ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SELECT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE ETHICS  SEPTEMBER 29, 2023  9:00 AM   FULL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES      9:05:10 AM    1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER    Chair Skip Cook called to order the meeting of the Select  Committee on Legislative Ethics at 9:05 AM.    Joyce Anderson conducted roll call.    Roll call  Senator David Wilson (alt for Sen Gary Stevens)  Senator Löki Tobin  Representative Andy Josephson (alt for Rep Sara Hannan)  Conner Thomas  Jerry McBeath  Deb Fancher  Skip Cook  Representative DeLena Johnson (telephonic)    Quorum present.    Skip Cook reminded the committee to identify themselves  before speaking for the benefit of listeners. He said the  meeting was expected to last two to three hours, with an  executive session.    9:06 AM   2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (+)    Skip Cook announced there was a change in the agenda,  moving item 10 to the executive session. He entertained a  motion to approve item to the executive session.    Jerry McBeath so moved.      Skip Cook entertained a motion to approve the approve full  committee agenda as amended. Deb Fancher so moved. Hearing  no objections, the motions passed.    9:07 AM   3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES    Skip Cook suggested, given the number of minutes needing  approval, the committee approve all of the minutes as  presented unless there was an objection.    Jerry McBeath moved to approve the minutes of October 13,  2022; January 19, 2023; March 9, 2023; June 12, 2023; July  12; and August 10, 2023.    Joyce Anderson recommended adding to the motion the Senate  Subcommittee meeting minutes of January 19, 2023.    Skip Cook asked if there were objections to the motion to  approve the minutes. Hearing none, the minutes were  approved.    9:08 AM   4. PUBLIC COMMENT    Skip Cook entertained public comment. There was no public  comment.    5. CHAIR/STAFF REPORT    a. Management Log Informal Advice Staff Report (+)    Skip Cook directed Joyce Anderson to speak to the Informal  Advice Staff Report.    Joyce Anderson addressed the staff report of July 10, 2023,  through September 21, 2023. She told the committee she had  a couple of minor changes to the report.    • Page 2: The first sentence of the answer to the  question, May a legislator post pictures taken on a  legislative trip on his/her personal Facebook page for  his/her family and friends to see? should be, The  Ethics Act does not prohibit a legislator from posting  pictures taken on a legislative trip on a personal  Facebook page.  • Page 3: The last sentence in the answer to the  question, May a legislator promote a local block  party in his/her district on legislative social media,  via legislative email and in a legislative newsletter?  May the legislator also post on a personal email and  personal social media?" should be, A legislator may  also post the event on personal social media and email  as long as there is no legislative contact information  as well.  • Page 4: The second to the last sentence of the last  question should be," There is a bill directly related  to the subject matter of the state department meeting  which is before the committee the legislator chairs.    Joyce Anderson entertained questions.    Conner Thomas asked the identity of the "entity" referred  to in the first question: Received a question asking if an  entity that provides collateral for some state loans falls  under the State Benefit and Loan annual review of loans  available to legislators and legislative staff.    Joyce Anderson responded there is an organization that  provides collateral for some state loans.    Conner Thomas asked if it was a state entity.    Joyce Anderson responded that the entity is not a state  entity. She suggested revising the answer to include the  phrase, non-state entity.    Jerry McBeath said he had a couple of questions. He asked  if the campaign referred to in the question, May a  legislative office issue a daily news clip with nationwide  and local articles addressing a variety of issues,  including those of a campaign nature?is the campaign of  the legislator posting the news articles?    Joyce Anderson explained the legislative office in question  compiles a list of news articles from national and local  newspapers. The list is sent to a group of people who have  requested the list. The inquiry received by the Ethics  Office was about the appropriateness of including an  article in the list that related to Donald Trumps  campaign. Joyce Anderson reported that after conducting  research into the question, she determined that the  individual receiving the list has the option or not to read  the article. The list of articles is informational only.    