00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 23                                                                     
01 Relating to the USA PATRIOT Act and to the peace and security of citizens of our                                        
02 country.                                                                                                                
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS, during the period of the Revolutionary War in this nation, Benjamin                                    
05 Franklin professed, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety                        
06 deserve neither liberty nor safety"; and                                                                                
07       WHEREAS the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, "We the people of                                
08 the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic                            
09 tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the                                
10 blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for                      
11 the United States of America"; and                                                                                      
12       WHEREAS the Constitution of the United States is our charter of liberty, and the Bill                           
13 of Rights provides for protection of the individual American, including, but not limited to,                            
14 protection of freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and privacy; and                                                   
15       WHEREAS the USA PATRIOT Act passed by the United States Congress in                                             
16 October 2001 expands the federal government's ability to conduct searches, conduct                                      

01 surveillance of telephone and Internet activity, and gain access to sensitive medical, financial,                       
02 education, and other records about certain individuals suspected of terrorism activities without                        
03 first showing probable cause or evidence of a crime; and                                                                
04       WHEREAS the USA PATRIOT Act increases the federal government's ability to                                       
05 monitor and detain individuals and imposes requirements on state and local governments to                               
06 assist the efforts of the federal government; and                                                                       
07       WHEREAS, if the provisions of this Act are improperly applied, fundamental                                      
08 individual rights, which are protected by the constitutions of the State of Alaska and the                              
09 United States, could be violated;                                                                                       
10       BE IT RESOLVED that the Twenty-Third Alaska State Legislature supports the                                      
11 government of the United States of America in its campaign against terrorism, but also                                  
12 affirms its commitment that such a campaign not be waged at the expense of essential civil                              
13 rights and liberties of citizens of this country; and be it                                                             
14       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Twenty-Third Alaska State Legislature recognizes                                      
15 the need to respond to threats to the peace and security of citizens of our country, but calls                          
16 upon all government officials to ensure that the individual rights of the people, as enumerated                         
17 in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States, are not infringed.                                 
18       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President                              
19 of the United States; the Honorable John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the United States; the                           
20 Honorable Frank Murkowski, Governor of Alaska; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the                                 
21 Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.                                              
22 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.