04/25/2003 01:10 PM Senate JUD

              SB  55-TAMPERING WITH PUBLIC RECORDS                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS announced SB 55 to be up for consideration.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON, sponsor  of SB 55, said that he  and Senator Davis                                                               
often  think along  the same  lines. His  bill doesn't  limit the                                                               
same issues to just children.  He thought deliberately falsifying                                                               
records of adults could be a  real problem, as well. Instances of                                                               
rape  are of  particular  concern  to him.  He  reported that  35                                                               
percent to  40 percent of the  rapes that go on  in North America                                                               
happen in prisons and are  same sex. However, Alaska's Department                                                               
of  Corrections has  had very  little of  that. "If  that's true,                                                               
it's  something we  can be  really proud  of. I  can tell  you in                                                               
other jurisdictions it's a horrendous problem..."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He  wants  to make  sure  that  if  we  have a  less  enlightened                                                               
Department of  Corrections, the message is  clear that falsifying                                                               
records and  protecting the  administration and  bureaucracy from                                                               
having to deal with being irresponsible is a problem.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
He also  has received  calls from adult  children of  parents who                                                               
are in a  care facility for one reason or  another and are really                                                               
concerned about  how their  parents are  being treated.  "Some of                                                               
it's  ugly. I  want it  clear with  those vulnerable  adults that                                                               
somebody that's  covering up  the abuse of  those adults  is also                                                               
subject to the penalties."                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
The difference between his bill and  Senator Davis' is that SB 55                                                               
allows  for  the state  to  go  after  people who  knowingly  and                                                               
deliberately change  the records to  cover up or  protect abusing                                                               
adults. Language  on line  9 makes  it clear  that it's  with the                                                               
intent  to conceal  a fact  material to  an investigation  or the                                                               
provision of services.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS said that SB  55 deals with children's proceedings,                                                               
delinquent minors,  child protection or protection  of vulnerable                                                               
adults.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELLIS asked  him  to elaborate  on  how organized  crime                                                               
could  be involved  and if  there is  some suspicion  that it  is                                                               
involved in the Alaska Child Protection System.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DYSON replied  that he  doesn't  know of  anyone who  is                                                               
allowing organized crime to go  on involving vulnerable adults or                                                               
children, but  he said  his first foster  son was  prostituted to                                                               
Asian flight crews  at the Captain Cook and the  Westwood where a                                                               
significant ring of that was going  on. A small town in Southeast                                                               
also had  a large  ring of pedophiles  that were  providing young                                                               
children to  tour ship people.  He said that was  organized crime                                                               
and it  was with the  permission of the  parents and there  was a                                                               
distinct monetary advantage  to the parents. He  has no knowledge                                                               
that any state officials knew of it or were covering it up.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:50 - 1:54 p.m. - at ease                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS said he wanted to roll  SB 55 into SB 8 and to have                                                               
Senator  French,  who was  concerned  that  a child  wouldn't  be                                                               
committing  a  felony  if  they  falsified  their  age  on  their                                                               
driver's license,  work together  with the  sponsors on  a single                                                               
vehicle.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEEKINS held SB 55 in committee.