ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE  January 12, 2005 1:10 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Lesil McGuire, Chair Representative Tom Anderson Representative John Coghill Representative Pete Kott Representative Nancy Dahlstrom Representative Les Gara Representative Max Gruenberg MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT  Representative Berta Gardner Representative Peggy Wilson Representative Paul Seaton Representative Jay Ramras Representative Mike Kelly Senator Ralph Seekins COMMITTEE CALENDAR OVERVIEW(S): ALASKA COURT SYSTEM; DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; DEPARTMENT OF LAW; PUBLIC DEFENDER AGENCY; OFFICE OF PUBLIC ADVOCACY; DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - HEARD PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION No previous action to record WITNESS REGISTER DOUG WOOLIVER, Administrative Attorney Administrative Staff Office of the Administrative Director Alaska Court System (ACS) Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the ACS. GREGG D. RENKES, Attorney General Department of Law (DOL) Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the DOL. SUSAN PARKES, Deputy Attorney General Criminal Division Office of the Attorney General Department of Law (DOL) Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Assisted with the overview of the DOL. SCOTT J, NORDSTRAND, Deputy Attorney General Civil Division Office of the Attorney General Department of Law (DOL) Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Assisted with the overview of the DOL. WILLIAM TANDESKE, Commissioner Department of Public Safety (DPS) Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the DPS. BARBARA BRINK, Director Central Office Public Defender Agency (PDA) Department of Administration (DOA) Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the PDA. JOSHUA FINK, Public Advocate Anchorage Office Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) Department of Administration (DOA) Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the OPA. MARC ANTRIM, Commissioner Department of Corrections (DOC) Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the overview of the DOC. ACTION NARRATIVE CHAIR LESIL McGUIRE called the House Judiciary Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:10:09 PM [stated as 1:05 p.m.]. Representatives McGuire, Anderson, Coghill, Kott, and Dahlstrom were present at the call to order. Representatives Gara and Gruenberg arrived as the meeting was in progress. Representatives Gardner, Wilson, Seaton, Ramras, and Kelly and Senator Seekins were also in attendance. ^OVERVIEW(S) ^ALASKA COURT SYSTEM 1:10:17 PM CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the first order of business would be the overview by the Alaska Court System (ACS). 1:11:07 PM DOUG WOOLIVER, Administrative Attorney, Administrative Staff, Office of the Administrative Director, Alaska Court System (ACS), presented the overview of the ACS. He highlighted that the judicial branch of government accounts for less than 2 percent of the state's operating budget, and, like the legislative branch of government, handles its own operations internally for things such as human resources issues, procurement issues, legal issues, technology issues, and fiscal issues. He mentioned that the ACS will not be testifying in support of or in opposition to legislation; instead, it will merely speak to the costs and any potential technical problems pertaining to the implementation of legislation. MR. WOOLIVER relayed that Alaska has a unified judiciary - only eight other states have a similar system; that the ACS's funding comes exclusively from the legislature; that the ACS's administrative director is a "constitutional officer"; and that Alaska is the only state that combines all three of these factors. Alaska has four statutorily established judicial districts: Southeast Alaska makes up the First Judicial District, Northern and Northwest Alaska make up the Second Judicial District, Southcentral Alaska makes up the Third Judicial District, and Interior Alaska and Bethel make up the Fourth Judicial District. MR. WOOLIVER mentioned that of the three levels of court, the Alaska Supreme court, which is based in Anchorage, has five members, and hears oral arguments monthly in Fairbanks and twice a year in Juneau. Also, the Alaska Supreme Court must hear every civil case that comes before it regardless of merit; the only type of cases the Alaska Supreme Court typically doesn't hear involve criminal appeals. In the early 1980s, the Legislature created the Alaska Court of Appeals for the purpose of taking some of the workload off of the Alaska Supreme Court; the Alaska Court of Appeals is located in Anchorage, and has three members. MR. WOOLIVER said that the court of general jurisdiction is the Alaska Superior Court, consisting of 32 judges in 13 locations, and it primarily has exclusive jurisdiction over felonies, juvenile cases, CINA cases, cases involving domestic relations, and probate cases. Although the district court handles more cases overall than the Alaska Superior Court, most complaints from constituents about the court system pertain to superior court cases because the Alaska Superior Court handles highly emotional cases involving children. He mentioned that most complaints involving custody issues are legitimate, and so the ACS, by revising court rules and practices, seeks to make that system better. 