04/17/2018 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

                    HB 235-NORTH STAR MEDAL                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:49:31 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER announced the consideration of HB 235.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:49:55 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE    JONATHAN     KREISS-TOMKINS,    Alaska    State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska, sponsor  of HB 235,  referenced the                                                               
sponsor statement for HB 235 as follows:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     HB 235 creates  a rare and high honor to  be awarded by                                                                    
     the  State  of  Alaska  to  first  responders  who  are                                                                    
     injured  or killed  while exhibiting  great courage  in                                                                    
     the service  of their  fellow Alaskans. The  North Star                                                                    
     Medal  is reserved  for  firefighters, peace  officers,                                                                    
     first responders, and search and rescue volunteers.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     The  idea for  the  bill came  from Representative  Bob                                                                    
     Lynn,  the  former chair  of  the  House State  Affairs                                                                    
     Committee,  who  envisioned  the   award  as   a  small                                                                    
     thanksgiving"  for the  valor  and  sacrifice shown  by                                                                    
     these men and women.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     One comparable award currently  exists. The State Medal                                                                    
     for Heroism was  created by the Legislature  in 1965 to                                                                    
     recognize  the heroic  and valorous  deed  of saving  a                                                                    
     life. In  contrast to the  North Star Medal,  the Medal                                                                    
     for Heroism can be awarded  to any Alaskan and has been                                                                    
     awarded to individuals  of all ages for  what are often                                                                    
     spontaneous  acts of  bravery. For  example, the  Medal                                                                    
     for Heroism  was awarded to  a 10-year-old boy  in Nome                                                                    
     who  lost his  life  rescuing a  woman  from a  burning                                                                    
     house  in 1984,  and to  others who  have saved  people                                                                    
     from  drowning,  or  from  death   and  injury  in  the                                                                    
     aftermath of airplane and car crashes.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The  North Star  Medal does  not duplicate  this award;                                                                    
     while  the recipients  of the  State Medal  for Heroism                                                                    
     have  responded to  extraordinary events  with courage,                                                                    
     the North Star Medal  honors those individuals who show                                                                    
     up each  day knowing that  they could be asked  to give                                                                    
     their  lives   to  protect   and  serve   their  fellow                                                                    
     Alaskans.  Other   states  such  as   Idaho,  Illinois,                                                                    
     Oregon, and Texas have similar  awards that honor first                                                                    
     responders  for  meritorious  conduct and/or  death  or                                                                    
     injury in the line of duty.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Nominations  for the  North  Star  Medal can  originate                                                                    
     within  communities  and   organizations  and  will  be                                                                    
     passed  on to  the  highest-ranking  supervisor in  the                                                                    
     department   or  organization,   who  will   then  make                                                                    
     recommendations to  the Commissioner of  Public Safety.                                                                    
     After consideration, the  Commissioner of Public Safety                                                                    
     will submit the names of  the nominees for the award to                                                                    
     the governor.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     At  a ceremony  held  no  more than  once  a year,  the                                                                    
     governor will  present the recipient of  the North Star                                                                    
     Medal with  a ribbon, a  medal, and a citation.  If the                                                                    
     honoree  is  no  longer  living or  cannot  accept  the                                                                    
     award, the next of kin may accept it on their behalf.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The North  Star Medal is  a sign of gratitude  from the                                                                    
     people of  Alaska to first responders  whose dedication                                                                    
     is a constant in a changing world.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:50:20 PM                                                                                                                    
GRIFFIN  PLUSH,  Staff,   Representative  Kreiss-Tomkins,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska,  summarized  that the  North                                                               
Star Medal  would be  a regular  award given  by the  governor to                                                               
first responders  from nominations  submitted by  departments and                                                               
organizations throughout  the state  to recognize  the sacrifices                                                               
made by first responders.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MEYER  asked  if  the  governor has  currently  a  way  of                                                               
recognizing people  who have  done a great  job whether  they are                                                               
police officers, fire fighters or school teachers.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR. PLUSH explained as follows:                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     There  are   several  different  awards,   for  heroism                                                                    
     specifically  there is  only one  comparable award  and                                                                    
     that  is the  Alaska Medal  for Heroism;  however, that                                                                    
     award is an award that  is awarded to any Alaskan based                                                                    
     on an  individual heroic deed or  valor [inaudible] and                                                                    
     it is something that is not awarded very frequently.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     The North  Star Medal  on the  other hand  is something                                                                    
     that  would be  more regular  and specifically  for our                                                                    
     first    responders,   for    our   police    officers,                                                                    
     firefighters,  corrections  officers,  and  search  and                                                                    
     rescue   volunteers   that   are  making   that   daily                                                                    
     sacrifice. So,  it's a medal  that is more  specific to                                                                    
     those   first   responders   and  more   awarded   more                                                                    
     regularly.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:53:16 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MEYER noted  that there  is some  overlap between  the two                                                               
medals  and  asked   Mr.  Plush  to  confirm  that   there  is  a                                                               
difference.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. PLUSH answered as follows:                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Yes,  specifically  awarded  for  displays  of  extreme                                                                    
     bravery  and  heroism,  and awarded  by  the  governor;                                                                    
     those are kind  of the two main  categories where there                                                                    
     is   overlap,   but   the  medals   are   substantially                                                                    
