House Judiciary holds confirmation hearing for Select Committee on Legislative Ethics nominees

The House Judiciary Committee met Feb. 17 in the Max Gruenberg Room to hear confirmation testimony from three nominees to the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics: Connor Thomas of Nome, Carl White, and Glenda Cox.

Connor Thomas, introduced himself as a public-member nominee and a practicing attorney in Nome. "I've been nominated to serve another term as a public member on the Select Committee for Legislative Ethics," Thomas said. He noted he has served on the committee since 1999 and said the committee provides transparency and a public forum for concerns about elected officials. "I think the most important role the committee plays is not necessarily the adjudication of complaints, but providing informal advice," he said.

Committee members questioned nominees about issues the committee commonly addresses. Thomas told lawmakers that gift limits (notably the $250-per-year threshold), timing of office newsletters during campaign periods, travel and hospitality, and whether legislators may use their title when writing recommendation letters are frequent topics. He also told the committee there is interest within the ethics committee in legislative clarifications about confidentiality of complainants and subpoena authority.

Carl White and Glenda Cox each described community and professional backgrounds and said they sought to serve. White described decades of work in Alaska education and community organizing; Cox described volunteer work in her local community council and experience in social work and life coaching.

After the testimony, Chair Representative Andrew Gray said the committee would sign a report pursuant to AS 39.05.08 documenting the hearing. "A signature on this report does not reflect an intent by any of the members to vote for or against the confirmation of the individual during any further sessions," Gray said. The committee recessed to sign paperwork and moved on to its next agenda item.

The hearing was limited to introductions, nominees' statements about qualifications and short question-and-answer exchanges with committee members; no confirmations or other formal votes were taken at the session.

Members present included Representative Andrew Gray (chair), Vice Chair Kopp, Representative Costello, Representative Eisheide, Representative Vance and Representative Mina. Staff thanked Sophia Tenney (House Records), Susan Quigley (Legislative Information Office) and committee aide Nate Graham for staffing the hearing.

The committee record will carry the nominees' materials and the signed hearing report to any subsequent confirmation steps.