1:17:52 PM MR. WOOLIVER said that district court hears more cases overall, and generally hears civil cases valued at a $100,000 or less and misdemeanor cases. There are two types of district court judges: magistrates - of which there are 39 - and district court judges - of which there are 19 in seven locations. He mentioned that there are now two new district court judges, one in Kenai and one in Palmer, and that Palmer is close to passing Fairbanks as the court with the second highest caseload in Alaska. The district court and superior court handled a total of 151,000 cases, which is about a 3 percent increase over fiscal year (FY) 03 and about a 6 percent increase over FY 04. Trial courts as a whole have an overall caseload increase of 3-4 percent over last year, and felony filings are up 4 percent. MR. WOOLIVER characterized the last as bad news because felony cases take a tremendous amount of time and money to handle; for example, the trial rate is higher, and often involve probation and motions for post conviction relief. Felony cases now make up 25 percent of the superior court caseload, and most other categories of cases saw an increase, including domestic relations cases, which, like felony cases, come back to the court again and again. He mentioned that the district court has experienced an overall increase in its caseload of about 2 percent. 1:21:03 PM MR. WOOLIVER, turning to the issue of therapeutic courts, acknowledged the legislature's support in that regard, and said that the ACS appreciates that support. Most therapeutic courts are typically started by trial court judges who are frustrated by the repeat cases related to alcohol and drug abuse or mental health issues. Therapeutic courts aim to address this "revolving door" situation by focusing on the underlying causes; this approach, however, does take more time per defendant. 1:22:53 PM MR. WOOLIVER reminded the committee that there is more to the criminal justice system than just the judiciary. Many agencies in addition to the ACS are impacted when the legislature sets policy via legislation and the budget process, including the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Law, the Public Defender Agency, the Office of Public Advocacy, and the Department of Corrections; all these agencies are impacted when more people are sent to court and, like the ACS, some of the agencies don't have the ability to turn down cases. Therefore, he noted, if the ACS asks for a new judge because its workload is increasing, for example, it must get that position filled or all the other agencies in the criminal justice system will feel the impact; he then mentioned examples of how the other agencies could be impacted in such a situation. ^DEPARTMENT OF LAW 1:26:07 PM CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the next order of business would be the overview by the Department of Law (DOL). The committee took an at-ease from 1:26 p.m. to 1:27 p.m. 1:27:21 PM GREGG D. RENKES, Attorney General, Department of Law (DOL), presented the overview of the DOL, the statutory duties of which are to provide legal services to state government and to prosecute crime. Included within the DOL's general duties is the goal of making communities safer through more effective prosecution of crime. The DOL prosecutes all cases involving violations of state law, and represents the state in all civil actions in which the state is a party. In addition, the DOL administers state legal services - including the furnishing of written legal opinions to the governor, the legislature, and all state officers and departments - and gives legal advice on current laws and proposed legislation upon request by the legislature. ATTORNEY GENERAL RENKES thanked the legislature for recently passing significant changes to the criminal statute. He noted that he now co-chairs the "federal/state Rural Justice in Law Enforcement Commission," that the legislature will have a representative on each of that commission's four working groups, that he is encouraged by the commission's process so far, and that he will relay to the legislature the commission's forthcoming report and recommendations. 1:32:48 PM ATTORNEY GENERAL RENKES relayed that much of his time is dedicated to supporting the governor's natural resource development objectives - in particular with regard to issues involving the gas pipeline - and that he is primarily responsible for tariff matters. He mentioned recent negotiations regarding the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), that he has recently filed a challenge with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regarding current tariff rates, and that he is also pursuing title to Alaska's submerged lands, navigable waters, and historic trails. In response to questions, he said that the FERC does have the ability to review/renegotiate a tariff rate before the end of the current pipeline agreement, but that retroactive reimbursement might not be possible under a discrimination challenge, though the DOL will be as aggressive as possible with regard seeking that type of reimbursement. 