Jerry McBeath asked if there was any filter used to focus  on or exclude a particular legislators campaign.    Joyce Anderson agreed that was a good question, but she had  not pursued it. She asked the committee if they had advice  about the compilation of the list for her to share with the  legislative office next year, a campaign year.    Senator Löki Tobin offered that receiving the list is  voluntary. The list of news articles is compiled as a  service to a caucus. Information also comes from third  party systems, using AI, to produce the list. Selecting the  articles that are included in the list may involve the  ability to write code and other specialized knowledge.    Jerry McBeath asked, given the current political  polarization, if it is possible for the legislator to use  AI to exclude Trump campaign articles or comments.    Senator Löki Tobin explained that no legislator has input  into what is included or not included in the production of  the list. It is compiled by staff, possibly assisted by  third party systems.    Joyce Anderson asked Jerry McBeath if he had another  question.    9:16 AM    Jerry McBeath addressed question 3 on page 2: May a  legislator host a public event during the interim to  promote a legislative bill and also invite a 501(c)(3)  organization to raise awareness of the subject matter of  the bill? Additionally, may the legislator ask for  donations from the attendees to help pay for the 501(c)(3)  organization's travel expenses?    Jerry McBeath opined it was an important question about a  legislator's behavior and activities regarding nonprofit  organizations. He stated that the sentence in the answer,  However, since donations to a non-profit organization are  tax deductible, suggested the legislator ask attendees if  they wanted to contribute to the "cause" of the non-profit  organization raised flags for him. He asked for  confirmation that nonprofits may engage in some political  activity.    Joyce Anderson replied that she was not familiar enough  with nonprofit organizations to answer that.    Senator David Wilson asserted that nonprofit organizations  may take a position on ballot initiatives but not on  candidates.    Jerry McBeath asked if nonprofit organizations are  restricted [from political activity] to a percentage of  their time.    Senator Löki Tobin said nonprofit organizations can  participate in political activity up to 25% of their time.    Jerry McBeath indicated he understood that nonprofit  organizations may participate in political activity, but  the activity is limited. He explained that his particular  concern was with nonprofit organizations with a national  affiliation taking positions on controversial issues.    Joyce Anderson said the nonprofit in question was set up  specifically to prevent child trafficking. The legislator  wanted to know if they could ask if anyone wanted to  contribute to their travel expenses. She told the  legislator that was not a good idea and suggested perhaps  the nonprofit could ask for donations to the cause or to  the organization and the organization could decide how they  wanted to use the funds.    Jerry McBeath said he appreciated Joyce Anderson's  attention to the question, and he wondered if the committee  was comfortable with the answer.    Joyce Anderson entertained further discussion about the  answer.    9:22 AM    Skip Cook wondered if the answer applied generally, or if  it was specific to this question.    Joyce Anderson said she removes identifying information and  that makes the advice apply generally. She asked for  direction from the committee.    Jerry McBeath replied that he wouldnt answer yes to the  first question, [May a legislator host a public event  during the interim to promote a legislative bill and also  invite a 501(c)(3) organization to raise awareness of the  subject matter of the bill?] because doing so seems to  align with particular interests, whatever that cause may  be.    Joyce Anderson replied that [child trafficking] was the  subject matter of the bill.    Conner Thomas stated he did not find the answer to the  question objectionable because the presentation was about a  particular bill. He agreed perhaps the answer could include  more clarifying language.    Joyce Anderson referred to the question about a legislator  using the Legislative Information Office for a meeting  about a bill hosted by a state department. In her response,  she said that she had no control over what the LIO allows  but she saw no reason the legislator and an organization  could not work together to address a particular bill.    Jerry McBeath asked if the same advice would apply  regardless of the organization.    Deb Fancher said the advice should apply to any bill and a  related organization.    