ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL    OCTOBER 26, 2021  1:00 PM    MEMBERS PRESENT  Representative Sara Hannan, Chair  Senator Lora Reinbold, Vice Chair  Representative Matt Claman  Representative Bryce Edgmon  Representative Neal Foster  Representative Louise Stutes  Representative Chris Tuck  Senator Click Bishop  Senator Peter Micciche    MEMBERS ABSENT  Representative Tilton  Senator Hoffman  Senator Hughes (alternate)  Senator Shower  Senator Stedman  Senator Stevens    OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT    AGENDA  CALL TO ORDER  APPROVAL OF AGENDA  APPROVAL OF MINUTES  COMMITTEE BUSINESS  OTHER COMMITTEE BUSINESS (EXECUTIVE SESSION)  ADJOURN    SPEAKER REGISTER  Megan Wallace, Legal Services Director, Legislative Affairs  Agency (LAA)  JC Kestel, Procurement Officer, LAA  1:14:11 PM    I. CALL TO ORDER    CHAIR HANNAN called the Legislative Council meeting to  order at 1:14pm on October 26, 2021, in the House Finance  Room 519.    Present at the call were: Representatives Claman, Edgmon,  Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tuck; Senators Bishop, Reinbold.    Senator Micciche joined at 1:25pm.    Members absent were: Representative Tilton; Senators  Hoffman, Hughes (alternate), Shower, Stedman, Stevens.    Eight members present.    II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA    1:15:28 PM  VICE CHAIR REINBOLD moved and asked unanimous consent that  Legislative Council approve the agenda as presented.    CHAIR HANNAN, seeing no objections, approved the agenda.    III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  A. May 12, 2021, Meeting  B. May 14, 2021, Meeting    1:15:45 PM  VICE CHAIR REINBOLD moved and asked unanimous consent that  the Legislative Council approve the minutes dated May 12,  2021, and May 14, 2021, as presented.    CHAIR HANNAN, hearing no objections, approved the minutes  and introduced the first item of business.    IV. COMMITTEE BUSINESS    A. Legal Services Westlaw Contract    1:16:22 PM  VICE-CHAIR REINBOLD moved that Legislative Council approve  a five-year contract in the amount of $226,495.60 with West  Publishing Corporation to provide online legal research  services from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2026,  at an average annual cost of $45,299.12.    CHAIR HANNAN objected for the purposes of discussion and  asked Megan Wallace, Director of Legal Services for the  Legislative Affairs Agency (LAA), to speak to this item and  take any questions.    MEGAN WALLACE stated her name and position for the record  and described a packet that each Council Member was given  detailing the contract. She repeated the total amount of  the 5-year contract as well as the annual average and said  that these research services were something that the Legal  Services department already used, and this was just a new  contract carrying those services forward. She stated this  was not a new item, it was one that was budgeted and  provided for. The current contract was $3,085 per month, so  the new contract would show a price increase, but Legal  Services was grandfathered in with only a one percent  increase over the five-year contract period. She said their  representative from Westlaw explained that the company  would be switching to new a legal research platform called  Westlaw Edge; Ms. Wallace and some of her staff had test- driven Westlaw Edge and were optimistic about the new  features provided. She stated that Legal Services had taken  on more litigation in the past few years than they had over  the past decade or so, so some of these features would be  imperative to her office going forward, particularly in  litigation research. These research tools, she said, were  used by her attorneys daily to ensure they were giving  sound, up-to-date legal advice. She said she would be happy  to take any questions, but strongly recommended Legislative  Council approve the continuation of this service.    REPRESENATIVE CLAMAN asked if Legal Services had unlimited  use of the Westlaw database under this contract or if it  was paid based on use.    MS. WALLACE confirmed that under this contract, Legal  Services was not paying per use or per search, it was  indeed unlimited access.    REPRESENATIVE CLAMAN asked if that included downloads, etc.    MS. WALLACE said it did.    REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN mentioned that some offices had  access to Lexis or Westlaw legal research tools and asked  if those were separate and independent from this contract  that Legal Services used.    MS. WALLACE said she was not sure specifically; some of  that access might be part of this contract and she could  speak with LAAs Research Librarian for clarification.  CHAIR HANNAN, seeing no other members seeking the floor,  removed her objection and requested a roll call vote.    1:21:32 PM  A roll call vote was taken.    