1:38:14 PM ATTORNEY GENERAL RENKES went on to mention the DOL's concern regarding children and seniors, and characterized the state's responsibility towards children and seniors as paramount. He also mentioned the increase in cyber crime, and that drugs and alcohol continue to plague communities. In closing, he mentioned that the DOL has three main divisions - civil, criminal, and administrative - and mentioned the handouts he provided the committee, including last year's annual report. 1:44:34 PM SUSAN PARKES, Deputy Attorney General, Criminal Division, Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law (DOL), mentioned that almost all prosecution in the state is done by DOL prosecutors, that the DOL has exclusive felony jurisdiction and almost exclusive misdemeanor jurisdiction, and that the DOL's primary function is to prosecute adult criminal cases and, as of last year, juvenile delinquency cases. The DOL has 13 offices and approximately 95 prosecutors across the state, as well as 23 victim witness paralegals, who, in addition to providing support to the attorneys that go to court, fulfill the DOL's obligations with regard to victims' rights. The DOL also has an Office of Special Prosecutions & Appeals (OSPA) that handles all felony appellate work and prosecutions pertaining to specific topics - these prosecutors are specially funded by various departments specific to the different topics. MS. PARKES mentioned that the Criminal Division's caseload has increased steadily over the last 10 years; there were approximately 9000 felony cases and 22,000 misdemeanor cases referred to the division, which also handled over 200 appeals. The felony caseload has increased 50 percent from what it was 10 years ago, and to help keep up with this increase, the DOL, through the legislature's support, has added three federally funded and seven general fund (GF) funded prosecutor positions that have been distributed throughout the state. REPRESENTATIVE GARA asked Ms. Parkes whether her division has enough resources. 1:51:40 PM MS. PARKES said her division could be doing a better job of prosecuting offenders and following up with those prosecutions if it had more resources. 1:52:29 PM SCOTT J, NORDSTRAND, Deputy Attorney General, Civil Division, Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law (DOL), first provided members with a brochure to illustrate one of the DOL's new ways of recruiting new attorneys, and then listed the Civil Division's ten different sections - Labor and State Affairs Section; Natural Resources Section; Environmental Section; Oil, Gas & Mining Section; Commercial/Fair Business Section; Human Services Section; Torts and Worker's Compensation Section; Transportation Section; Collections and Support Section; Regulatory Affairs & Public Advocacy (RAPA) - and mentioned which types of cases would be heard by the different sections. He remarked that recruitment of new attorneys is an ongoing issue and creates a significant amount of work, though in the two years since his appointment, he has hired over 45 lawyers. In response to comments, he mentioned that in addition to losing attorneys to private practice, the DOL loses attorneys to federal practice. ^DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY 2:00:58 PM CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the next order of business would be the overview by the Department of Public Safety (DPS). 2:01:04 PM WILLIAM TANDESKE, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety (DPS), presented the overview of the DPS. He mentioned that over the past two years, the DPS has focused on results and is aligning itself for the future, with one goal being to identify those things that the DPS is responsible for and then do them well. He referred to the handouts he'd provided, listed some of the various aspects of the DPS, and mentioned that the Division of Alaska State Troopers has undergone significant reorganization and has six core missions. The reorganization has allowed the division to tap into resources all over the state and has created a fundamental change in how it conducts business. He mentioned some examples of how the aforementioned reorganization has assisted the DPS in its overall mission, particularly with regard to fire prevention. 