Initial Report and Recommendations - Alaska Department of Law

. Exchange of Information. The members of the Commission agree toexchange information in good faith. Members agree to provideinformation in advance of the meeting where such information will benecessary. All members agree not to divulge information shared by othersin confidence outside of Full Commission and Work Group meetings.c. Compensation for Services. Members of the Commission shall receiveno pay, allowance or benefits by reason of their service on theCommission.d. Costs and Expenses. Each member of the Commission may bereimbursed for their reasonable travel costs and expenses related to theirwork on behalf of the Commission. Requests for reimbursement shall bedirected to the Alaska Native Justice Center.The Commission held its first meeting on October 12 and 13, 2004. It met againon October 27, also the date of the first public testimony, which took place during theannual Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage. A pivotal meeting tookplace a bit later in Fairbanks on November 10, 2004. At that time the Commissiondecided to establish four workgroups, one for each of the four topic areas that had beenprescribed by the congressional language for the Commission to address in rural Alaska:Law Enforcement, Judiciary, Alcohol Importation, and Domestic Violence/Child Abuse.The members of the Commission agreed to have 12 or fewer members in each ofthe four workgroups. At the Commission’s request, staff of the Alaska Native JusticeCenter, the Alaska Federation of Natives, and the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council drafted apreliminary list of potential workgroup members, which was reviewed and revised by theCommission. At the next business meeting, held in Anchorage on November 19, 2004,the Commission members voted unanimously to appoint the recommended individuals tothe four workgroups.Meetings and Audio-conferencesThere were two critical aspects of the Commission’s input from the public inAlaska. One was the aforementioned involvement of a large number of knowledgeableindividuals – totaling over 70 – in the workgroups, and the second was gatheringinformation and input from a wide range of individuals who offered testimony, bothorally and in writing, during 15 public hearings that were held at 11 locations in Alaska,concerning the four topic areas that the Commission was addressing.The dates and locations of the public hearings are listed below, and copies of thewritten testimony and transcripts of the oral testimony can be reviewed on theCommission’s website: www.akjusticecommission.com.Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission - Page 36