Joyce Anderson asked the legislators to comment.    Representative Andy Josephson asked whether the  hypothetical meeting was to be held in an LIO.    Joyce Anderson replied that it was not.    Representative Andy Josephson said the answer seemed  straightforward and he had no issue with it, but he  wondered about the distinction between a nonprofits travel  expenses and other general expenses. He suggested that  question may need some clarification.    Senator David Wilson stated that Representative Johnson was  online.    Senator David Wilson said he agreed with Representative  Andy Josephson that hosting the meeting was within the  legislators rights. The meeting was during the interim and  no state resources were used. He indicated he might think  differently depending on whether the request for travel  expenses was intended for the legislators expenses or  compensation or if it was intended for the general purposes  of the nonprofit organization.    Joyce Anderson replied she understood that the expenses  under discussion were those of the organization.    Senator Löki Tobin said it is helpful to hear from  organizations that may be impacted by legislation, and the  answer seems to align with current practices.    9:29 AM    Skip Cook asked if current practice includes the legislator  requesting donations for travel to get them there.    Senator Löki Tobin responded that she has not done so.    Skip Cook said it seems like the organization could ask for  their own travel expenses rather than the legislator asking  for them.    Senator Löki Tobin replied that it is very much in  alignment with what nonprofit organizations do ask for  resources to support their endeavors.    Jerry McBeath agreed that legislators have first amendment  rights, but first amendment rights have their limitations.  In this context, words to the effect that says information  of the broader public on an issue [indecipherable] puts it  in a different frame than what the limits on legislators  are.    Joyce Anderson suggested she add to the advice that the  committee had discussed the question and agreed that the  nonprofit, rather than the legislator, should have asked  for resources to would support their endeavors.    Jerry McBeath replied that he was agreeable to Joyce  Anderson's suggestion.    Senator David Wilson raised concern that legislators are  asked by nonprofit organizations to participate in  telethons, and he does not want to set precedent that would  prohibit those fundraising activities.    Joyce Anderson responded that the question specifically  asked about soliciting travel expenses. In her opinion,  that is different than requesting support for an  organization.    Senator David Wilson thanked Joyce Anderson for the  clarification.    Skip Cook added that he sees a difference because the  legislator is organizing the event and asking.    Joyce Anderson said she would add to the advice that the  answer specifically relates to asking for travel expenses.    Representative Andy Josephson asked that Joyce Anderson  include in the answer the statute that prohibits the  activity.    Joyce Anderson referred to AS 24.60.030(a)(2), which says  A legislator or legislative employee may not use public  funds, facilities, equipment, services, or another  government asset or resource for a non-legislative purpose,   or another person, which could be an organization. She  added that she looked at the legislator as the government  asset asking for funds for another person, the individuals  from the organization attending the event rather than for  the organization itself. She agreed to reference the  statute in her advice.    Jerry McBeath referred to the second and third questions in  the Gifts section on page 3 of the staff report: May a  legislator be part of an auction where they are auctioning  themselves for coffee, bike trip or pack raft trip? And:  May a legislator accept help from a for-profit organization  to pay for a legislative trip out of the country?    Jerry McBeath said that the answer to the first question  was clear about a legislator not receiving a gift from a  lobbyist or an immediate family member of a lobbyist. He  conjectured that the lobbyist referred to in the answer is  a registered lobbyist. His concern was about non lobbyist  advocates, those who are not registered as lobbyists. He  stated it would be ok for advocates not registered as a  lobbyist to bid at the auction for time with the  legislator.    Joyce Anderson said that the definition of a lobbyist is  not under the Ethics Act. It is under APOC [Alaska Public  Offices Commission] statutes and it includes other types of  lobbyists [as well as registered lobbyists].    