YEAS: Representatives Claman, Edgmon, Foster, Hannan,  Stutes, Tuck; Senators Bishop, Reinbold.    NAYS: None.    The motion passed 8-0.    B. Sublease Renewal Utqiagvik Office Space    1:22:22 PM  VICE CHAIR REINBOLD moved that Legislative Council approve  Renewal Number 3 of the sublease for Utqiagvik office space  in an amount of $35,457.96.    CHAIR HANNAN objected for the purposes of discussion and  introduced LAAs Procurement Officer, JC Kestel, to speak  on the sublease renewal.    JC KESTEL said his name and position for the record. He  said the sublease agreement the Arctic Slope Telephone  Association Cooperative, Inc. and the Legislative Affairs  Agency for office space in Utqiagvik, Alaska, was set to  expire on December 31, 2021. There was one renewal option  remaining on the sublease agreement, for the period of  January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. He continued and  said if Legislative Council approved Renewal Number 3, this  would leave no further sublease renewals available. The  Renewal period exceeds $35,000 in one fiscal year;  therefore, he said, Legislative Councils approval was  required. He offered to take any questions.    CHAIR HANNAN noted that Senate President Micciche had  joined the Council at 1:25 pm and then asked if members had  any questions or concerns surrounding the Utqiagvik  sublease renewal. Seeing and hearing none, she removed her  objection and requested a roll call vote.    1:24:37 PM  A roll call vote was taken.    YEAS: Representatives Claman, Edgmon, Foster, Hannan,  Stutes, Tuck; Senators Bishop, Reinbold.     NAYS: None.     ABSTAINED: Senate President Micciche.     The motion was approved with 8 yeas and 0 nays.    SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE apologized to the Chair for being  late and abstaining. He explained he did not have time to  review the issue and was meeting with the governor.    CHAIR HANNAN accepted his apology and called for a motion  to enter Executive Session.    V. ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE BUSINESS - EXECUTIVE SESSION  A. RFP 648 - Sitka Office Space    1:26:01 PM  VICE CHAIR REINBOLD moved that Legislative Council go into  Executive Session under Uniform Rule 22(B)(1), discussion  of matters, the immediate knowledge of which would  adversely affect the finances of a government unit and  22(B)(3), discussion of a matter that may, by law, be  required to be confidential. The following individuals may  remain in the room or on-line for the entirety of the  executive session: Jessica Geary, JC Kestel, Sant? Lesh,  Megan Wallace, Helen Phillips, Jodie Murdock, Bree Wylie,  any Legislators not on Legislative Council, and any staff  of Legislative Council members.     1:26:42 PM   Council went into Executive Session.     1:32:50 PM   Council came out of Executive Session.    CHAIR HANNAN requested a roll call vote to confirm the  Council had a quorum.    Present at the call were: Representatives Claman, Edgmon,  Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tuck; Senators Bishop, Micciche,  Reinbold.    Nine members present.    1:33:49 PM  VICE CHAIR REINBOLD moved that the Legislative Council  approve the award of RFP 648 for Sitka office space to  Sitka Totem Hotel, LLC for a five-year lease and five  optional one-year renewals.    CHAIR HANNAN asked Mr. Kestel for a summary of the actions  surrounding this RFP.    MR. KESTEL said LAA issued RFP 648 to obtain office space  in the Sitka area for Senator Stedman and Representative  Kreiss-Tomkins, including the Sitka LIO. He said RFP 648  closed on October 11, 2021, and only one proposal was  received. He continued that the proposal was evaluated to  make sure that it met the minimum requirements of the RFP  and the best interests of the Legislative offices in Sitka  and the Agency. He said LAA recommended the awarding of RFP  648 to the Sitka Totem Hotel, LLC and that he would be  happy to answer any questions.    SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE said for the record that while  members were seeing lease costs go up somewhat dramatically  in other areas within the economy of the state, this lease  was only increasing forty-six cents per square foot.  Instead of adding $2,600 annually for janitorial expenses,  though this lease did have a slight increase of about  $4,000 a year, when members included the janitorial costs,  he believed it was in line with market value and was happy  to support the RFP.    CHAIR HANNAN, seeing and hearing no further questions or  comments, asked for a roll call vote.    1:35:59 PM  A roll call vote was taken.    YEAS: Representatives Claman, Edgmon, Foster, Hannan,  Stutes, Tuck; Senators Bishop, Micciche, Reinbold.    NAYS: None.    The motion was approved with 9 yeas and 0 nays.    VI. ADJOURN    1:36:44 PM  CHAIR HANNAN said with nothing further to come before  Council, the meeting is adjourned.