2:11:55 PM COMMISSIONER TANDESKE thanked the committee for the recent legislation authorizing the DPS to collect more convicted offender samples, and detailed statistics and examples of how that legislation has helped in solving crimes, as well as how other advances in technology have helped in that regard. In response to a question, he noted that an autopsy may not be warranted in all cases depending on the totality of circumstances. He mentioned that the legislature has added more investigators/personnel, and that this has resulted in more meaningful results with regard to solving homicides. COMMISSIONER TANDESKE echoed Mr. Wooliver's remarks regarding the fact that anything affecting one aspect of the criminal justice system affects every other aspect. He mentioned that in rural Alaska, the DPS is trying to limit deaths by water, suicide, accident, domestic violence, and drugs and alcohol, by addressing some of the causal factors. He also mentioned that methamphetamine laboratories continue to be a problem, though the DPS is seizing more such places, which are dangerous because of fire hazard and the caustic chemicals involved, and that upcoming legislation will address the issue of children being present at such locations. He noted that wildlife protection activities in '04 mirror those of '03, though they include additional duties such as performing sex offender compliance checks; the latter, he indicated, are hard to do without sufficient staff. 2:20:45 PM COMMISSIONER TANDESKE relayed that through the aforementioned reorganization, six more court service officer positions have been realized without an increase in the DPS's budget, but mentioned that an additional four such positions are being requested via the DPS's '06 budget request. He reiterated his and Mr. Wooliver's comments that changes to one aspect of the criminal justice system affect all other aspects. In response to questions, he outlined some of the different types of aircraft the DPS owns, some of the uses to which they are put, and gave examples of how certain types of aircraft are best suited for certain situations. ^PUBLIC DEFENDER AGENCY 2:26:30 PM CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the next order of business would be the overview by the Public Defender Agency (PDA). 2:27:12 PM BARBARA BRINK, Director, Central Office, Public Defender Agency (PDA), Department of Administration (DOA), presented the overview of the PDA. She said that the PDA's mission is to represent indigent Alaskans in particular types of litigation; that the PDA was created by the legislature in 1969 in response to the U.S. Supreme Court case, Gideon v. Wainwright, and was later added to the DOA; and that the PDA has 13 offices across the state - in locations that have superior courts - and cover over 42 magistrate courts. Remarking that the PDA operates on a "shoestring," she noted that last year, the PDA was appointed to over 21,000 new criminal cases, which were handled by 73 attorneys, 13 investigators, 33 support staff, and one paralegal. MS. BRINK explained that the PDA is required by the court to take these cases, which constitute 80 percent of all criminal cases in the state; that the court makes the eligibility determination; and that one of the factors used in that determination is whether a person's household earns less than the national poverty level, though there are other factors taken into account as well. She pointed out that the PDA's clients are not getting a free lawyer; rather, clients are responsible for paying their attorney fees, which are collected by the DOL and go into the general fund. After listing some of the types of cases the PDA gets appointed to, she reiterated that the PDA can neither control it's caseload nor reduce it; the PDA is required by the constitution and the rules of professional responsibility to represent each client fully to the best of its ability. MS. BRINK referred to large charts she brought detailing the PDA's increase in new cases from 1988 to last year, and the differences between caseload and workload: for example, misdemeanors make up 57 percent of the PDA's caseload but only 30 percent of the PDA's workload, felonies make up 28 percent of the PDA's caseload but 33 percent of the PDA's workload, and CINA cases and family court cases make up 11 percent of the PDA's caseload but 23 percent of the PDA's workload. She noted that the number of felony cases, which are labor intensive, are on the rise, as are the number of appellate cases. Referring to another chart detailing population increases in the Matanuska- Susitna valley, she noted that that is where a lot of the PDA's resources are destined. MS. BRINK said she that is proud of the PDA's accomplishments in FY 04, and that she thinks it has done a good job in representing its 21,000 new cases despite its shortage of support staff. She pointed out that in addition to its casework, the PDA tries to help set criminal justice policy by participating in legislative hearings and a computer integration project, and highlighted that recent changes have enabled the PDA to do more paperwork via electronic means. She added that the PDA is proud of representation in the therapeutic courts, and echoed Mr. Wooliver's comments regarding how all agencies in the criminal justice system are linked together and how it is essential that each aspect of the criminal justice system be adequately funded. She mentioned that a 1998 legislative audit indicated that if the PDA is not funded adequately, it results in delays and continuances, in a huge turnover of staff, in reversal of cases, in higher client complaints and [Alaska] Bar grievances, and in unnecessary incarcerations. 