9:40    Joyce Anderson located the definition of a lobbyist [AS  24.45.171(11): "lobbyist" means a person who is employed  and receives payments, or who contracts for economic  consideration, including reimbursement for reasonable  travel and living expenses, to communicate directly or  through the person's agents with any public official for  the purpose of influencing legislation or administrative  action for more than 10 hours in any 30-day period in one  calendar year; or  represents oneself as engaging in the  influencing of legislative or administrative action as a  business, occupation, or profession.    So, Joyce Anderson continued there are registered lobbyists  who receive payments and there are lobbyists who represent  themselves as engaging in the influencing of legislative or  administrative action.    Jerry McBeath said that as a professor he frequently  lobbied the State Legislature. He asserted he would not fit  into either of the lobbyist categories because it was not  his business. The definition of a lobbyist has changed over  the years, there was one period when they were required to  register when doing advocacy work.    Joyce Anderson offered to add to the section that APOC be  contacted to determine exactly what is a lobbyist.    Jerry McBeath agreed that a reference to APOC would be  appropriate.    Turning to the second question, which was not answered in  the staff report, May a legislator accept help from a for- profit organization to pay for a legislative trip out of  the country?, Jerry McBeath submitted that the answer  would be no.    Joyce Anderson said she didnt answer the question because  she needed more information and the legislator decided not  to go.    Jerry McBeath replied that may have been the correct action  but again submitted that the message should be no.    Joyce Anderson explained she tries to get all the  information she can before answering a question. Recently,  someone used the word, support, in a question and she  asked what the questioner mean by support. She asked the  committee for comments.    Senator David Wilson said that the legislatures trade  associations, like NCSL or CSG, pay for educational  conferences abroad. He thinks the answer would depend on  the legislative purpose of the travel.    Joyce Anderson stated she would make the recommended  changes to the informal advice and report back to the  committee for review.    Conner Thomas said he had an additional question about the  next question on page 3: What are the requirements if a  legislative employee rents from a lobbyist? He asked if  disclosure was required. If so, that should be included in  the advice.    Joyce Anderson replied that she looked at the question from  a gift perspective.    Deb Fancher stated she was almost certain disclosure is a  requirement.    Joyce Anderson said she would include that information in  the answer.    Representative Andy Josephson asked if informal advice has  the weight of a [formal] advisory opinion.    Joyce Anderson replied that they did not.    Representative Andy Josephson asked if a person could use  the informal advice defensively.      Joyce Anderson said that informal advice comes from the  ethics office. It is not binding on the committee, but it  does carry weight.    Skip Cook added that bringing the informal advice to the  committee at a committee meeting ensures committee review  of the advice.    Jerry McBeath asked if it would be useful to have a list of  informal advice by subject, like the list of formal  advisory opinions.    Joyce Anderson responded there is a searchable database in  the office in which all the pertinent details of the  informal advice are retained for reference.    Skip Cook directed attention back to the auction question.  He asked how the money raised is used. Can legislators  auction themselves off as part of a campaign for office  without violating any ethics laws? Or does the question  refer to a nonprofit auction?    Joyce Anderson replied it was a nonprofit and she will add  that to the advice.    Skip Cook also said to amend the question to reference that  the nonprofit is auctioning off the legislator, not the  legislator.    Joyce Anderson thanked the committee for their comments  about the informal advice.    9:51:35 AM    b. Ethics Disclosures (+)    Joyce Anderson introduced a report of the disclosures  submitted to the Ethics Office from January 1 through  September 15, 2023. She explained that the disclosures are  broken down by filer type and disclosure type. Filer type  is determined by whether the filer is a Senate legislator  or staff, a House legislator or staff, or other staff, such  as Legislative Budget and Audit. There has been a total of:  • 171 board membership disclosures  • 12 state benefit and loan program disclosures  • 7 state contracts, leases, or grants disclosures  • 40 close economic association disclosures  • 1 disclosure of a close economic association with a  lobbyist  • 93 gifts of travel disclosures  • 5 disclosures of gifts of travel for family members  • 6 sanctioned charity event disclosures  • 1 disclosure of a gift of a sanctioned charity event  for family member  • and 4 disclosures of gifts of legal services.    