Self-defense bill passes committee(AK)

juneauempire.com ^ | 13 February, 2011 | Charles Ward

[marktwain]

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday tried to take the unusual step of attaching a fiscal note from the committee to House Bill 80 in an attempt to dispute the Department of Law’s own note that states the proposed legislation would cost the department $450,000 a year.

House Bill 80, which later passed out of the committee, would eliminate a person’s duty to retreat from a situation where that person uses deadly force in self-defense, as long as the defender was in a place where he or she had “a right to be.”

The proposed note would have stated the committee believed the bill would not have any impact on the Department of Law’s budget.

“… In 16 years in the Legislature, I do not recall ever seeing a committee fiscal note used like this,” said Rep. Max Gruenberg, D-Anchorage.

Gruenberg also said if the note was to be attached to the bill, he would feel obligated to contact the Public Defender Agency to get its opinion of the potential fiscal impact of the bill. Douglas Moody from the Public Defender Agency answered questions for the committee Wednesday, but did not address any fiscal issues regarding the bill.

[marktwain]

Bureaucrats are able to attach notes to legislation in Alaska?

[nmh]

“House Bill 80, which later passed out of the committee, would eliminate a person’s duty to retreat from a situation where that person uses deadly force in self-defense, as long as the defender was in a place where he or she had “a right to be.” “

That should help end ILLEGAL aliens, criminals from attacking people. I like that.

[thackney]

In the end, the motion to attach a committee note to the bill was withdrawn and replaced with a letter asking the House Finance Committee to review the DOL’s fiscal note.