ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL   DECEMBER 19, 2022  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 Cathy Tilton  Representative Chris Tuck  Senator Click Bishop  Senator Shelley Hughes (alternate)  Senator Peter Micciche  Senator Mike Shower  Senator Bert Stedman  Senator Gary Stevens    MEMBERS ABSENT  Senator Lyman Hoffman    OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT  Representative Mike Cronk  Representative Kevin McCabe  Representative Laddie Shaw  Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson    AGENDA  APPROVAL OF AGENDA  APPROVAL OF MINUTES  COMMITTEE BUSINESS EXECUTIVE SESSION  COMMITTEE BUSINESS    SPEAKER REGISTER  Jessica Geary, Executive Director, Legislative Affairs  Agency (LAA)  Emily Nauman, Deputy Director, Legal Services  Tim Powers, Manager, Information and Teleconference, LAA  Tim Banaszak, Chief Information Officer, Integrated  Technology Services, LAA  I.CALL TO ORDER    1:05:07 PM  CHAIR HANNAN called the Legislative Council meeting to order  at 1:05 PM. Present at the call were: Representatives Edgmon,  Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton; Senators Bishop, Micciche,  Hughes, Reinbold, Shower, Stedman, Stevens.    Twelve members present.    Representative Claman joined at 1:07 p.m.    II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA    1:06:30 PM  VICE CHAIR REINBOLD moved and asked unanimous consent that  Legislative Council approve the agenda as presented.    The agenda was approved without objection.    III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES    1:06:48 PM  VICE-CHAIR REINBOLD moved and asked unanimous consent that  Legislative Council approve the minutes dated: June 15, 2022;  June 29, 2022; July 13, 2022; August 18, 2022; September 30,  2022; and October 14, 2022, as presented.    The minutes were approved without objection.    IV. COMMITTEE BUSINESS-EXECUTIVE SESSION    CHAIR HANNAN stated that the Committee would go into Executive  Session to consider a construction contract for the Assembly  Building remodel, an Anchorage security contract, a discussion  of Legal Services drafting volume, and a consideration of  litigation related to social media.    1:07:55 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 during executive session: Jessica Geary, Megan  Wallace, Emily Nauman, Santé Lesh, Molly Kiesel, Rayme Vinson,  JC Kestel, Wayne Jensen, Chris Gilberto, Pat Shanley, Serge  Lesh, Mike Warenda, Hilary Martin, any legislators not on  Legislative Council, and any staff of Legislative Council  members.    1:08:57 PM A roll call vote was taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton;  Senators Bishop, Micciche, Hughes, Reinbold, Shower, Stedman,  Stevens.    NAYS: None.    The motion passed 12-0.    1:09:44 PM  Council went into Executive Session.    3:16:39 PM  Council came out of Executive Session.    A roll call was taken to establish quorum.    Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton;  Senators Bishop, Micciche, Hughes, Shower, Stedman, Stevens.    Eleven members present.    A. Approval of Construction Contract for Assembly Building  Remodel    3:17:39 PM  SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE moved that Legislative Council  authorize a construction services contract with Dawson  Construction in an amount not to exceed $8,588,266 for the  Assembly Building Remodel project. He further moved that  Legislative Council request that the Finance Committees  authorize a $2,000,000 grant from the Juneau Community  Foundation in the FY 2024 Capital Budget to be used to offset  the cost of the Assembly Building Remodel project.    CHAIR HANNAN objected for the purpose of discussion and asked  Ms. Geary to summarize the item.    JESSICA GEARY, Executive Director of the Legislative Affairs  Agency (LAA) said that this construction contract would  authorize work to begin on the Assembly Building, turning the  building into thirty-three separate apartment units that will  be move-in ready. She stated there is an option to realize  savings based on the process undertaken with Dawson  Construction, there is a guaranteed maximum price of  $8,588,266 which means the contract price will not exceed  that. When the $2,000,000 grant from the Juneau Community  Foundation (JCF) is factored in, it reduces the cost to just  over $6,500,00.    SENATOR STEVENS thanked the Juneau Community Foundation for  their donation and ongoing support.    REPRESNTATIVE TILTON thanked the Juneau Community Foundation  for their help and for bringing this issue forward. She stated  that she is not a fan of the legislature being a landlord and  competing with the private sector. She added that she  understands that there is a need for housing in the Juneau  area and the need for keeping staff safe, but said there are a  lot of unanswered questions.    