03/01/2018 03:15 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

        HCR 22-APRIL 2018:SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
3:30:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX  announced that the next  order of business                                                               
would be  HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION  NO. 22,  Proclaiming April                                                               
2018 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:31:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX opened public testimony on HCR 22.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:31:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CARMEN  LOWRY, Executive  Director,  Alaska  Network on  Domestic                                                               
Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA),  testified that ANDVSA is a                                                               
membership organization comprised  of 19 organizations throughout                                                               
the   state  providing   lifesaving  services   to  victims   and                                                               
survivors.   She expressed  gratitude to the  sponsors of  HCR 22                                                               
and SCR 17, recognizing April  as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.                                                               
She   also  expressed   appreciation   for  work   done  by   the                                                               
legislature:   moving forward to  manage the sexual  assault rape                                                               
kits  in a  more  efficient and  affirming  way; recognizing  the                                                               
value of  and need for  teen violence prevention programs  in the                                                               
schools; and  supporting the (Alaska) Safe  Children's Act [House                                                               
Bill 44, Twenty-Ninth Alaska  State Legislature, 2015-2016], also                                                               
known as Bree's Law.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. LOWRY urged  the full support of the committee.   She thanked                                                               
the  committee members  for their  consideration of  the proposed                                                               
resolution and their belief that sexual violence can be ended.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK referred to page 2,  line 9, of HCR 22, which                                                               
read,  "in  2016,   16  communities--Anchorage,  Barrow,  Bethel,                                                               
Cordova,  Dillingham, Eielson  Air  Force  Base, Fairbanks,  Fort                                                               
Wainwright,  Juneau,  Kodiak,  Kotzebue,  Nome,  Palmer,  Seward,                                                               
Unalaska,  and  Valdez--had  sexual  assault  response  teams  to                                                               
investigate  more effectively  crimes  of sexual  violence".   He                                                               
asked whether the  response teams were new  for those communities                                                               
in 2016.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. LOWRY responded that she did  not know but would provide that                                                               
information.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TUCK asked  if there  has been  any change  since                                                               
2016.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. LOWRY  answered that  she did not  have that  information but                                                               
would provide it to the committee.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:34:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GRACE  ABBOTT,  Staff,  Representative Charisse  Millett,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature, on  behalf of  Representative Millett,  prime                                                               
sponsor of HCR 22, stated that she was available for questions.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TUCK  asked for  the  number  of years  that  the                                                               
legislature  has proclaimed  April  as  Sexual Assault  Awareness                                                               
Month.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ABBOTT  answered  that  the  effort has  been  both  on  the                                                               
national level  and the state  level.   She relayed that  she did                                                               
not know how many years the  state has recognized April as Sexual                                                               
Assault  Awareness   Month;  it   has  been  an   ongoing  effort                                                               
nationally for decades.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TUCK  asked  for clarification  of  the  national                                                               
effort that  has occurred  for decades:   whether April  has been                                                               
proclaimed  every  year  as Sexual  Assault  Awareness  Month  or                                                               
whether under federal  law, April is always  proclaimed as Sexual                                                               
Assault Awareness Month.  He  explained that such a resolution is                                                               
introduced  in the  legislature every  two years.   He  suggested                                                               
that legislation be  introduced to put the  proclamation of April                                                               
as Sexual Assault Awareness Month into statute.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ABBOTT  replied   that  the  reason  for   not  putting  the                                                               
proclamation into statute  is the need for  constant dialog about                                                               
prevention  efforts  and  victim   and  survivor  support.    She                                                               
referred to the  discussion on the Senate floor  [3/1/18, SCR 17]                                                               
on that  point:  Why not  make the recognition of  Sexual Assault                                                               
Awareness Month "the law of the  land?"  She maintained that this                                                               
issue needs to be a topic  of conversation every year; and ANDVSA                                                               
needs the  opportunity to  explain available  community resources                                                               
critical  to   preventing  and   supporting  victims   of  sexual                                                               
violence.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked  if the proclamation was in  law at the                                                               
federal level.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. ABBOTT replied  that she did not believe so;  she believed it                                                               
to be  a continuous dialog  and a reoccurring  conversation every                                                               
year.  She  offered that in this way, progress  can be explained,                                                               
Alaska  victimization  surveys can  be  consulted,  and rates  of                                                               
sexual violence tracked.  She added  that it serves as a reminder                                                               
that rates  of sexual violence  are still unacceptable,  and more                                                               
work needs to be done.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:37:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  BIRCH mentioned  that  April 2001  was the  first                                                               
observance of the national Sexual  Assault Awareness Month; other                                                               
public awareness efforts date back to the '80s.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:38:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX,  after ascertaining that there  was no one                                                               
else who wished to testify, closed public testimony on HCR 22.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:38:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to report  HCR 22 out of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
note.   There being no  objection, HCR  22 was reported  from the                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.