     different.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MEYER  noted Mr.  Lynn's comments that  he calls  the North                                                               
Star Medal the "Purple Heart."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. PLUSH explained as follows:                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Yes, that's language the we've  been using as well, and                                                                    
     I think that is sort of  a fitting description of it as                                                                    
     well,  sort   of  a  "Purple   Heart"  for   our  first                                                                    
     responders. There are military  honors, of course, like                                                                    
     the "Purple Heart"  that are awarded as  well, but this                                                                    
     is  specifically  for  our civilian  first  responders,                                                                    
     public servants who are putting their lives at risk.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MEYER  asked why  Representative Lynn was  not able  to get                                                               
the legislation passed.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   KREISS-TOMKINS   said   he   did   not   believe                                                               
Representative Lynn ever introduced  legislation to establish the                                                               
North Star Medal.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MEYER asked  if  Representative Lynn  would  have won  his                                                               
reelection   that  he   would  have   probably  introduced   that                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE    KREISS-TOMKINS    answered   that    was    his                                                               
understanding from his conversation with Representative Lynn.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:56:01 PM                                                                                                                    
WALT MONEGAN,  Commissioner, Alaska Department of  Public Safety,                                                               
Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of HB 235 as follows:                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     When  this idea,  this medal  was  first introduced  or                                                                    
     brought  to my  attention, it  made a  lot of  sense in                                                                    
     regard to that we have  many people out there, not only                                                                    
     in  the  police  and  fire   realm,  but  also  in  the                                                                    
     volunteers that we have with  search and rescue, pretty                                                                    
     much all  over the state. Barring  anybody getting hurt                                                                    
     or worse,  I think  this award  is something  that they                                                                    
     can put  on the wall  or their  family can have  on the                                                                    
     wall as a very poignant reminder of their efforts.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     On a personal  note, my father was killed  in combat in                                                                    
     Korea and his Medal of Honor  is hanging on our wall as                                                                    
     a daily  reminder of  what sometimes  we are  called to                                                                    
     do.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     I support this  concept and I want to speak  for all of                                                                    
     the  people  out  there  who work  for  the  safety  of                                                                    
     everybody out there.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MEYER asked if an individual can currently receive a medal                                                                
for heroism. He added that if so, how often do individuals                                                                      
currently received medals for heroism.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
COMMISSIONER MONEGAN answered as follows:                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     The  last time  we presented  a medal  of sorts  was in                                                                    
     action in a  state trooper medal and it was  to our BPO                                                                    
     that was  shot and wounded  in the Bethel area  about a                                                                    
     year  or so  ago. So,  this particular  medal would  be                                                                    
     something that  would be  bestowed upon  him or  her by                                                                    
     the governor  as opposed to  something from  the Alaska                                                                    
     State  Troopers or  myself. I  think it  is significant                                                                    
     and  hopefully we  don't have  to present  too many  of                                                                    
     them because usually it involves somebody being hurt.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
He continued as follows:                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     I like it because it  goes beyond the uniform services,                                                                    
     it goes to the search and  rescue folks that do this as                                                                    
     volunteers. I  think it is  very significant and  it is                                                                    
     honoring those who spend their time helping others.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:59:36 PM                                                                                                                    
JACOB WILSON, Business Agent, Alaska Correctional Officers                                                                      
Association, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of HB 235                                                                  
as follows:                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     I wanted to echo  the commissioner's comments on behalf                                                                    
     of  correctional officers.  We have  about 860  members                                                                    
     now  and  on  behalf  of those  members  we  absolutely                                                                    
     support HB  235 and  the intent  of the  legislation to                                                                    
     recognize  peace  officers in  Alaska  who  die or  are                                                                    
     seriously injured in the line of duty.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     As  peace  officers,   Alaska's  correctional  officers                                                                    
     place   their   lives   on   the   line   "24/7,"   and                                                                    
     unfortunately  at  times,   correctional  officers  and                                                                    
     other  law enforcement  officers around  the state  are                                                                    
     seriously  injured  on  a  line of  duty  and  in  rare                                                                    
     occasions  lose  their  lives  while  performing  their                                                                    
     jobs.  While  nothing can  replace  their  loss or  can                                                                    
     replace the  fact that  some people  will never  be the                                                                    
     same   after   an   on-the-job   injury,   the   public                                                                    
     recognition  of  the  sacrifice  that  they  made  will                                                                    
     provide some consolation to  the surviving relatives or                                                                    
     the injured  worker who is  the recipient of  the North                                                                    
     Star Medal.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     We appreciate the steps that  this legislation takes to                                                                    
     recognize our brave  and selfless women and  men who go                                                                    
     to  work everyday  not  knowing if  they  are going  to                                                                    
     return home safely.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
5:01:25 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER closed public testimony.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
5:01:51 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report CSHB 235(STA), version 30-                                                                      
LS0816\J from committee with individual recommendations and                                                                     
attached zero fiscal note.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:02:07 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER announced that there being no objection, the motion                                                                 
carried.