00 Enrolled SR 2                                                                                                           
01 Urging the governor to issue a new declaration.                                                                         
02                                         _______________                                                                 
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:                                                                                         
04      WHEREAS, on January 14, 2021, the governor issued a declaration under AS 26.23,                                    
05 stating that the outbreak of COVID-19 was occurring in the state because of widespread                                  
06 community transmission; and                                                                                             
07      WHEREAS, since the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in the state in March 2020, the                                    
08 effects have resulted in serious consequences for all residents of the state; and                                       
09      WHEREAS the Senate recognizes that, because of local action, students throughout                                   
10 the state have been deprived of in-person learning, and the state has seen increased incidence                          
11 of depression and other emotional harm in students as a result of school closures, as well as                           
12 increased instances of child abuse and food insecurity; and                                                             
13      WHEREAS the Senate also recognizes that communities in the state have seen fit to                                  
14 impose lockdown orders, which have severely reduced economic activity in those                                          
15 communities, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs, the closure of many businesses, and                            
16 significant economic harm to a large proportion of Alaskans in various economic sectors; and                            
17      WHEREAS it is the position of the Senate that a health care provider may not                                       
01 administer a COVID-19 vaccine to an individual without first obtaining the informed consent                             
02 of the individual or, if the individual is a minor child, of a parent or guardian of the minor                          
03 child; and                                                                                                              
04      WHEREAS the Senate supports that an individual or a parent or guardian of a minor                                  
05 child may object to the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine based on religious, medical, or                            
06 other grounds, and that a person may not require an individual to provide justification or                              
07 documentation to support the individual's decision to decline a COVID-19 vaccine or to                                  
08 decline a COVID-19 vaccine for a minor child; and                                                                       
09      WHEREAS, partly because of the state's robust COVID-19 response efforts and the                                    
10 governor's leadership, the state currently has the third-lowest COVID-19 fatality rate in the                           
11 United States; and                                                                                                      
12      WHEREAS, because of diligent efforts, the state has one of the highest vaccination                                 
13 rates in the United States; and                                                                                         
14      WHEREAS the Senate acknowledges the state's transition from a disaster to a                                        
15 recovery phase and supports the reduction of mandates to carefully but fully reopen the state's                         
16 economy, while safely protecting Alaskans; and                                                                          
17      WHEREAS the governor's January 14, 2021, declaration is set to expire on                                           
18 February 14, 2021; and                                                                                                  
19      WHEREAS there is insufficient time to allow the Alaska State Legislature to fully                                  
20 debate and determine the least restrictive means to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and pass                                
21 legislation, instead of relying on additional emergency orders, while, at the same time, being                          
22 certain that the state does not lose access to federal funding for programs important to                                
23 Alaskans;                                                                                                               
24      BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate, without waiving the authority of the legislature                                   
25 under AS 26.23.020(c) or 26.23.025(b), urges the governor to issue a new, narrowly defined                              
26 declaration, not to exceed 30 days, to access funding and protect the health and safety of                              
27 Alaskans.