Rep. Tammie Wilson, a North Pole Republican, has reintroduced a bill from last year that would make court records confidential when charges have been dismissed or the defendant acquitted. The 2014 bill passed the Legislature but was vetoed by then-Gov. Sean Parnell.
The bill would make public documents in a criminal proceeding secret four months after a case ends in a verdict of not guilty on all charges or if some charges are dismissed and the defendant is acquitted of the rest.
"If you've gone through the court process and you're found not guilty, that should not be out there for the whole world to see," she said. "Not guilty means not guilty."
Gov. Bill Walker, who said he is committed to a transparent government, is reluctant to take a stance on prefiled legislation this early in the session, press secretary Grace Jang said in an email. Bills can always change, she said, and Walker may decide not to express his position until a bill is on his desk.
Wilson's prefiled bill, House Bill 11, mirrors the language of Senate Bill 108, introduced in the 28th Legislature.
Eagle River Sen. Fred Dyson was the chief proponent of Senate Bill 108, which won approval 18-1 in the Senate and 23-16 in the House. Parnell vetoed the bill in August, arguing it went too far in making court records secret.
Parnell said a change in court procedures on Aug. 1 helped accomplish some of what the supporters of Dyson's bill wanted -- protection of privacy and preservation of reputations.
The Alaska Court System revised rules about when documents are prevented from showing up in the online public court index system, CourtView. Those changes include cases left off the index for people who were arrested but not charged and those who were charged but had the charges dismissed for lack of probable cause or mistaken identity, among other reasons.
Mara Rabinowitz, communications counsel for the Alaska Court System, said administrators searched codes that applied to the changes within the index and removed thousands of cases.
A computer program runs nightly that identifies more current cases and automatically removes them, Rabinowitz said. Additionally, defendants who think their cases qualify for removal can submit a request by filling out a form available on the index homepage.
Wilson said the changes are an improvement but fail to address defendants who were tried and acquitted. She has spoken with Alaskans who were unable to find jobs despite their acquittals.
"We're compiling a list of people," she said. "There weren't many people who testified last year but we have a much larger group this time."
Wilson said the bill will likely go through judicial and finance committees in the House.