Comparing the total number of disclosures submitted so far  this year and all of 2022, there are 154 senate disclosures  in 2023, 150 total in 2022; there are 135 house disclosures  in 2023, 182 total in 2022; and 51 joint disclosures in  2023, 62 total in 2022. Total number of disclosures  submitted so far in 2023 is 340. There were 394 disclosures  submitted in 2022.    Senator L?ki Tobin commented that she remembered there was  a dip in some of the board disclosures, notably board  member disclosures, and that she is happy to see those  numbers increasing, she enjoys when people participate in  community service, and she is hopeful those numbers will  continue to grow.    Joyce Anderson replied that disclosure reminders are often  in the ethics committee newsletters, especially in the  beginning of the year when annual disclosures need to be  filed within 30 days.    Jerry McBeath surmised that committee members are not  included in the numbers.    Joyce Anderson said they are included in the numbers.    Jerry McBeath said the report doesnt break the committee  members out.    Joyce Anderson replied that the committee is under joint  disclosures. There is no separate category just for  committee members.    9:55:40 AM    c. Internship Approval (+)    Joyce Anderson said that she and Skip Cook approved an  internship program through the University of Alaska  Anchorage for work during the interim. The intern was  placed in Representative Andrew Grays office. This is the  first internship approved during interim since 2014. There  was an internship program approved in 2021 during session.    Joyce Anderson said the University of Alaska in conjunction  with the Legislative Council provides interns during the  legislative session. Statute requires other internship  programs during session be approved through the ethics  office as do all internship programs during interim.  Internships were popular during interim from 2009 2013  and then the interest slacked.    The ethics office is creating a new form for the sponsoring  agency and a form for the legislative office to help  facilitate the process. Currently, the legislative office  sends an email to the ethics office with the required  information. The forms will be posted on the website.    Deb Fancher asked why the committee approves internships.    Joyce Anderson said the reason is that internships can be  considered a gift to the legislator because the intern is  not being paid by the legislature.    Jerry McBeath noted that the Ted Stevens [Legislative]  Internship Program interns get a stipend.    Joyce Anderson replied the [Ted Stevens Legislative  Internship Program - administered by the University of  Alaska in conjunction with the Legislative Council] is  under a different statute and the ethics committee is not  involved.    Jerry McBeath said that in his experience as an educator,  internship programs are a wonderful experience. There are  two classes of internships, the [Ted Stevens Legislative  Internship Program] class and everything else.    Joyce Anderson replied that the internships approved  through the ethics office are also allowed stipends. The  stipend is paid by someone other than the legislature. That  is what makes hiring an intern a gift to the legislator.    Jerry McBeath concluded there is no difference between  internships with stipends and those without stipends.    Joyce Anderson replied there was not.    Jerry McBeath suggested there is also a travel issue.    Joyce Anderson agreed, saying if she remembers correctly,  First Alaskans Institute pays for travel so their interns  could be there for session. Regardless, it is considered a  gift to a legislator.    Jerry McBeath inferred there was no restriction pertaining  to time during legislative session or during interim.    Joyce Anderson said it depends on what the university  requires from the intern to earn credit.    Jerry McBeath said he was not sure all universities provide  credit for work during interim.    Joyce Anderson explained that is one of the questions asked  [in the application process]. Other information is also  required from the university, such as the kind of report  required from the intern upon completion of the internship  program. Legislators are asked for other information  including what hours the intern will work, the duties of  the intern, and who will supervise the intern in the  office.    Jerry McBeath asked if there were partisan restrictions.    