Legislature(1993 - 1994)
03/04/1994 09:05 AM Senate STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
March 4, 1994
9:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Loren Leman, Chair
Senator Robin Taylor
Senator Jim Duncan
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Mike Miller, Vice Chair
Senator Johnny Ellis
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 46
Requesting the United States Congress to provide a waiver for
nontaxable diesel fuel sold in Alaska from the requirement that it
contain a blue dye additive.
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 17
Honoring Alaskan and Palmer resident Tommy Moe for winning a gold
medal at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
SENATE BILL NO. 216
"An Act relating to the sale, display, or distribution of material
harmful to minors at places where minors are allowed to be present
and where minors are allowed to view such material."
PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
SJR 46 - No previous senate committee action.
SCR 17 - No previous senate committee action.
SB 216 - See State Affairs minutes dated 2/11/94 and 2/16/94.
WITNESS REGISTER
Fred Dyson, Commissioner Designee
State Commission for Human Rights
Eagle River, AK 99577¶694-3744
POSITION STATEMENT: testified on behalf of his confirmation
Julie Benson, Commissioner Designee
Alaska Public Offices Commission
P.O. Box 75296, Fairbanks, AK 99707¶479-7655
POSITION STATEMENT: testified on behalf of her confirmation
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 94-13, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIRMAN LEMAN calls the Senate State Affairs Committee to order at
9:05 a.m.
The chairman asks Mr. Dyson to join the committee at the table to
testify at his confirmation hearing for the State Commission on
Human Rights.
Number 024
FRED DYSON, Commissioner Designee, State Commission for Human
Rights states he is from Eagle River. Mr. Dyson says he was born
in Canada and came to the United States as an immigrant. He moved
to Alaska in 1964 and has been in the state continuously since that
time. Mr. Dyson has worked as an engineer in the oil industry and
has been a commercial fisherman since 1976. During the winter he
makes part of his living doing technical writing and engineering.
MR. DYSON has been involved in community affairs for about fifteen
years, starting with community councils. Human rights issues have
always intrigued Mr. Dyson; despite being a supposedly
unimaginative engineer, he has frequently found himself involved in
people's problems.
MR. DYSON states he and his wife raised three children of their own
and have had about fifteen foster children. Most of the foster
children were short term, some were long term. Almost all of the
foster children came from very dysfunctional homes, several were in
the criminal justice system, and three-fourths of the foster
children had been sexually abused. Mr. Dyson states if he has a
hot button, it's abuse of children, which he sees as a significant
problem in our culture.
MR. DYSON says that like most people in the majority in our
culture, he had little idea of discrimination as he was growing up.
As an adult, he began to realize that a lot of people have suffered
a great deal of discrimination, which infuriates him. In college,
Mr. Dyson worked in construction as a pile buck. There was a black
man named John German who virtually carried Mr. Dyson on his back,
showed Mr. Dyson how to do things, and when Mr. Dyson couldn't
carry his load, Mr. German went out of his way to help Mr. Dyson.
Mr. Dyson tells of the discrimination he witnessed against Mr.
German. Mr. Dyson recalls the outrage he felt at witnessing this
discrimination against a man he admired so much.
Number 090
CHAIRMAN LEMAN asks Mr. Dyson what he thinks the most significant
human rights issues are in Alaska today.
Number 101
MR. DYSON states some key issues that he sees relate to sexual
harassment and discrimination and racial discrimination. Mr. Dyson
thinks there are problems with people's awareness of what's
acceptable. The primary problem Mr. Dyson sees arising is the
conflict of rights, when the rights of one person or group conflict
with the rights of another person or group. Even if there is not
bigotry or prejudice involved in a particular case of
discrimination, there are practical aspects that must be dealt
with.
MR. DYSON states another area of human rights that he is concerned
with, but in which he does not have much knowledge, is the area of
aboriginal law and native rights. In this state there are a number
of organizations which are chartered on a racial basis. What
happens when those organizations run up against EEO (Equal
Employment Opportunity) and the bill of rights. Reasonable
accommodations have got to be made to deal with those problems.
Number 156
CHAIRMAN LEMAN asks if the foster children Mr. Dyson and his wife
cared for were of races other than caucasian.
MR. DYSON says he did have fosterhildldren whose race was not
caucasian. He also says the fishing fleet of which he is a part is
made up of a large number of Alaska Natives. He has also worked in
a number of villages doing engineering work. He does not claim to
be an expert on minorities, but thinks he is sensitive to the
issues involving minorities.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN asks if there are questions of Mr. Dyson.
Number 166
SENATOR TAYLOR says he would just like to thank Mr. Dyson very much
for being willing to serve on the commission and put in the time
and the effort such service takes.
MR. DYSON replies he feels the same way about people who serve in
the legislature. People who think it is an honor and a privilege
to serve in a legislative body have not been there. Mr. Dyson says
when friends of his who have served in elected office thank him for
helping them or making a contribution, Mr. Dyson tells them they
have it wrong and he should be thanking them for serving.
MR. DYSON informs the committee that the composition of the State
Commission on Human Rights is one female Latino, two male Alaska
Natives, one female caucasian, and one female Japanese-American; so
he is the only old, white, male on the commission, and the only
homely, old person of the group.
Number 207
CHAIRMAN LEMAN thanks Mr. Dyson for his testimony and calls Ms.
Benson to testify.
Number 215
JULIE BENSON, Commissioner Designee, Alaska Public Offices
Commission (APOC), testifying from Fairbanks says she was born in
Oregon, raised in Washington, and came to Alaska in 1989 after 18
years in California. Ms. Benson states she has 14 years of
clerical experience, has worked in a goldmine, as a bartender, and
as a homemaker. She is serving and wants to continue to serve on
the APOC in order to give something back to the community. Ms.
Benson says she did several months of volunteer work on the "Alaska
or Bust" exhibit at the University of Alaska.
MS. BENSON says when a position on the APOC came open, she
immediately applied. She feels it is very important to support the
public's right to know what goes on in government. She tries to do
her best to do that. Ms. Benson states she enjoys her work on the
commission and does her best to be non-partisan in it. She
believes approaching the work in a non-partisan manner is the best
way to approach it. She says she is not an articulate person, but
believes she can think things through fairly.
Number 266
CHAIRMAN LEMAN thanks Ms. Benson for serving on the APOC and for
her testimony. The chairman asks Ms. Benson if she can think of
any changes that should be made to the commission and how it
operates.
MS. BENSON responds she cannot think of any at this time.
Number 276
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brings up SJR 46 (WAIVE IRS DIESEL FUEL DYE RULE) as
the next order of business before the Senate State Affairs
Committee.
SENATOR TAYLOR makes a motion to release SJR 46 from the State
Affairs Committee with individual recommendations.
Number 287
CHAIRMAN LEMAN, hearing no objection, orders SJR 46 released from
committee with individual recommendations.
Number 288
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brings up SCR 17 (HONORING TOMMY MOE) as the next
order of business before the committee.
SENATOR DUNCAN makes a motion to release SCR 17 from the State
Affairs Committee with individual recommendations
Number 293
CHAIRMAN LEMAN, hearing no objection, orders SCR 17 released from
committee with individual recommendations.
Number 290
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brings up SB 216 (DISPLAY SEX EXPLICIT MATERIALS
NEAR MINOR) as the next order of business before the committee.
The chairman announces SB 216 will be held in committee to work
with the sponsor on a committee substitute.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN adjourns the Senate State Affairs Committee meeting
at 9:25 a.m.
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