2:41:26 PM MS. BRINK mentioned that according to the aforementioned audit, between 1988 and 1997, the PDA's caseload outpaced its funding by 40 percent, and was 41 attorneys short of being able to handle its caseload, which is one of the primary reasons attorneys leave the PDA. She noted that each of her attorneys works a minimum of 21 hours of overtime a week, every week; that the average salary is approximately $9,000 less per year than that of attorneys working for the DOL; and that the current ratio of PDA attorneys to paralegal staff is 1:73, and 1:15 with regard to other administrative support staff. She concluded by saying that the PDA needs more resources to do it's job, and that she is blessed with the hardest working state employees one could ever find anywhere, that they are very committed to their work. ^OFFICE OF PUBLIC ADVOCACY 2:43:00 PM CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the next order of business would be the overview by the Office of Public Advocacy (OPA). 2:43:10 PM JOSHUA FINK, Public Advocate, Anchorage Office, Office of Public Advocacy (OPA), Department of Administration (DOA), presented the overview of the OPA. He explained that the OPA provides legal advocacy and guardianship services to vulnerable Alaskans, and has three distinct and separate core functions: child advocacy and CINA cases; guardianship and conservatorship services for incapacitated adults; and representation of PDA clients when the PDA has a conflict. The child advocacy section of the OPA contains the largest allocation of OPA staff, with 21 professional staff advocating for children. Under court rule and state and federal law, guardians ad litem are appointed in all CINA cases, and are charged with providing a neutral voice to the court in advocating for the best interest of children in state custody. A full time guardian ad litem carries a caseload of approximately 85-90 children. He mentioned that the OPA also utilizes 214 court-appointed special advocates (CASAs) - federally sponsored volunteers who work with and are supervised by guardians ad litem - and mentioned the types of cases to which a guardian ad litem might be appointed. MR. FINK, with regard to the public guardian section of OPA, relayed that the OPA is appointed to provide guardianship and conservatorship services to those with mental illnesses, dementia, brain injuries, and developmental disabilities. Guardians and conservators handle financial, housing, legal, and medical decisions for their clients. He relayed that the appointment of an OPA guardian or conservator is an appointment of last resort; the court is instructed to first look elsewhere for possible guardians and conservators. He also mentioned that 20 percent of guardianships and conservatorships created by the probate court are assigned to the OPA, and that the average caseload is approximately 65 cases, which is 20 cases more than the national standard. MR. FINK detailed the location of his employees, and mentioned that the public guardian section of the OPA is also mandated to provide information and referrals to the public regarding guardianships and conservatorships and how to become such. The OPA is also statutorily obligated to provide representation to subjects of guardianship petitions, though that services is often contracted out to prevent conflicts, as are most visitor services wherein the court has appointed someone to gather information pertaining to a specific guardianship. He provided some examples of the CINA cases that the OPA might be assigned to, and noted that the number of CINA cases continues to grow. MR. FINK mentioned that he'd recently established each of the OPA's offices as separate law firms, and instituted "an ethical wall" between the Anchorage criminal and civil sections; these changes have reduced conflicts and the need for outside contracts. He also mentioned that these changes have allowed him to increase his staff by 34 percent, while decreasing his budget, because of the ability to keep more work in house. The OPA's other accomplishments this year include the opening of offices in Palmer and Bethel, and the scrutinizing of contractors to ensure the use of more cost effective contractors. Additionally, the OPA has established preauthorization procedures for staff or contractor travel and for investigation or expert requests - now, if authorization is not sought beforehand, the charges won't be paid - and procedures for collecting fees where appropriate, having collected $260,000 in 2003 and $480,000 in 2004. MR. FINK mentioned that because of recently passed legislation, private guardians and conservators are now regulated, and his hope is that such will encourage the use of private organizations and help develop the industry. He also mentioned that he is evaluating his caseloads in Fairbanks, Kenai, Nome, and Juneau to see if a new office would be more cost effective than using a contractor, and has implemented a new case management system, which will provide him with more accurate statistics for the purpose of evaluating the OPA's caseload and contacting costs. In conclusion, he remarked that the DOA has been very helpful in providing additional support staff for the OPA, which, in Anchorage, for example, only employs one and a half persons to support its professional staff of 27. REPRESENTATIVE GARA thanked the OPA and the PDA for all their hard work. ^DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 2:57:15 PM CHAIR McGUIRE announced that the last order of business would be the overview by the Department of Corrections (DOC). 