02/24/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        HB 275-SEXUAL ASSAULT EXAMINATION KITS/TRACKING                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:04:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.   275,  "An  Act  relating   to  sexual  assault                                                               
examination  kits; establishing  the  sexual assault  examination                                                               
kit tracking system; and providing for an effective date."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:05:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LISA   PURINTON,  Director,   Division  of   Statewide  Services,                                                               
Legislative  Liaison,  Department  of  Public  Safety,  spoke  in                                                               
support of HB 275.  She  explained the bill would codify existing                                                               
processes  and streamline  the  requirements  for processing  the                                                               
sexual assault examination kit.   It would require the Department                                                               
of  Public Safety  to develop  and  maintain a  system where  the                                                               
sexual  assault kits  are tracked  from the  manufacturer through                                                               
completion  of  the  testing  at   the  state  crime  lab.    The                                                               
department  has  sought federal  funding  and  has purchased  and                                                               
implemented this  tracking kit system.   It is in place,  and the                                                               
department has  worked with medical  services and  providers, law                                                               
enforcement  agencies, and  prosecutors to  implement and  employ                                                               
the  system statewide.   The  benefit of  the system  is that  it                                                               
allows accountability  and also allows victims  of sexual assault                                                               
to identify  the location  and the  completion of  the test.   It                                                               
sets timelines for lab processing;  timelines for law enforcement                                                               
to collect the  kits; and timelines for the  medical providers to                                                               
complete the kits and notify law enforcement.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:08:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX opened public testimony on HB 275.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:08:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATY BOTZ,  representing self,  testified in  support of  HB 275.                                                               
She described it  as a good clean bill and  victim oriented.  She                                                               
discussed the  trauma of sexual  assault and shared  her personal                                                               
experience.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:10:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LAUREE  MORTON, representing  self,  testified in  support of  HB
.  She explained that originally,  she had planned to speak in                                                               
her role  as deputy  director of the  Alaska Network  on Domestic                                                               
Violence  and Sexual  Assault (ANDVSA),  which also  supports the                                                               
bill; however, she decided to testify  for herself.  She shared a                                                               
personal experience  and described how  difficult it is  to speak                                                               
and  how control  is taken  away.   Being able  to track  the kit                                                               
would be  using technology  to bring comfort  and a  semblance of                                                               
autonomy.   She appreciates the  bill giving a victim  rights and                                                               
allowing them to have agency over  what happens to them and about                                                               
them.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORTON also spoke in  an official capacity briefly describing                                                               
the work of the Network.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:15:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  asked whether the tracking  kits are also                                                               
a benefit for victims of domestic violence.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MORTON  explained  that   under  victims'  rights,  domestic                                                               
violence victims have opportunities  to keep informed through the                                                               
prosecutor's office.  The system  is supposed to be responsive to                                                               
victims of  domestic violence.   The Department of  Public Safety                                                               
is  working to  improve  access to  those  rights through  victim                                                               
navigator services.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:17:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER commented  that there  had been  a system                                                               
for gathering sexual assault evidence.   The genesis of this bill                                                               
is the  realization that processing  those kits is  not happening                                                               
in  a timely  fashion.    He questioned  whether  the system  for                                                               
domestic violence is working.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MORTON  replied that  things  can  always  be better.    She                                                               
expanded  by explaining  that parts  are better  and pointed  out                                                               
opportunities for improvement.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:18:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK  asked about the deficiencies  in access                                                               
to   services  for   individuals   living  in   rural  and   Bush                                                               
communities.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORTON touched upon some of  her early work in Bethel.  There                                                               
is an  awareness of law enforcement  deficiencies, response times                                                               
are  difficult, and  weather plays  a  part.   She described  the                                                               
network's advocacy programs are  the emergency departments in the                                                               
system.   They  need to  be available  and fully  equipped, fully                                                               
staffed 24/7,  365 days a  year.  They  catch people as  they are                                                               
falling.   She  explained that  not enough  is done  to fund  and                                                               
support  victim  services and  said,  "We  are still  doing  bake                                                               