Joyce Anderson replied yes, there are restrictions. For  instance, a lobbyist cannot work as an intern and as a  lobbyist at the same time. The intern cannot be from a  political party; that would be a conflict of interest.    10:04:15 AM    6. STATE BENEFIT AND LOAN PROGRAM REVIEW (+)    Joyce Anderson addressed the required annual state benefit  and loan program review. Each year, the ethics office is  required to contact every state department that have state  benefit or loan programs that are issued on a discretionary  basis, there is no fixed criteria. Included in the packet  is an example of the letter sent to the departments; a copy  of the form the department is asked to use to report back  to the ethics office; a copy of the draft Appendix C, which  will be included in the 2024 Standards of Conduct handbook  and posted on the website. Joyce Anderson was happy to  report no changes to the 2024 list of programs.    Senator David Wilson noted there is no longer a Department  of Health and Social Services; we have a Department of  Health and a Department of Family and Community Services.    Joyce Anderson thanked Senator David Wilson for the  correction.    7. REVIEW OF RULES OF PROCEDURE    a. Section 9 Informal Advice (+)    Joyce Anderson said the informal advice staff report  contains the non-routine advice given under AS 24.60.158 by  the ethics administrator and administrative assistant. The  committee reviews the advice for accuracy. She recommended  to the committee a few changes to the section of the Rules  of Procedures that pertains to informal advice to provide  consistency: 1) to officially call the report Informal  Advice Staff Report; 2) that the report be presented at  every full committee meeting unless determined otherwise by  the chair and administrator; and 3) direction that staff  notifies/y the requester if advice given has changed or if  the committee determines a formal binding advisory opinion  is recommended. At any time, the requester may ask for a  formal binding advisory opinion.    Skip Cook entertained further discussion or a motion to  approve the changes.    Conner Thomas so moved. There were no objections and the  motion passed.    b. Section 2(f) Administrative Policies (+)    Joyce Anderson directed committee attention to the criteria  for internship program approval. The sponsoring agency must  provide the purpose, the length of the program, and a  description of the evaluation upon completion, the  training, supervision, and duties of the intern. In the  future, the requirements will be listed on a form.    [Representative DeLena Johnson entered the meeting.]    Joyce Anderson said the proposed changes were reviewed by  the Senate President and the House Speaker. The Rules Chair  is responsible for [hiring] personnel during session and  the Senate President and the House Speaker during the  interim. The proposed changes include direction to the  ethics office to notify the appropriate leadership when an  internship program is approved and provide the completed  applications; to make the application forms available on  the ethics website; to inform interns of the training  requirement along with information about other sections of  statute that apply to interns; to send a copy of the  completed application and a letter to the legislative  office indicating the approval of the internship program  with the direction to contact the appropriate leadership to  proceed with the internship; and to include in the January  newsletter, The Advisor, information outlining the non- University of Alaska internship approval process.    Jerry McBeath asked how many interns are there or have been  in this legislative session.    Joyce Anderson replied that each had only one.    Skip Cook entertained discussion or a motion to approve the  changes as recommended to the Rules of Procedure.    Jerry McBeath so moved. There were no objections. The  motion carried.    8. ETHICS TRAINING UPDATE    Joyce Anderson reported the January training is for new  staff only. The National Conference of State Legislatures  (NCSL) provides harassment prevention training via video.      Skip Cook noted in the past the training had been over an  hour, so the ethics training portion was shortened. Joyce  Anderson will send a link to the committee for viewing.    Joyce Anderson reported Mark Quiner from NCLS will in  person conduct a one-hour training on civility. That leaves  a little over one hour for ethics training.    Joyce Anderson reported Human Resources Manager Stacie  Bentley was agreeable to increasing the number of hours of  required training by one hour, a total of four hours.  Training dates are Wednesday, January 10 through Friday,  January 12. The committee will also probably meet on one of  those days.    10:20:01 AM    9. COGEL (Council on Governmental Ethics Laws) ANNUAL  CONFERENCE (+)    Joyce Anderson reported the COGEL conference is December 3-  6. Last year Skip Cook and Conner Thomas attended. She  asked if they had comments about the conference.    