2:57:35 PM MARC ANTRIM, Commissioner, Department of Corrections (DOC), presented the overview of the DOC. He referred to handouts provided to the committee, and relayed that the DOC's mission is to protect the public by incarcerating offenders, which is done via three operational divisions: the Division of Institutions, the Division of Probation and Parole, and the Division of Administrative Services. Referring to a handout he called a daily count sheet, he said it shows where the DOC's loads are in each of its facilities. He relayed that the DOC's system-wide emergency capacity is 3,206; that yesterday's count totaled 3,322 prisoners; and that "this" is typical, and necessitates a lot of prisoner movement between those facilities that are over capacity and those that aren't. There are 12 institutions in state, and there are 1,032 authorized positions with roughly 750 being correctional officer positions. He referred to a colored chart showing the DOC's rate of growth and projected rate of growth, and offered numerical statistics corresponding to that chart. COMMISSIONER ANTRIM mentioned that in addition to the 12 in- state facilities, the DOC also manages prisoners "in four contracts," the largest being the DOC's private facility in Arizona, wherein 751 offenders are housed; has contracts with three vendors for community residential centers throughout the state - as of yesterday, there are 686 offenders in these centers; and has an electronic monitoring program based primarily in Anchorage that currently monitors 120 offenders. The DOC also supervises a community jail program, which consists of 14 community jails operated with funds from the state; these community jails currently house 141 offenders. He noted that in the governor's budget for fiscal year (FY) 06, the DOC is asking for a 10 percent increase for the latter program. COMMISSIONER ANTRIM pointed out that the DOC has experienced a 3.9 percent increase in growth just in the last year, and supervises almost 10,000 people, either directly in its institutions or in its field probation offices; currently, the DOC is supervising 4,907 offenders. He remarked that the Division of Probation and Parole has seen an expansion with regard to sex offenders, and is supervising 7.5 percent more such individuals this year than last year. He remarked that the Division of Probation and Parole is very taxed and has many masters - performing different tasks for the DOC, the ACS, and the State Board of Parole - and offered statistics pertaining to the Division of Probation and Parole's increasing workload, and noted that the division has not had a corresponding increase in staff. COMMISSIONER ANTRIM also echoed Mr. Wooliver's comments with regard to the criminal justice system consisting of many agencies. He noted that in addition to the offenders currently being supervised, there are approximately 850 felons "on abscond status," which are offenders who have failed to report to their probation officers or who are otherwise out of contact; he mentioned an "abscond web site," which is intended to enlist the public's help in catching these offenders. COMMISSIONER ANTRIM said that it is not true that the current administration has an attitude of "lock them up and throw away the key"; instead, because the DOC is required to take in and treat every offender, it has expanded most of its programs in an effort to provide adequate services to all prisoners. For example, the DOC is the largest provider of mental health services in the state, with an average monthly increase of 120 new patients. He mentioned recently passed legislation that has allowed the DOC to shift some of its treatment expenses to other providers, and noted that this has been very helpful with regard cost control. COMMISSIONER ANTRIM, in closing, offered statistics regarding prisoners diagnosed with mental illness or other chronic problems, and listed the names of various organizations and substance abuse treatment centers offering assistance. He indicated that the DOC is striving to be a place where, if offenders want to change and choose to change, they will be offered the resources to do so. With regard to the DOC's sex offender program, he mentioned that the assessment model has been changed so as to give probation officers a much clearer picture of the risk such offenders present at time of release, and that the DOC is in the process of moving to what is referred to as "the containment model," which involves intensive supervision and polygraph testing. 3:09:21 PM CHAIR McGUIRE said the committee would like a formal presentation regarding the sex offender [containment] model as soon as it is convenient. REPRESENTATIVE GARA asked whether the DOC will be monitoring any proposed changes to the current sentencing scheme. COMMISSIONER ANTRIM said the DOC would be paying very close attention to any proposed changes in that regard. ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the House Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.