sales."   In the broader  context, the criminal  justice response                                                               
is necessary,  but the  vision of  what is  possible needs  to be                                                               
expanded  to reach  the Alaska  women who  are victims  of sexual                                                               
assault and/or domestic violence.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:23:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK  expressed his appreciation of  the work                                                               
done to assist Alaska women in crises.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:23:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MOLLIE  MONTAGUE,  Director,  State  Legislative  Affairs,  Rape,                                                               
Abuse, & Incest National Network  (RAINN), spoke in support of HB
.   She  discussed  the history  of RAINN  and  its work  with                                                               
victims and  survivors.   She provided  examples relating  to the                                                               
importance of  transparency and timely  processing of  rape kits,                                                               
and mentioned other states that are employing similar ideas.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:26:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER   expressed  his  appreciation   for  the                                                               
national  perspective  and  asked  whether other  states  have  a                                                               
similar tracking system to the one proposed by this bill.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. MONTAGUE  replied that she  would look at  her organization's                                                               
research and get back to the committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:27:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TARA HENRY, representing  self, explained that the  concept of HB
  is good  but  would have  unintended negative  consequences.                                                               
She described  the difficulty of  meeting the  seven-day deadline                                                               
and  the  difficulties  for  nursing  and  medical  staff.    She                                                               
described  the  steps  medical  staff must  follow  in  order  to                                                               
complete the kits  and stated it was unreasonable  to legislate a                                                               
time   limit   without   discussion  with   Alaska's   healthcare                                                               
providers.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:31:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked what the  average turnaround time would                                                               
be for a  forensic nurse to process a  sexual assault examination                                                               
kit.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. HENRY  discussed a  number of factors  that would  affect the                                                               
time  to  process  a  kit  and gave  examples  of  issues.    She                                                               
speculated that  the busier programs might  take approximately 10                                                               
days,  but  there was  not  enough  information for  an  informed                                                               
opinion.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:33:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked  whether Ms. Henry was  aware of any                                                               
other  states that  have similar  tracking requirements  and what                                                               
time frames they have.  The  committee would like to stay current                                                               
with  best practices  and would  like  to know  how other  states                                                               
approach these timelines.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. HENRY  replied that some  other states have timelines.   Best                                                               
practices are as soon as  possible, ideally within three business                                                               
days.   But  there are  not many  statutes in  other states  that                                                               
mandate  time frames.   Most  of the  time frames  range from  24                                                               
hours  to a  couple  weeks  to release  that  information to  law                                                               
enforcement.   Things  to take  into consideration  are what  the                                                               
processes  are in  specific  communities,  what documentation  is                                                               
required,  and the  volume  of caseloads.    Because Alaska  just                                                               
started the tracking  system, there is not a lot  of data at this                                                               
time.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:37:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MAXINE  DOOGAN,   President,  Community   United  for   Safety  &                                                               
Protection, spoke  in opposition to  HB 275.  She  explained that                                                               
her  organization's members  are  Alaska current  and former  sex                                                               
workers,  sex  trafficking  victims,   and  their  allies.    She                                                               
expressed  concern regarding  privacy  and  that law  enforcement                                                               
might  be  able  to  keep  the DNA  of  rape  victims  for  other                                                               
purposes.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:39:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:29 to 3:40 p.m.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:40:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BURCU  SAGIROGLU, Policy  and  Advocacy  Associate, Joyful  Heart                                                               
Foundation,  spoke  in  favor  of  HB  275.    He  explained  the                                                               
organization he works  with has a top priority  of processing the                                                               
backlog  of   untested  rape   kits.     He  discussed   how  law                                                               
enforcement, hospitals,  and medical  facilities have  dealt with                                                               
rape  kits.   He  provided  information  regarding deadlines  for                                                               
various   states.     He  also   discussed   the  importance   of                                                               
transparency and being able to track  the progress of the kits as                                                               
they are being processed.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:43:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX, after  ascertaining there was no one  else who wished                                                               
to testify, closed public testimony on HB 275.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:43:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced HB 275 was held over.