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Senate committee advances bill extending three professional boards; ACLU urges more parole-board transparency
Summary
The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee voted to report Senate Bill 137 — which extends sunset dates for boards of midwives, nursing and parole — after public testimony from the ACLU of Alaska urging more detailed parole-board reporting. The measure was reported from committee with individual recommendations and two attached fiscal notes.
Senate Labor and Commerce Chairman Senator Bjorkman said the committee would take public testimony and then consider the will of the committee on Senate Bill 137, a measure to extend the statutory sunsets of three professional boards.
The bill would extend the boards that regulate direct-entry midwives and nursing to June 30, 2031, and would extend the Board of Parole to June 30, 2029, reflecting recommendations from the Division of Legislative Audit, staff told the committee.
The ACLU of Alaska’s policy director, Michael Garvey, told the committee he supported a four‑year extension for the parole board but urged additional reporting requirements so the Legislature could exercise more timely oversight. Garvey said aggregated outcome data is a routine tool in criminal‑justice oversight and could identify whether parole denials stem from lack of reentry services.
"Requiring the board to reveal more about how it evaluates and considers these criteria would allow the legislature to exercise more timely oversight and to ensure the board is making decisions in a consistent and fair manner," Garvey said. He also cited state cost comparisons discussed in his testimony: about $202.21 per day to incarcerate someone in an institution versus "just over $13 a day" on probation and parole.
Committee staff Matt Churchill summarized the measure and the audit recommendations before the committee took public testimony. After public comment, Senator (not specified) moved to report SB 137 from committee "with individual recommendations and 2 attached fiscal notes." The motion met no objection and the committee reported the bill with those recommendations, the chair announced.
The committee did not vote on any changes to the bill during this meeting. No additional statutory authorities or new reporting requirements were enacted at this session; Garvey asked the Legislature to consider adding them when renewing the board's authority.
The committee moved on after reporting the bill and took time to sign paperwork; the transcript records the committee adjourned later for other items on the agenda.
Votes at a glance: The committee reported SB 137 from committee "with individual recommendations and 2 attached fiscal notes." The motion passed with "no objection"; a named teller or roll call tally was not recorded in the transcript.