SENATOR SHOWER said he concurred with Representative Tiltons  comments and that he had predicted that the cost of the  project would go up and predicts that it will probably go up  again. He stated that he believes the Committee should explore  other options.    SENATOR HUGHES said she agreed with Representative Tiltons  statements; however, she said she was going to be a yes  because this project will be approved and the legislature  needs to be able to receive the JCF grant. She said that she  also had predicted that the project cost would increase. She  said she is concerned that this project is happening before  providing space in Southcentral to hold floor sessions, which  she believes is important in the future to have a place to  hold special sessions and that should be a priority over this  project.    REPRESENTATIVE STUTES said she was grateful to the Juneau  Community Foundation and that this is a positive move to take  care of the members of the legislature. She said she does not  see it as going into the rental business, but rather a way to  provide for legislative members who are serving Alaska.    REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON stated he will be a yes but that this is  an awkward vote because the legislature doesn't evaluate other  projects like this. He said it is a unique situation and a  one-time opportunity to be gifted a building; it is money that  has already been appropriated in addition to the program  receipt authority to receive the grant money.    SENATOR STEDMAN thanked the Juneau Community Foundation. He  said one of the biggest challenges the legislature has is  housing, particularly in the summer months if there is a  special session, which are held in the capital. He said Juneau  will also experience a lot of growth in tourism, along with  the rest of Southeast Alaska, in the next several years so  housing is going to be even tighter. He continued he thinks  this is the right move and we will work through the finances  to ensure legislators do not have a free ride. He concluded  that this will be beneficial to the legislature and the  community of Juneau.    3:26:34 PM There was no further discussion, and a roll call vote was  taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes; Senators  Bishop, Hughes, Micciche, Stedman, Stevens.    NAYS: Representative Tilton; Senator Shower.    The motion passed 9-2.    B. Anchorage Legislative Office Building Security Contract    3:27:40 PM  SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE moved that Legislative Council  authorize a contract for an amount not to exceed $188,000 from    January 1,2023, through December 31, 2023. He further moved  that Legislative Council add an increment to the security  services budget for $100,000 to cover the additional cost.    MS. GEARY stated that approval of this contract would allow  the legislature to enter into a one year contract with the  company currently providing services on a temporary basis. The  total amount of the contract is $188,000, which is about  $100,000 more than currently budgeted; therefore, an increment  of $100,000 is requested for inclusion in the FY 2024 budget.    3:29:12 PM There was no further discussion, and a roll call vote was  taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton;  Senators Bishop, Hughes, Micciche, Shower, Stedman, Stevens.    NAYS: None.    The motion passed 11-0.  C. Legal Services Drafting Volume Discussion    3:30:10 PM  SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE moved that Legislative Council  approve the following language changes to the Legal Services  Priority Policy:    (A) number ten, after the words, drafting of, add, ten or  less new measures per legislator; and  (B) number eleven, delete the words, sectional summaries for  introduced measures.; and  (C) add a new number twelve that states, drafting of eleven  or more new measures per legislator move to the bottom of  the Priority Policy as per Legal Services workload  allows.; and  (D) this motion would allow for conforming and technical  changes by Legislative Legal.    Senate President Micciche, in speaking to the motion, said  that this policy change does not limit legislators from  attempting to write more than ten, it just drops them to the  bottom of the priority list to help manage the workload. He  continued that this eliminates the requirement for sectional  summaries for introduced measures, a task that is not being  done currently, and it leaves on the priority list ten or less  measures per legislator, which drops the workload but still  allows those measures to be considered as a lower priority.    REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON stated his support and clarified that  while this is a policy that does not have the binding  authority of a uniform rule, it is a directive from  Legislative Council that Legal Services can act upon.    REPRESENTATIVE TILTON stated her support for this motion,  which leaves open the possibility that the next legislature  could determine whether they want to have limitations.    