If you already know what assistance you need, you may want to go directly to our research request formThe Legislative Council has directed Research Services to concentrate on helping legislative staff find materials and conduct their own research. Legislators and legislative staff can call for this type of immediate research assistance at any time. Research staff members can provide immediate help in several ways, and, as with more extensive research efforts, this work is confidential.
We can provide immediate answers to many short or straightforward questions. The agency maintains an array of general reference materials focusing on state and federal governments, programs, and public policy issues. We can give you immediate help with questions and requests such as the following:
We can provide you with a plan of action — contact names and telephone numbers to get you started. Agency researchers interact with government offices at the federal, state, and local levels; private companies and trade groups; and national lobbying and advocacy groups. We can tell you whom to call to answer questions such as these:
How successful has privatization of motor vehicle registration been in California?
Have all of the terms of the Cleary Settlement been met?
What were the revenues from the sales tax in Juneau during the last three years?
Have state lotteries proved successful as a funding source for education?
How many state employees retired under the Retirement Incentive Program in 1997 and what was the result in savings to the state?
We can provide you with a list of useful sites on the World Wide Web. Agency researchers use the World Wide Web extensively. In addition to the widely useful links listed in our WWW Bookmarks, researchers maintain lists of links on a variety of individual topics.
We can assist you in using resources on INFOBASES. The legislature's data processing division maintains numerous databases containing information such as the text of Alaska statutes and regulations, and information on previous legislative actions (measures, house and senate journals, session laws, committee minutes, etc.) We can offer tips on effectively searching and retrieving relevant information. One of the databases available through Infobases is an index of public research reports (that's LRAR-Legislative Research Agency Requests). This index contains request numbers, titles, authors, dates of completion, length of reports, and key words. To get copies, just call or send an e-mail message with the request number and title. You may find that ALECSYS Infobases, on legislative office computers, not only has more databases but is easier to use. Nevertheless, most of the databases are available on any computer with web access. Your constituents might be interested in the web version of Infobases, including LRAR.
We can point you in the right direction within the agency's specialized library. The library has two types of holdings — a catalogued collection of books and major reports, and a non-catalogued file of clippings and articles from diverse sources on topical issues. Library materials do not circulate, but they are available for use at the agency. An index of the catalogued items is available on the legislative computer system, ALECSYS Infobases.
Written Responses and Substantial Analyses
In addition to the various types of immediate assistance noted above, we provide written responses and more substantial analyses. The following are examples of requests we have received. Although few reports fit neatly into only one category, the requests typically may be described as belonging in one of the following several broad categories.
Analysis of Model Legislation and Legislative Precedents in Other States.
You may want to know about exemplary legislation or programs; you may just want to know how lawmakers in other states have addressed certain issues; or you may want to know how Alaska is doing compared to other states.
Are any state's law enforcement agencies allowed to monitor undercover police activities without a warrant?
Is there a model law addressing domestic violence? If so, how does Alaska law compare to the model?
What drinking water standards apply in other states?
What is the average rate of sales tax imposed by other states and what exemptions are allowed?
How
do oil and gas royalties in Alaska compare with those in other states?
Critiques of Reports, Studies, and Bills Affecting Public Policy and Programs
You may be interested in an independent assessment of the thoroughness of a report or study, or you may be interested in an independent assessment of certain possible ramifications of a bill or court rule. The following are examples of this type of request:
Critique studies based on Alaska Department of Fish & Game's fish counting sonar.
Evaluate the economic impact on family income of Alaska's court rule 90.3, regarding child support awards.
Estimate the impact on the general and permanent funds if permanent fund contributions were at 25% of mineral income.
Determine
the financial impact, by community, if permanent fund dividends
are reduced.
Legislative History
You may be interested in the history of certain laws or provisions in Alaska statutes. The following are examples of this type of request:
What is the history of restrictions on public disclosure of the identity of juveniles who commit serious crimes?
What is the history of Alaska's finfish farming ban?
What
is the history of the death penalty in Alaska, what was the justification
for its elimination, and what attempts have been made to reinstate
capital punishment?
Evaluation of State and State-Supported Programs
You might want an independent, nonpartisan evaluation of a state or state-supported program. The following are examples of this type of request:
Compare the revenues from Alaska's natural resources to expenditures for management of those resources.
Evaluate the causes and economic consequences of the limited entry permit drain.
Compare the level of state support for rural and urban schools.
Evaluate
the state's policy on managing mixed stock salmon fisheries.
Analysis of Federal Legislation and Regulations Affecting Alaska
You may want to know what, if any, proposed or enacted federal laws and/or regulations impact Alaska. The following are examples of this type of request:
Confidentiality of Inquiry
All legislators'
research requests are confidential (AS 24.20.100).
Legislative Research staff vigorously guard legislators' confidential
requests. If we receive an inquiry about a confidential report, even
if the caller appears to be certain that a report has been prepared,
staff will neither confirm nor deny that a report exists. Likewise,
when contacting state executive branch agencies, Legislative Research
staff do not reveal the requestors' name, the intended use of research
or information, or the factors that prompted the request without explicit
permission from the requesting legislator. In the event that two or
more legislators make similar requests, basic data will be shared; however,
the agency will release a report with the requestor's name to other
legislators and to the public only with the explicit permission of the
legislator who originally requested the information. The index of previously
prepared Legislative Research reports lists only those reports that
legislators have authorized for release to the public.
The fact that research conducted by our staff is confidential may, in
itself, be a service you find useful. Sometimes you may want information
without other legislators or executive branch officials knowing that
you want to know. For example, we can help if you would like to know
the possible ramifications of changes to the tax code and you'd like
to find out before all the lobbyists in the world find you. Likewise,
if you want to know how many fish were harvested by sport anglers on
the Kenai, but, for whatever reason, you don't want division officials
to know you are the legislator asking, we can help.