02/08/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

               HB 264-CHILD TRAFFICKING SCREENING                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:16:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 264, "An  Act requiring the Department  of Family                                                               
and  Community  Services  to  adopt  a  uniform  screening  tool;                                                               
requiring  shelters  for  runaway  minors to  screen  minors  for                                                               
victimization  relating to  sexual  abuse,  sex trafficking,  and                                                               
commercial  sexual  exploitation;  requiring  the  Department  of                                                               
Family and Community  Services to screen children in  need of aid                                                               
for victimization relating to sexual  abuse, sex trafficking, and                                                               
commercial sexual exploitation;  and relating to the  duty of the                                                               
Department of  Family and Community  Services to  investigate the                                                               
experiences  of missing  children in  need of  aid who  have been                                                               
located."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:16:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SARAH  VANCE, Alaska  State Legislature,  as prime                                                               
sponsor, introduced HB 264 to  the committee.  She explained that                                                               
the purpose  of the  bill was  for the  Department of  Family and                                                               
Community  Services  to  adopt a  universal  screening  tool  for                                                               
children  who come  into the  department and  for those  who come                                                               
into contact with  runaway children in the state.   The intent is                                                               
to screen for sexual exploitation  to make sure that children who                                                               
come within our  state services are being identified  if they are                                                               
being exploited in  order to provide them with  the services that                                                               
they need.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:17:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROBERT  BALLINGER,  Staff,  Representative  Sarah  Vance,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature, referenced  questions from  a previous  House                                                               
Health and  Social Services committee  hearing regarding  HB 264.                                                               
He explained  that staff researched  the federal law  referred to                                                               
in that committee  hearing which went into effect in  2014.  This                                                               
bill  will bring  into compliance  with that  law which  requires                                                               
screening whenever individuals go missing from state care.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:19:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX opened public testimony on HB 264.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:19:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TERRA BURNS, Member, Community United  for Safety and Protection,                                                               
recommended  that the  committee amend  the bill's  definition of                                                               
sex  trafficking.    She  described her  background  and  how  it                                                               
relates to HB 264, explaining that  she was trafficked as a minor                                                               
in  Alaska and  also did  sex  work as  an  adult.   She did  her                                                               
graduate research in 2014 at  University of Alaska, Fairbanks, on                                                               
policy  recommendations regarding  Alaska's sex  work, advocating                                                               
for  safety and  protection.   She requested  that the  committee                                                               
amend  HB 264  to use  the criminal  rather than  the noncriminal                                                               
definition for  sex trafficking  of minors.   The  youth shelters                                                               
who   use  federal   funding  are   tracking  information   about                                                               
trafficking   of  minors   in   Alaska   using  the   noncriminal                                                               
definition.   However, it  is unknown how  many minors  in Alaska                                                               
are  being  sex  trafficked,  are having  survival  sex,  or  are                                                               
working in the commercial sex  industry.  She said that resources                                                               
are going to  the wrong places and the wrong  policies.  Alaska's                                                               
youth need evidence-based policy  and services that address their                                                               
needs.  She  requested that the bill use  the criminal definition                                                               
of sex trafficking.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:22:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHELLE OVERSTREET, Founder and CEO,  My House, spoke in support                                                               
of HB  264.   She described  My House,  a homeless  youth drop-in                                                               
center with  wrap around  services.   She explained  she supports                                                               
the screening bill,  so trafficked survivors can  get the support                                                               
they need from  providers such as My House.   Without a screening                                                               
tool that examines what has been  happening with the youth, it is                                                               
difficult   to   know  who   has   been   trafficked.     Without                                                               
understanding  the  situation,  youth   are  more  likely  to  be                                                               
revictimized  and  end  up  homeless or  incarcerated.    A  good                                                               
screening  tool with  properly worded  questions helped  My House                                                               
identify  over  50  youth  who  recognized  that  they  had  been                                                               
trafficked when previously there had been  only six.  Data from a                                                               
wide range of  input is needed to adequately  address the youths'                                                               
needs and provide the services  that they require.  She described                                                               
a situation in which screening  helped prevent a sixteen-year-old                                                               
from being taken and sold in  Texas.  She also discussed the high                                                               
rate of  child rape in  Alaska and  means for prevention.   Using                                                               
the screening  tool would be  hugely impactful  for organizations                                                               
that interact with potential victims.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:26:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  asked Ms. Overstreet  whether her organization  has a                                                               
set of questions they ask.   When she replied in the affirmative,                                                               
he asked her to forward those to the committee.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:28:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOE JONES, representing self, said he  would like to go on record                                                               
as being in support of HB 264.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:28:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MAXINE   DOOGAN,  Member,   Community  United   for  Safety   and                                                               
Protection, spoke  in opposition to  HB 264.  She  explained that                                                               
she supported universal definitions,  but she specifically wanted                                                               
to see the criminal definitions put  in place.  She opposes using                                                               
the Violence Against Women Act  because it results in youth being                                                               
arrested when they have been forced into prostitution.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:30:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX, after  ascertaining there was no one  else who wished                                                               
to testify, closed public testimony on HB 264.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:30:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS said  he had hoped to hear  from the Alaska                                                               
Institute for  Justice on this bill  to see what they  are saying                                                               
about vulnerable youth.  He had  read that there was a very sharp                                                               
rise  in  child  labor trafficking,  particularly  among  migrant                                                               
children and asked whether this is occurring in Alaska.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:31:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE responded that her  staff would reach out to                                                               
the institute regarding children in labor trafficking in Alaska.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:31:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked  about a specific list of  questions that should                                                               
be asked.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE explained that the  bill as written does not                                                               
mandate a specific list of  questions.  Rather, it encourages the                                                               
department to expand on the  screening they are already doing for                                                               
trauma.  It  is recommended that the  department collaborate with                                                               
the Council  on Human Trafficking.   The bill  intentionally does                                                               
not  provide a  specific list  of questions  because of  the wide                                                               
variety  of questions  that can  be asked.   There  are excellent                                                               
models that  can be  provided, but it  is up to  the will  of the                                                               
committee how to proceed with HB 264.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:33:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   PRAX  said   the   bill  would   be   held  for   further                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS  mentioned to  the  bill  sponsor that  he                                                               
asked  Legislative Legal  Services  to draft  an amendment  which                                                               
would  add   labor  trafficking   based  on  the   experience  of                                                               
prosecutors  who found  they could  not document  sex trafficking                                                               
but were able  to document labor trafficking of  the same victim.                                                               
This would  give prosecutors more  tools as in, for  example, the                                                               
case of  a massage parlor  where prosecutors can prove  the child                                                               
was be held  for labor trafficking but could not  prove the child                                                               
had been subjected to sex trafficking.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:34:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 4:34 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:35:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  called the  committee  back  to order  and  reopened                                                               
public testimony on HB 264.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:35:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DELAYNA  WEST, representing  self, spoke  in support  of HB  264.                                                               
She strongly  encouraged the committee  to support this  bill and                                                               
other bills like it for the  safety of the children and the women                                                               
in Alaska's communities.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:36:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX, after  ascertaining there was no one  else who wished                                                               
to testify, closed public testimony on HB 264.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced HB 264 was held over.