SENATOR SHOWER asked Legal for an interpretation of Senator  Micciches amendment; specifically, he wanted confirmation  that Legal Services agreed that these policy changes do not  limit the drafting of measures, but rather, after ten  measures, any additional measures move to the bottom of the  priority list and would be drafted eventually.    EMILY NAUMAN, Deputy Director of Legal Services, stated how  this would function on a practical level is that the first new  bill requests of a legislature would fall in the Priority  Policy where they do now, at number ten. The eleventh bill  request would come after what is currently Priority Policy  number eleven (legal research or opinions that do not relate  to introduced bills) and would be the very last item on the  Priority Policy. She emphasized that it is always Legal  Services goal to finish all the work on their desks, she  believes it would all get done eventually, just at a lower  priority.    SENATOR SHOWER expressed his appreciation for all the  fantastic work done by Legal Services. He asked for the record  that Ms. Nauman make clear that this change does not limit the  filing of bills, it simply means that if a legislator reaches  ten, any additional measures requested by that legislator are  just a lower priority.    MS. NAUMAN confirmed that these changes would not, in any way,  prevent a legislator from filing a bill or from introducing a  bill, it simply puts that eleventh plus bill lower on the  Legal Services Priority Policy. In practice, it may result in  a delay in the legislator getting a draft of that eleventh  bill, but it does not restrict in any way what the legislator  does with that bill once they get it.    3:38:10 PM There was no further discussion, and a roll call vote was  taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton,  Tuck; Senators Bishop, Micciche, Shower, Stedman, Stevens.    NAYS: None.    The motion passed 11-0.    CHAIR HANNAN stated that while Council has now amended the  Legal Services Priority Policy, and as was said in discussion,  Council has not put forward any changes to Uniform Rules nor  proposed any changes to the Uniform Rules. She continued that  todays actions are the start of a discussion that may result  in changes to the Uniform Rules in the future, to modernize  the Rules and any policies to further manage the workload, as  it is her belief that the issues that brought about these  policy changes have not gone away.    3:39:44 PM  SENATOR STEVENS moved that Legislative Council approve the  following additional changes to the Legal Services Priority  Policy:    (A) number ten, after measures insert, during the first  sixty days of each legislative session.; and  (B) number thirteen, add, drafting of new measures after the  first sixty days of each legislative session.    SENATOR STEVENS, in speaking to the motion, asked Ms. Nauman  if this language works with the amendment that was just  approved.    MS. NAUMAN stated that she believed it could work if Legal  were given the authority to make conforming changes.    DISCUSSION FOLLOWED regarding the personal bill deadline in  Uniform Rules (No. 44) and the intent, with this motion, to  include in the Priority Policy only, that personal bills  submitted after the sixtieth day in the first legislative  session will be a lower priority for Legal Services.    MS. NAUMAN, responding to a question by Chair Hannan, said  that that the wording of the motion should include allowing  for conforming changes to ensure all the changes work  together.    SENATOR STEVENS amended his motion to include allowing  conforming and technical changes by Legal Services.    3:43:28 PM There was no further discussion, and a roll call vote was  taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tuck;  Senators Bishop, Micciche, Stedman, Stevens.    NAYS: Representative Tilton.    The motion passed 9-1.    CHAIR HANNAN reminded members that Legislative Council  policies can be amended at any time. Some of the topics  currently being discussed may be revisited and refined by a  future Legislative Council.    V. COMMITTEE BUSINESS    A. Approval of Teleconference/Videoconference Integration  Design Services    3:45:15 PM  SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE moved that the Legislative Council  authorize K2 Audiovisual, Acoustics and Technology Design firm  to design an audiovisual system for the Capitol Complex  committee rooms and chambers in an amount not to exceed  $73,450 using existing capital funds.    CHAIR HANNAN objected for the purposes of discussion and asked  Tim Powers to speak to this item.    TIM POWERS, Information and Teleconference Manager, said that  this proposal is for K2 to provide audio design services to  modernize the audiovisual (AV) systems throughout the Capitol.  He explained that most of the systems in the Capitol have been  in place since the 1990s or early 2000s; while a few specific  rooms have slightly newer technology, none are at a level that  allows for integration of programs such as Microsoft Teams.  