ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE  May 11, 2023 3:06 p.m. DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Laddie Shaw, Chair Representative Stanley Wright, Vice Chair Representative Ben Carpenter Representative Craig Johnson Representative Jennie Armstrong Representative Andi Story MEMBERS ABSENT  Representative Jamie Allard COMMITTEE CALENDAR  HOUSE BILL NO. 118 "An Act relating to the sale and possession of used detached catalytic converters; and establishing the crime of possession, sale, or purchase of a used detached catalytic converter." - HEARD & HELD SENATE BILL NO. 119 "An Act relating to state identifications and driver's licenses for persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections; relating to state identifications issued by the Department of Corrections; relating to the duties of the commissioner of corrections; relating to misconduct involving confidential information; relating to voter identification; relating to identification for fishing permits; relating to identification for debtor financing statements; and providing for an effective date." - MOVED SB 119 OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE BILL NO. 42 "An Act relating to the elimination or modification of state agency publications that are outdated, duplicative, or excessive." - MOVED HB 42 OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE BILL NO. 157 "An Act establishing Juneteenth Day as a legal holiday." - MOVED HB 157 OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: HB 118 SHORT TITLE: CATALYTIC COVERTERS: SALE/POSSESSION SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) D.JOHNSON 03/17/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/17/23 (H) STA, JUD 05/04/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 05/04/23 (H) Heard & Held 05/04/23 (H) MINUTE(STA) 05/11/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 BILL: SB 119 SHORT TITLE: STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR PRISONERS SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) MYERS 03/31/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/31/23 (S) STA 04/13/23 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 04/13/23 (S) Heard & Held 04/13/23 (S) MINUTE(STA) 05/02/23 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 05/02/23 (S) Moved SB 119 Out of Committee 05/02/23 (S) MINUTE(STA) 05/03/23 (S) STA RPT 2DP 2NR 1AM 05/03/23 (S) AM: KAWASAKI 05/03/23 (S) DP: CLAMAN, BJORKMAN 05/03/23 (S) NR: WIELECHOWSKI, MERRICK 05/10/23 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 05/10/23 (S) VERSION: SB 119 05/11/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 BILL: HB 42 SHORT TITLE: ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY AGENCY PUBLICATIONS SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR 01/23/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/23/23 (H) STA, FIN 04/13/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 04/13/23 (H) 04/27/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 04/27/23 (H) Heard & Held 04/27/23 (H) MINUTE(STA) 05/11/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 BILL: HB 157 SHORT TITLE: PROCLAIM JUNETEENTH DAY A HOLIDAY SPONSOR(s): WRIGHT 04/12/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 04/12/23 (H) STA, L&C 05/09/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 05/09/23 (H) Heard & Held 05/09/23 (H) MINUTE(STA) 05/11/23 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120 WITNESS REGISTER Dawson Mann, Staff Senator Robert Myers Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 119 on behalf of Senator Myers, prime sponsor. DON HABEGER, Coalition Coordinator Juneau Reentry Coalition Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SB 119. MICHAEL GARBY, Advocacy Director American Civil liberties Union of Alaska Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SB 119. ACTION NARRATIVE 3:06:28 PM CHAIR LADDIE SHAW called the House State Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:06 p.m. Representatives C. Johnson, Armstrong, Story, Wright, and Shaw were present at the call to order. Representative Carpenter arrived as the meeting was in progress. HB 118-CATALYTIC COVERTERS: SALE/POSSESSION  3:07:22 PM CHAIR SHAW announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 118, "An Act relating to the sale and possession of used detached catalytic converters; and establishing the crime of possession, sale, or purchase of a used detached catalytic converter." CHAIR SHAW announced that HB 118 would be held over. SB 119-STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR PRISONERS  3:08:10 PM CHAIR SHAW announced that the next order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 119, "An Act relating to state identifications and driver's licenses for persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections; relating to state identifications issued by the Department of Corrections; relating to the duties of the commissioner of corrections; relating to misconduct involving confidential information; relating to voter identification; relating to identification for fishing permits; relating to identification for debtor financing statements; and providing for an effective date." 3:09:26 PM Dawson Mann, Staff, Senator Robert Myers, Alaska State Legislature, presented SB 119 on behalf of Senator Myers, prime sponsor. He paraphrased the sponsor statement [included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Senate Bill 119 provides easier access to identification cards for reentrants upon release, granting them an important tool for reintegration. SB 119 grants the Department of Corrections the statutory authority to issue state IDs to anyone leaving their custody that does not have an ID in their possession. Individuals are required to present a valid form of ID in order to gain new employment, apply for housing, drive a car, open a bank account, travel, purchase a phone, apply for Medicaid or Social Security, obtain medication, and register to vote. The inability to find housing or employment or obtain medications are significant factors in whether or not a person is likely to reoffend, endangering public safety and costing the state more money once they are back in prison. Reentry is an essential part of public safety. Ensuring reentrants are supported during their transitional period helps improve community well-being and public safety. By providing reentrants with a valid form of identification upon their release we also provide the individual with an essential tool for finding housing, employment, and medical care and alleviate the risk of reoffending. 3:11:17 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRAY, prime sponsor of the companion bill to SB 119, offered a brief explanation of the legislation. He explained that SB 119 would make the identification (ID) card issued by the Department of Corrections (DOC) a valid state ID. 3:12:38 PM CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on SB 119. 3:12:52 PM DON HABEGER, Coalition Coordinator, Juneau Reentry Coalition, testified in support of SB 119. He shared that the Juneau Reentry Coalitions mission was to ensure that barriers and gaps to successful reentry, such as state ID, were dealt with. He shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the difficulty of reentry into society without proper identification. He believed that the bill was needed and encouraged its passage from committee. 3:15:53 PM MICHAEL GARBY, Advocacy Director, American Civil liberties Union of Alaska, testified in support of SB 119. He expressed support for efforts to equip those returning from prison with valid ID, which was a critical piece of reentry efforts. Too often, he said, people were released from prison with insufficient ID, which barred them from securing safe housing, applying for jobs, establishing a consistent mailing address or bank account, having a steady phone number, accessing healthcare outside an emergency setting, or booking air travel back to their families or communities if needed, all of which, he described as routine tasks that were taken for granted. He said it was in the best interest of incarcerated people and the safety of communities to guarantee that [those releasing from prison] were not ostracized and given the basic tools needed. He said he was encouraged that SB 119 recognized this reality. CHAIR SHAW closed public testimony on SB 119. 3:18:29 PM REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to report SB 119 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, SB 119 was reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee. 3:18:56 PM REPRESENTATIVE STORY, in closing, shared her belief that the bill was a respectful way to help transition people into the community. 3:19:20 PM The committee took an at-ease from 3:19 p.m. to 3:22 p.m. HB 42-ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY AGENCY PUBLICATIONS  3:22:11 PM CHAIR SHAW announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 42, "An Act relating to the elimination or modification of state agency publications that are outdated, duplicative, or excessive." 3:22:55 PM REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to report HB 42 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HB 42 was reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee. 3:23:15 PM The committee took a brief at-ease. HB 157-PROCLAIM JUNETEENTH DAY A HOLIDAY  3:25:36 PM CHAIR SHAW announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 157, "An Act establishing Juneteenth Day as a legal holiday." 3:26:15 PM REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to report HB 157 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HB 157 was reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee. 3:26:40 PM The committee took a brief at-ease. 3:28:56 PM CHAIR SHAW offered closing remarks. 3:29:12 PM ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the House State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at [3:29] p.m.