Legislature(2013 - 2014)CAPITOL 120
04/16/2014 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
SJR23 | |
SCR2 | |
SB170 | |
SB173 | |
HB45 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ | SCR 2 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | SB 173 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | SB 170 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | SJR 23 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | HB 45 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
+ | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 45-ELECTRONIC BULLYING IN SCHOOLS 2:08:27 PM CHAIR KELLER announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 45, "An Act relating to harassment, intimidation, or bullying by students attending a public school in the state." SARAH PAGE, Staff to Representative Mia Costello, Alaska State Legislature, said HB 45 was proposed by a senior from Dimond High School. Section 1 deletes "whether verbal or physical" [from AS 14.33.220(b)], indicating that no matter the form of delivery, [harassment, intimidation, or bullying] shall be reported to school administrators by any witness. Section 2 inserts "electronic" into the definition of the type of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, she said. Currently, schools must have harassment policies, and HB 45 updates the definition to say that electronic forms of communication are also considered. The bill has no effect on the weight of different actions or what disciplinary actions should be taken, she clarified. 2:10:07 PM CHAIR KELLER noted that Ms. Page was presenting Version U. 2:11:00 PM RON FUHRER, President, National Education Association (NEA) Alaska, said NEA Alaska represents 13,000 educational support professionals and teachers, and it advocates for 130,000 public school students. He noted that cyberbullying occurs in the shadows and can be difficult to detect. Teachers are the first line of defense in stopping it in schools, he said, and the cyberbullying often carries over into classrooms. Only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or a trusted adult of the abuse, he explained, and the consequences of cyberbullying are significant, causing emotional and psychological distress. The victims of bullying can experience fear, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, and the cyberbullying victim will also experience feeling overwhelmed, vulnerable, powerless, exposed, humiliated, isolated, and even disinterested in life, he stated. Victims are two to nine times more likely to consider suicide, and according to PEW research, about one third of all teenagers who have used the internet have been the target of cyberbullying. He added that some research shows that nearly 43 percent of kids have been bullied online, and 70 percent of students report seeing frequent bullying online. There needs to be a community effort by teachers, parents, administrators, and other students to send a clear message that cyberbullying will not be tolerated. "HB 45 is a first step towards ensuring that Alaskan students can attend school in a safe learning environment, free from the threat of cyberbullying," he said. 2:13:47 PM REPRESENTATIVE LYNN noted that any type of bullying is bad, including, "the big kid on playground bullying the little kid," but it essentially stops quickly. Cyberbullying on Facebook is there forever, he expressed, and that is what makes it so bad. He said there are cameras on cellphones, and they can be taken everywhere, including into restrooms. "If you try to get a job 10 years later, they find that on the internet," he said, so he strongly supports HB 45. "This won't fix it but it will certainly help," he stated. 2:14:59 PM REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX said she will not object to HB 45, but she has some problems with all of the non-physical harassment statutes. She said she remembers getting teased in school and sometimes it was mean and awful, but her dad told her to remember that "sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you." The names did hurt, she said, "but we can't let some of these statutes interfere with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech," and it is not just this bill, it is many. "People are just mean to each other; sometimes people even hold other people's bills, which is a form of bullying, but we live with it," she opined. 2:16:35 PM MS. PAGE said the statute also addresses physical bullying. REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX said she sees that in [subparagraph] (A), but not elsewhere. So verbal teasing, for example, might have the effect of interfering with some students' education, if they are very sensitive, but that is not necessarily physical harassment, she said. 2:17:40 PM MS. PAGE said she understands and appreciates her comments, "but I do think that it doesn't need to be repeated in (B), (C), and (D), because it is in the first definition, and (B), (C), and (D) are just really clarifying the intensity of the bullying or the teasing or what have you, if it's severe or persistent or substantially interfering, so I don't think we need to repeat 'physical'." 2:18:16 PM CHAIR KELLER asked why "whether verbal or physical" was deleted. MS. PAGE said it was taken out so the language would include students who have been subjected to any type of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. CHAIR KELLER spoke of a bill that basically did the same thing in a different section of law, and his staff looked where this behavior was already covered in law, "and the only thing unique, that I see, really, is the fact that we're pulling it into Title 14," and he asked for an explanation. MS. PAGE said that someone from Legislative Legal and Research Services can speak to that. 2:20:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE LYNN moved to report HB 45 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. CHAIR KELLER, noting no objections, announced that HB 45 moved out of committee.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
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HB 45 Leg. Legal Opinion.pdf |
HJUD 4/16/2014 1:00:00 PM |
HB 45 |
SJR 23 ACPE Resolution of Support.pdf |
HJUD 4/16/2014 1:00:00 PM |
SJR 23 |
SJR 23 Support Letter~University of Alaska.pdf |
HJUD 4/16/2014 1:00:00 PM |
SJR 23 |
SJR 23 Witness List HJUD.pdf |
HJUD 4/16/2014 1:00:00 PM |
SJR 23 |
HCCSSB 173 ver. Y Draft.pdf |
HJUD 4/16/2014 1:00:00 PM |
SB 173 |
HCSCSSB 173 ver. Y Leg. Legal Memo.pdf |
HJUD 4/16/2014 1:00:00 PM |
SB 173 |