Committee operations during the pandemic made clear that there  was extremely limited ability for third party video streaming  platforms such as Teams or Zoom to interface with the existing  teleconference audio system.    Mr. Powers said that because it was important to find a  company with experience in the unique legislative setting, he  contacted National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL),  for assistance in identifying a company that could design an  AV system for all nine committee rooms, the Speakers  Chambers, and the House and Senate Chambers. He specified  that, for the House and Senate Chambers, he sought input from  the Sergeant-at-Arms who explained that the current design  does not work as they would like and the workarounds in place  are inefficient.    Mr. Powers noted that while prior Alaska AV vendors have done  good work, they did not have experience specific to the  legislative setting, which resulted in systems that do not  work exactly as they should for the particular needs of the  legislature. Initially, NCSL recommended two companies;  however, one was a hardware provider, who also recommended K2  for the design work he was seeking. K2 has worked in many  state legislatures, as well as Congress in D.C.; and he noted  that K2 had two representatives on teleconference for any  questions.    Mr. Powers said that the scope of the work of this $75,000  proposal included K2 representatives flying to Juneau to  assess the layout of the Capitol, including existing wire  paths and specific room needs; designing a turn-key building- wide AV system that can be used to go out to bid for  installation of the system should Council choose to do so; and  a site visit should a system be installed to ensure it was  installed to the desired standards. He noted that not included  in this proposal is travel for construction oversight, which  can be added as necessary.    Mr. Powers, in response to a question from Representative  Edgmon about whether Wi-Fi improvements could or would be  included in this work, said that Wi-Fi improvements were not  part of the scope of this proposal and that perhaps Mr.  Banaszak and IT could provide some information about improving  Wi-Fi reception in the Capitol.    3:50:49 PM There was no further discussion, and a roll call vote was  taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton,  Tuck; Senators Bishop, Micciche, Stedman, Stevens.    NAYS: None.    The motion passed 10-0.    B. Approval of IT Equipment PurchasesFirewall/VPN Connections    3:51:50 PM  SENATE PRESIDENT MICCICHE moved that the Legislative Council  authorize the purchase of replacement firewall and VPN  cybersecurity equipment for a price not to exceed $171,084  using existing capital funds.    CHAIR HANNAN objected for the purposes of discussion and asked  Tim Banaszak to speak to this item.    TIM BANASZAK, Chief Information Officer, Integrated Technology  Services, joined by teleconference and noted that with him  online was Shay Wilson, Network Supervisor, who is responsible  for the legislatures applications, network, and security  systems. He first responded to Representative Edgmons Wi-Fi  question that IT has been working throughout the interim to  improve Wi-Fi coverage.    Mr. Banaszak, moving back to the current item, said he was  requesting Legislative Councils approval to fund replacement  of current firewalls and secure VPN (Virtual Private Network)  for remote access in Juneau and Anchorage. These items in both  locations have reached their end-of-life and will not be  supported after March 2023. These critical hardware systems  protect and provide the legislatures secure connections to  the internet, including the akleg.gov public website, BASIS,  internal websites with partner agencies in the Executive  Branch, state accounting and payroll systems, and remote  access to legislative systems. In short, without this  hardware, the legislature cannot safely conduct business that  requires secure technology. He noted that through a  competitively sourced cooperative purchasing agreement per  section 37 of the Legislative Procurement Procedures, IT  solicited quotes from three vendors: Structured; Network  Consulting Services, Inc.; and World Wide Technology. The  lowest bid proposal was from Structured for $171,084. He  recommended that Legislative Council authorize the use of  existing capital funds for these necessary cybersecurity  hardware tools in an amount not to exceed the lowest bid of  $171,084.    Discussion followed.    3:56:10 PM A roll call vote was taken.    YEAS: Representatives Edgmon, Foster, Hannan, Stutes, Tilton,  Tuck; Senators Bishop, Micciche, Shower, Stedman, Stevens.    NAYS: None.    The motion passed 11-0.    VI. ADJOURN    There being no further business before the committee, the  meeting was adjourned at 3:58 PM.    3:58:29 PM