law Office of Brent Cole, P.C., to make the Period and Dates of Performance retroactive to January 1, 2023, and extend the termination date to June 30, 2024, [and] further move that the contract amount be increased to a not-to-exceed total of $15,000. Jerry McBeath so moved. Skip Cook directed Joyce Anderson to conduct a roll call vote. Roll call vote  Representative DeLena Johnson Yes Representative Sara Hannan Yes Senator Löki Tobin Yes Deb Fancher Yes Jerry McBeath Yes Conner Thomas Yes Skip Cook Yes The committee voted 7-0 in favor of the contract. 2:29:01 PM Skip Cook welcomed Joyce Anderson as acting administrator. Skip Cook entertained other business or comments. Joyce Anderson said the ethics office would be sending out a newsletter letting the legislature know that she had assumed the role of acting administrator and that the position had been posted, asking them to include the job posting information in their newsletters. The newsletter will also address the need for an alternate public member. Skip Cook thanked Joyce Anderson.   7. ADJOURN  Skip Cook entertained a motion to adjourn. Deb Fancher so moved. There were no objections. The meeting was adjourned. 2:31:07 PM   ADJOURN: