ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE  March 3, 2026 3:18 p.m. DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT MEMBERS ABSENT  COMMITTEE CALENDAR  PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  WITNESS REGISTER ACTION NARRATIVE 3:18:35 PM CHAIR ASHLEY CARRICK called the House State Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:18 p.m. 3:20:11 PM First order HOUSE BILL NO. 130 "An Act relating to flexible time credit for classified employees in the executive branch who are not eligible for overtime compensation." Received several amendments REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON - he reviewed the amendments and found the first two to be clarifying. The third not to be helpful. Without pre-approval, comp flex time may not occur. }KEN ALPER, Staff* Representative Josephson, REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR move amendment 1 CHAIR CARRICK objected REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR - supervisor approve or deny of the flex-time. ALPER - REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR asked if it was subject to supervisor's approval. Both are subject to supervisor approval. Amendment is fine. CHAIR CARRICK remove her objective. Amendment 1 has been adopted. REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND moved amendment #2 CHAIR CARRICK objected. REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND - limits or controls on the comp time. It provides flexibility. There is no cap on the comp time and the existing CBAs have caps. Ensuring that state services are being provided for and when the need to hire additional staff. ALPER this is fundamentally clarifying. There is a 200 hour cap. No concerns. CHAIR CARRICK remove objection. Amendment 2 has been adopted. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE move Amendment 3 CHAIR CARRICK objected. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE - when we create a new type of time off in statute. Flex-time only occurs after 45 hours per week. It needs to be more than expected a salaried worker. THe amendment requires pre-approval and documentation. 120 hours per fiscal year. People using multi-months of flex time. The CBA has caps and this may not stay in the CBA. Division directors may have the ability to deny flex-time. IF we create a new benefit then it . It puts in guardrails for flex-time and doesn't not allow it. ALPER - he is opposed to Amendment 3. Two different tracks of concern. A lot of guardrails are already in the CBA. THe intnet of the bill to put a minimum standard for CBA. This amendment puts in a ceiling and puts more In the supervisor unit, they would lose 5 hours per week. This sets a 120 hours instead of 200 hours. Not carrying them over the fiscal year. Division director to use instead of the supervisor. The next generation would be more strict on the use of comp time. CHAIR CARRICK Can employees acrue flex-time credit and then cash it out. Flex-time has no cash value. It is position specific. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR This amendment is not unreasonable. The end of year resets and it is non-monetary. At the end of the year, use or lose. A management issue not a legislative issue. REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND Wrote an amendment very similar to this one and providing structure. Cross between the world of the non-exempt and exempt employees. He dialed it back down and leaves it up to the units to work out the details. Creating a statute, it was into more detail and awareness of a particular situation. Can't support this level of detail and the reporting time that is involved. It would add an administrative costs. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE When you go to a supervisor position, you are expected to work more. Supervisor has a different level of abuse from management. If a director doesn't know who his supervisors are. Carrying it into the next year, use it or lose it. You could accrue leave and a manager suppose to manage that. CBA can be rewritten. Very concerned should be up to the supervisor and shouldn't be dabbling in CBA. CHAIR CARRICK set a ceiling instead of a floor. This amendment reporting requirement. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE united flew enough open time in a month they could have the last three months off. Sometimes a cap is good. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT Confirming a cap for correctional officers. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE - yes? ALPER - 200 hours per year can't be exceeded. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR comparison of DOC and others is apple and oranges. They are open 24 hours a day. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE contracts can be rewritten and they can easily take out in the next CBA. If we are going to dabble then we need to do it right. CHAIR CARRICK maintained her objection VOTE 3-4 REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR He would like to see the documents offered before we take further action. CHAIR CARRICK please send those documents REPRESENTATIVE STORY move HB 130 as amended with indiv REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE objected VOTE 4-3 3:48:35 PM AT-EASE 3:48:35 PM 2Nd order HOUSE BILL NO. 250 "An Act establishing the crime of wearing a mask in public while acting as a peace officer; and providing for an effective date." }REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN* Alaska State Legislature* Juneau, Alaska* ]TIM CLARK, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE HANNON* Alaska State Legislature* Juneau, Alaska* }SARAH HIEB, Alaska Police Standards Council, Juneau, Alaska* REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN - REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR Anchorage police chief opposed this legislation. California has been used as federal, . The Los Angelos police department is not enforcing this. Ask an officer their bedge number they should give it to you. Oppose CHAIR CARRICK some hesitation putting into statute. Body Cams were not the standards and now they are very supportive from a misinterpretation. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE to Juxatope the rights of privacy of Alaskans. Not the rights of law officers. We have wanted body cameras and not wanted them. Concerned for the safety of our law enforcement and their family. Make a video of making or doing anything with voices. Officers are trying to protect themselves from. Have people go to their homes and dox them. You can lift an officer's likeness in film doing something. For now, protect those officers. REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN - The opposition from the police of chief and two other opposed. There was no references to doxing. This is not a practice of Alaska law enforcement. If we have a standards that Alaska police departments. The need for deescalation or a community police office having a mental health crisis. A standard of policing for masking we introduced an . The currently operate under these standards. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR obvious he opposed. How often have officers been seen masked, no one can tell him. The protestors are masked. Not a problem in Alaska. The law enforcement said it is not needed. REPRESENTATIVE VANCE Establish in clear standard for peace officers. You are makiang it a crime. REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN - the Alaska Police Council does set standards for all levels in ALaska. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE We are talking about minneapolis and a couple deaths. Be there to protect the ICE officers. Is 100% the way to go. A federeal ICE officer would come to ALska with the support of local officers. Need to protect our offices. Opposed to this bill. REPRESENTATIVE STORY Wish that we didn't need this piece of legislation in other states. Prevent something that may happen in our state. One of the remedies was to have laws for sharing privacy data. Peace officers should be working together at all different levels. CHAIR CARRICK appreciate the discussion and former police officers, St. Clair. This legislation is very preventive and becoming a wide spread issues in other states. Kudos to our law enforcement and prevent HIEB the standards council doesn't have a stance at this time. REPRESENTATIVE VANCE It would prevent it from happening across the nation. Unfortunate deaths of citizens. Thought masking is the solution. An accidental death. How will this help. CHAIR CARRICK Not masking is a way to prevent escalation. A lot is lost with mask and protestor would not mask as well. Law enforcement are acting as public figures and agents of the law. Different role than a member of the public. REPRESENTATIVE VANCE Do we have data of correlation of masks and escalation? We did have COVID years were masking was required by our Government. She would like to see the correlation. Impact on recruitment and retention of public safety this is a nationwide problem. Retirements from 2019-2022 are up and resignations are up too! Public perception is a factor. We have law enforcements officers saying we don't need this bill. It won't prevent an unfortunate death. REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN - THe bill was drafted before the death occurred. When you have people not identifiied, the stress that it causes. We want to perserve the standards of our officers. Bodycams are not required in Alaska. Good for law enforcement to have . .. It affirms for them that they are working on a standard there community. She has an additional amendment for SWAT. First response is not law enforcement with a mask. We have a state law that is not allowed except for the exceptions. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT Yesterday's hearing was about federal overreach. A family in MN trying to get food to a family. Can you tell me what is the standard for an identification of an officer. HIEB - the Alaska police standards does not have any standards in this area. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT why do they wear nametags HIEB - so they can be identified. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT - Can you use your HIEB - set minimum hiring and training standards. How a person could fall below those standards and loose their certificate. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT Does an officer hold a license HIEB - they have a certificate REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT Is there a code of ethics HIEB - yes, there is a code of ethics. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT who writes the code of ethics HIEB - it is in the regulations and adopped by council membesr. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE MN happened because politics got involved. Are we doing the same thing? Badging and name tags fall to the departments not a statewide. HIEB - it is a department thing REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE Get into police department business. CHAIR CARRICK Hearing a lot os different perspectives and appreciating discussion. REPRESENTATIVE STORY One thing that happened during COVID there was a lot of retirements not limited to police officers. Public service is where you are interacting with others. Politicians involved in the MN made what happened. It is a shame to federal government felt they had to mask. REPRESENTATIVE VANCE Don't agree with it being a crime for a police officer to mask. Trying to find a workable solution. CHAIR CARRICK Set HB 250 aside. Amendment deadline set 4:28:34 PM REPRESENTATIVE VANCE Changes by the bill sponsor would be done through amendments. REPRESENTATIVE VANCE If we could see them then they won't be duplicated. REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN - Amendment has been distributed to some offices. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR Tomorrow as a deadline is a short deadline and based on the sponsor's amendment may change. CHAIR CARRICK If you don't have them back by the deadline let office know. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE Department of Law available for the amendments. CHAIR CARRICK will ask them to be present. 4:32:03 PM Final order HOUSE BILL NO. 290 "An Act relating to delivery of resolutions by the governor." HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10 Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature relating to resolutions. ]REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND }AYDEN NICHOL, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska* We received no amendments. REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND HCR 10 makes a change to the uniform rules on how they are distributed. HB 290 sets a deadline. A fair amount of variable time that it takes the legislation. Shared example of the wildfire resolution didn't get to the designated recipients until October. Energy resolution . This is an important tool and these changes are not to look critically at the process. NICHOL - Two previous questions to follow-up on. A research memo in conversations with Representative Vance and the Lt. Governor involvement. The record shows the most recent of overhaul of uniform rules. Most often the resolutions are not signed by the Governor. In 15 states, the Governor doesn't sign. There is a timeline for the Governor to sign resolution and it is the extension of the bill. REPRESENTATIVE VANCE On line 6, All resolutions will be permanently filed with the Lt. Governor. The Clerk or Secretary shall send the resolutions. NICHOL - Through the Governor's office, they get to the Lt. Governor's office. CHAIR CARRICK ascertaining no additional discussions. REPRESENTATIVE STORY move HB 290 from committee REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR object All the references say Joint Resolution. Nichol - only joint resolutions are subject to the GOvernor's signature. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR - read from the legislation. Only the joint resolutions are under this procudure. CHAIR CARRICK - only joint resolution NICHOL - agree CHAIR CARRICK - clarify in the resolution if needed. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE amend it on the floor. CHAIR CARRICK - not opposed to the amendment REPRESENTATIVE VANCE Still questions about the bill. Sound and well-rounded. Both bodies are hesitate to open Uniform Rules - thoroughly vetted. CHAIR CARRICK ample time to put in amendments. Have concerns in the timeline for amendments, please let us know., REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND Help us prepare for the next step in the journey of this legislation. This has been reviewed by Legislative legal, Lt. Governor's office, House Clerk and Secretary's office. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR Apologize that it just came back at the last minute. He didn't get his amendment back. Still maintain his objection. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE exciting to open up the uniform rules. I'm comfortable doing it on the floor. 4:49:48 PM CHAIR CARRICK Last minute concerns can come up and react to them. This is often the first committee of referral so don't need to put out a polished bill. We do a lot of amendments. Due diligence. REPRESENTATIVE ST. CLAIR objection maintained VOTE 4-3 REPRESENTATIVE STORY move HCR 10 REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE Seeing any legal memos drafted. 4:53:13 PM at-ease 4:55:13 PM CHAIR CARRICK There have been no legal memos to HCR 10. Please send them to her office and they will be uploaded. Vote 4 -3 4:56:32 PM HCR 10 moved from committee 4:57:14 PM Adjourned