Skip Cook said that the conference is a well-established  conference attended by representatives from cities,  counties, and states. There is also representation from  Canada and occasionally from Mexico and other countries. He  reported the conference is well worth attending.    Conner Thomas mentioned there are breakout sessions  throughout the day on a variety of topics and there are a  number of sessions relevant to the work of this committee.  There are opportunities to learn about how other ethics  committees operate as well as some of the issues they  encounter.    Representative DeLena Johnson said a lot of the conference  is directed toward non-elected officials, there is always  one session directed toward elected officials. She also  recalled that conversations outside the planned sessions  are also valuable.    Skip Cook noted that Alaska is rare in having both public  and legislative members.    Joyce Anderson asked who might be interested in attending.  She said early registration, which ends October 27, costs  $600; the conference is $700 if you register after that  date.    Jerry McBeath, Deb Fancher, and Skip Cook indicated they  were interested. Conner Thomas and Joyce Anderson said they  would like to go but were willing to wait and see first how  many others want to go.    Joyce Anderson asked members to let her know by October 20  if they want to attend the conference.    Deb Fancher reminded Joyce Anderson that last year there  were hotel issues and recommended getting the hotel  reservations made as soon as possible.    Senator L?ki Tobin said the COGEL conference is at the same  time as the NCSL forecast followed by CSG. After attending  a Western Interstate Compact for Higher Education (WICHE)  conference in which they delved deeply into the ethics of  AI. She highly recommended attendees consider attending the  AI session at the conference.    10:27:02 AM    10. Skip Cook stated that item had been moved into  executive session. He entertained a motion to go into  executive session.    Conner Thomas so moved. There were no objections. The  committee moved into executive session.    11. Motion to go into EXECUTIVE SESSION to discuss matters which by law must remain confidential under AS 24.60.160, Uniform Rule 22(b) regarding executive sessions, and Rules of Procedure Section 5: Executive Sessions and discussion of matters, the immediate knowledge of which would adversely affect the finances of a governmental unit, and discussion of subjects that tend to prejudice the reputation and character of a person.        10:29:37 AM    12. EXECUTIVE SESSION    12:53:59 PM    13. PUBLIC SESSION    Skip Cook reconvened public session. He entertained a  motion to authorize the chair of the committee to make an  offer to the candidate approved by the committee for the  ethics administrator position. If the candidate accepts the  offer, the chair may hire the candidate at 22F, conditioned  upon a probationary period ending June 30, 2024, with a  full review at four months from the date of hire.    Jerry McBeath so moved.    Skip Cook directed Joyce Anderson to conduct a roll call  vote.    Roll Call    Senator David Wilson Yes  Senator L?ki Tobin Yes  Representative DeLena Johnson Yes  Representative Andy Josephson Yes  Conner Thomas Yes  Jerry McBeath Yes  Skip Cook Yes    Deb Fancher was absent.    The motion carried.    Skip Cook entertained a motion to extend Joyce Anderson's  consultant contract to February 29, 2024.    Senator David Wilson so moved.    Skip Cook directed Joyce Anderson to conduct a roll call  vote.    Roll Call Yes  Conner Thomas Yes  Jerry McBeath Yes  Representative Andy Josephson Yes  Senator L?ki Tobin Yes  Senator David Wilson Yes  Representative DeLena Johnson Yes  Skip Cook Yes    Deb Fancher was absent.    The motion carried.    12:57:30 PM    14. OTHER BUSINESS    Joyce Anderson reported the suit filed by former Senator  Lora Reinbold was dismissed by the court and the committee  attorney has asked for reimbursement of attorney fees of  $7,969, which is twenty percent of the total cost of  $1,539, which is what the committee would be awarded under  ARCP 82(b)(2).    Conner Thomas asked the date of the dismissal.    Joyce Anderson replied that the dismissal was on July 17.    Skip Cook said the attorney was instructed to make the  application for the fees.    Joyce Anderson said the paperwork was filed on August 25.  She said she will keep the committee updated.    15. ADJOURN    Skip Cook entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting.    Senator L?ki Tobin so moved.    The meeting was adjourned at 12:58 p.m.    12:58:55 PM              ADJOURN: