Alaska Legislature: House Judiciary, 3/23/26, 1pm

Many of the House Judiciary Com Committee will now come to order.

The time is now 1:11 p.m. On Monday, March twenty third, twenty twenty six, we are meeting in the Gruenberg room, Capitol room one twenty. The following members are present. Representative Costello, representative Eichide, representative Vance and myself, Representative Gray, chair.

Let the record reflect that we have a quorum to conduct business.

I would like to recognize the staff supporting this meeting.

Cale Brown from House Records,

Kyla Tupo from the Juno LIO,

and Dylan Hitchcock-Lopez,

my committee aide.

We have one item of business on today's agenda,

consideration of the governor's appointees.

The appointees today are Donald McClintock III,

Commission on Judicial Contact.

Anna Kometa,

Violent Crimes Compensation Board,

Jewel Hard,

Violent Crimes Compensation Board,

and Veronica Lambertson, Alaska Police Standards Council.

Let the record reflect that we were joined by Representative Mina at 1.12 p.m.

We will begin with Mr.

McClintock, who is an appointee to the Commission on Judicial Conduct. Alaska's Commission on Judicial Conduct was created by amendment to the state constitution in 1968.

Let the record reflect that we are joined by Representative Kopp at 1:12 p.m.

The Commission is composed of three state court judges,

three attorneys who have practiced law in the state for at least 10 years,

and three members of the public. This group of nine individuals from...

Sorry,

let me say that again because I didn't say it right.

The commission is composed of three state court judges,

three attorneys who have practiced law in the state for at least 10 years,

and three members of the public.

This group of nine individuals from differing backgrounds and geographical areas addresses problems of judicial conduct and disability.

Complaints alleging judicial misconduct can be filed by any member of the public.

The commission oversees the conduct of justices at the Alaska Supreme Court,

judges of the State Court of Appeals, state superior court judges,

and state district court judges.

The commission cannot handle complaints against magistrates, masters,

attorneys,

or federal judicial officers. At this time, I invite Mr.

McClintock to take himself off mute,

state your name for the record,

and provide a brief introduction in your remarks that you would like to share with the committee.

Thank you, Chairman Gray.

This is Donald Clintock. I'm calling from Anchorage, Alaska.

I appreciate the time the committee has set aside to consider my confirmation.

This would be actually my third term on the commission.

It's obviously important work. It's important to the public.

I'm pleased to say that I believe our commission has worked in a way that has been diligent and collegial and been very happy to be part of that process.

An important part of our mission is not only to oversee and recommend to the Supreme Court possible disciplinary issues.

which will also include disability,

but also to communicate what we're doing to the public.

And both of those missions are ones that I support and pleased to be part of.

And with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions that the committee may have for me.

Thank you, Mr.

McClintock. Are there any questions for committee?

Representative Costello.

Thank you, and thank you.

Chair Gray,

for reading out what the board is focused on doing. And Mr.

McClintock, when I look at your resume,

you've done so much. I mean, you've been a board member for the blood bank and it goes on and on and you've been recognized.

For your community service,

I want to thank you. I know how important it is that we have dedicated Alaskans who are willing to serve on boards.

And my question to you is essentially,

you know, moving forward,

what do you see as the biggest challenge that we face or that you will face serving on this board?

Mr.

McClintock.

Thank you very much. Yes, I appreciate the compliments.

You know, contributing back to the community is sort of an important part of what I think every Alaskan should do.

You know, the most immediate challenge we have right now is our executive director,

Mark Vincent,

who's...

you know basically has educated all of us as we've learned the intricacies of the judicial ethics code is retiring she's publicly announced her retirement so at this point we are searching for a replacement it's obviously an important job and the entire Commission is involved in that search in different aspects and that is ongoing now so that's you

media matter that the ongoing matter is I think you know the internal work which is it's unfortunately it's it's it's important fascinating work that you can't talk to anyone about while the investigations are going so it's very much important that we can talk internally with other commission members but it is important that we continue to try to educate the public about what the role of the commission is and also to seek in

input on concerns about the judiciary and that has been an ongoing mission that actually I think predated my terms on the Commission and I see going forward.

Thank you.

For the record,

we were joined by Representative Jubilee Underwood at 1.16 p.m. Are there any other questions for Mr. McClintock?

Seeing no further questions at this time,

we will now open public testimony.

Is there anyone in the room who would like to testify?

Seeing no one in the room, we will now go online.

I will ask Mr.

Ed Martin in Kenai to take himself off mute,

place himself on the record,

and begin his testimony.

Thank you very much. My name is Ed Martin Jr.

I reside in Kenai, Alaska,

Chair Gray and members of the committee,

particularly our representative from the Kenai, Sarah Vance.

I recommend no return for this man to the Commission on Judicial Conduct.

I have good reason for it. I've sent you documents. I've filed complaints.

I've been summarily dismissed when I was on and registered to testify in front of this man.

And in fact, he wrote me a letter and him himself made a decision to actually dismiss my complaints and others.

He's been involved in this. We have corruption going on in that commission.

And Marla Greenstein has a lot to do with this, regardless of her retiring.

You folks need to do an investigation into that commission and who they may pick next.

So my condition is not good.

At the last meeting, I asked the chair to actually speak to the commission.

And it's on the record.

I implore you folks to look into the last commission meeting,

look at the testimonies, and I'm going to have to go.

Sarah,

do the right thing.

Do not move this person forward and all other members of the Judiciary Committee.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your testimony,

Mr.

Martin.

Seeing no other testimony online or in the room,

public testimony on Don McClintock is now closed.

Are there any final comments from committee members before we move on to our next candidate?

Mr.

McClintock, thank you so much for your time and willingness to serve.

Next,

we will take up consideration of the appointees to the Violent Crimes Compensation Board.

The board exists to provide financial relief to innocent victims of violent crimes and their families.

Established in 1972,

it was one of the first compensation programs of its kind in the nation.

The agency is guided by three appointed volunteer board members,

supported by a dedicated staff of five who manage the day-to-day operations and ensure victims receive the financial assistance.

business they need.

Before I invite Ms.

Anna Kameda to take herself off mute and begin her comments,

I must declare a conflict.

I am friends with this nominee.

We sang in the Anchorage Opera together for several years, and so I am declaring a conflict.

Object.

Thank you. There has been an objection.

Unfortunately,

I will be forced to continue.

I now invite Anna Cabeta to take herself off mute,

state her name for the record,

and provide a brief introduction and any remarks she would like to share with the committee.

Thank you,

Chairman Gray.

And thank you to the committee for taking the time to consider my nomination again to the board.

This will be my second term and Chairman Gray, it's very lovely to hear your voice and congratulations on all your success.

I do miss singing with you in the opera though.

Um,

I just wanted to introduce myself for those who don't know me.

I'm an attorney here in Anchorage.

This will be my 14th year practicing in Alaska.

I currently am in-house corporate counsel at Taniga Corporation.

I'm not sure if that's on my resume. I haven't updated it yet. It's only been a year, so this is a relatively new position for me.

Before that, I worked at a law firm.

I'm here in Anchorage and before that I served the state of Alaska as a magistrate judge in Palmer and in various positions within the Attorney General's office including the criminal division and the special victims unit in the district attorney's office in Anchorage.

I served in the state of Alaska for about 10 years and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to continue the work that I did serving victims.

And the people of the state of Alaska with the Violent Crimes Compensation Board,

it has been a very productive board.

We have a wonderful executive director and staff.

We have the support of the Department of Public Safety and their support has been very crucial to our mission.

And with, I mean, since I've been on the board, there have been really meaningful changes in.

Our ability to provide access to more people in the state of Alaska,

we have increased our reach,

we've made our application.

It's completely online,

it's been reduced.

I mean, there has been really wonderful changes,

which we all know that in government sometimes that moves slowly,

but I think with such a,

with a board that works so well together and with the staff that we have,

those changes have been rapid and really, really beneficial.

So I guess there's really always challenges just like every other board,

but...

I'm really,

really grateful for the board that we have and the staff that we have and the opportunity to continue serving the people of the state of Alaska.

And thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Are there any questions from committee members?

Representative Vance and then Representative Costello.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I don't really have a question.

I just am reading through the resume in this very extensive experience in, you know.

family litigation,

child of need of aid cases, end in child welfare.

I mean, there's so much,

and along with the leadership and community service,

I am very impressed, and I wish we had her on hand for all the bills and the issues that we want in order to help children in Alaska.

So thank you for making yourself available for this position because it

By just your resume, it appears that you have a breadth of experience across the state that I think will be valuable.

Thank you Representative Vance. Representative Costello, thank you.

Thank you, and I want to echo the comments of my colleague, Representative Vance. I'm really impressed with Anna's resume,

but also, you know, we have over 200,

I think over 250 boards and commissions in the state of Alaska that all require really dedicated Alaskans to volunteer, usually volunteer their time and expertise. And I think the Violent Crimes Compensation Board is one of those.

those boards at least I personally believe it's one of the most important boards so I want to thank you for your service my only question is moving forward you know what do you see as the challenges that the board is facing

Ms. Comet?

Sure.

And thank you for, oh, I'm sorry,

Chairman Gray,

I didn't mean to jump you there.

Thank you for that question,

and thank you both, Dan and Rep.

Castel, for your kind words.

That means a lot to me.

What means a lot to me, though, also is to answer this question,

which,

I mean, while we've made considerable progress over the last few years that I've been privileged to be on this board.

We do face a couple of challenges. One is statutory and I think that the Department of Public Safety is advancing a couple legislative initiatives that we have this year and I'm sure our Executive Director will be probably approaching several of you to discuss more,

but we do face a couple of legislative or statutory barriers to access. One involves

leaked filed applications for minors who were victims of sexual violence.

who are obviously minors, they retain a majority and the statute precludes them from, you know, you have to file within two years of reporting the crime while they were, you know, five when they reported the crime and the parents didn't know about the violent crimes compensation board that might preclude the child from receiving compensation that they just otherwise deserved when they reach the age of majority.

So we're asking to add a reasonable exception.

you know, for the board to have a little bit of discretion there within that statutory framework.

And then similarly, you know, we are facing a funding,

I think a fiscal cliff just like many, many organizations throughout the state of Alaska and our Executive Director and Department of Public Safety are advancing.

initiatives to hopefully ensure that victims in the state of Alaska will continue to be able to receive compensation that they deserve and so those are the two biggest challenges I think for us this year.

Initiatives to hopefully ensure that victims in

the state of Alaska will continue to be able to receive compensation that they deserve.

And so those are the two biggest challenges, I think, for us this year.

Thank you.

Seeing no further questions from committee members at this time,

I will open public testimony on Ms.

Anna Cometa.

Is there anyone in the room who would like to testify? Seeing no one in the room, we'll go online. Seeing no one online, we will close public testimony.

Are there any final comments from committee members?

Ms. Cometa, uh I miss singing with you as well. Thank you for your time and your willingness to serve.

I will now

taken at ease.

Back on the record,

at this time I am turning the gavel over to Vice Chair Kopp for our last two appointments.

I am going to the Senate.

Okay, Chair Gray,

thank you.

I now invite Joel Hard,

also an appointee to the Violent Crimes Compensation Board.

Mr.

Hard,

if you could take yourself off mute, sir,

and state your complete name for the record,

provide a brief introduction,

any remarks you would like to share with the committee.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Joel Hard.

Vice Chair of Congress, members of the committee,

thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself.

My family moved to Alaska shortly after statehood. Both my parents served for decades in the public sector and that ethos they gave to me.

I think you have my resume.

It should show that over 42 years in both state and federal positions of law enforcement and resource conservation,

I've served in Alaska,

worked in every region of the state and lived in most of them.

I think most relevant to this appointment to the VCCB is my career as a state trooper and criminal investigator.

Those assignments took me to just about every corner of Alaska and gave me a very close look at crime and our system designed to prevent it or bring justice to victims when it can't.

Most recently in 2022,

the commissioner asked me to return to the Department of Public Safety to reform the village public safety officer program where I again got a pretty close look at.

The problems of crime in small places here in Alaska,

reforming the village public safety officer gave me another opportunity to bring some experience to bear.

I guess after retiring from that position,

I would just say I don't think I'm done.

You know, I would hope that my experience might be useful to the board. I've had an opportunity to sit on two meetings prior to this confirmation hearing and introduce to the staff and the other board members and have enjoyed the very robust conversations around these applications,

which are so important.

the victims in Alaska.

Continuing to support them is an important way for me to continue to contribute to a purpose that started for me a very long time ago.

With that I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have and again thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself.

Yeah, thank you for your testimony,

Joel.

Committee members,

do you have any questions for Joel Hard?

Representative Costello, thank you.

Thank you. And again, I just want to thank Joel for his willingness to serve on this really important commission.

And certainly looking at his resume,

he brings so much experience that we're just it's really humbling to have Alaskans who are so talented, willing to serve on these boards and commissions.

So thank you.

Yes, I concur.

I would be remiss to say if.

that Joel Hart had an exemplary career with the Alaska State Troopers,

retiring as Colonel of the Fish and Wildlife Protection Division,

and also

Our current commissioner was delighted with his two years of service coming back after his long tenure at Department of Interior to help restructure our VPSO program.

So thank you, Joel,

for your outstanding service to our state,

and I really appreciate your willingness to continue to serve on this valuable board.

Seeing no further questions from the committee, I will now open public testimony on the appointment of Joel Hard to the Violent Crimes Compensation Counter. Is there anyone in the room that would like to testify?

Seeing none,

Seen?

None. Is there anyone online that would like to testify? I'm

looking at our

IT person, I don't think we have anybody online. So seeing no one else in the room or online waiting to testify, public testimony is now closed.

Are there any final comments from committee members before we move on?

Mr. Representative Eichsteidt, thank you.

Thank you, uh Vice Chair Kopp. Uh Mr Hart I just I I also was really impressed by your resume um

Vice Chair Kopp. Mr. Hart.

I just.

I also was really impressed by your resume. Super extensive,

and I did just want to note your National Park Service employment.

The National Park Service has a unique mission,

and you interact with lots of different folks.

And I did note your work on the Ranger 3,

which I think is what

disembarks from Houghton, Michigan, for Isle Royale National Park, where I worked for two seasons. So anyways,

very impressive resume, and just thank you, sir, for stepping up.

Okay, Mr.

Hard,

thank you sir for your time and your willingness to continue to serve our state.

Okay, committee we will now

Take up consideration of the Governor's appointee to the Alaska Police Standards Council,

Veronica Lambertson.

The Council's commission is to produce and maintain a highly trained and positively motivated,

professional,

capable of meeting contemporary law enforcement standards of performance.

The Alaska Police Standards Council is responsible for determining certification eligibility for police,

probation,

parole,

and correctional officers,

issuing the appropriate level of certification to qualified individuals,

and revoking certification in cases of officer misconduct.

conduct. The council monitors compliance with current regulations and legislation and develops, monitors and revises law enforcement training standards and requirements. In addition,

the council provides financial support to academies and departments for basic academy training as well as specialized and advanced training programs. It also assists smaller agencies across Alaska in accessing pre-employment polygraph and psychological testing.

four perspective officers.

I now invite Veronica Lambertson to take yourself off mute,

state your name for the record, and provide a brief introduction and any remarks you would like to share with the committee.

Thank you, Vice Chair Kopp,

and thank you,

House Judiciary, for the confirmation hearing and interviewing process today.

I appreciate the time that you're putting in for the State of Alaska.

Again, I'm Bjorn Flanders.

I grew up in Girdwood and Bird Creek,

now live on the east side of Bird Creek and have been involved in small business ownership for almost 30 years. I grew up in it and continued it, and we've always had a relationship with police officers.

Since we've been able to spend some time and give them back to the community,

and that was an opportunity that I was introduced to by a friend as an option.

And it just goes back to the standards because when I was young, growing up,