04/25/1994 03:30 PM House FIN

                                                                               
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  SB 351    An  Act amending  Alaska  Rule  of  Evidence  404,                 
            relating to the admissibility of certain character                 
            evidence in court proceedings.                                     
                                                                               
            SB 351  was reported out  of Committee with  a "do                 
  pass"          recommendation and with  zero fiscal notes by                 
                 the  Department  of  Law  dated 3/09/94,  the                 
                 Department of Public Safety dated 3/09/94 and                 
                 the   Department   of   Administration  dated                 
                 3/09/94.                                                      
  SENATE BILL 351                                                              
                                                                               
       "An Act amending Alaska Rule  of Evidence 404, relating                 
       to the admissibility  of certain character  evidence in                 
       court proceedings."                                                     
                                                                               
  Ms. Knuth explained SB  351 would seek to help  solve sexual                 
  abuse problems.   The legislation would  amend the rules  of                 
  evidence so that victims would not  be "put on trial" by the                 
  accused rapist.   The proposed legislation would  delete the                 
  unnecessary language in Rule 404 that has made it  difficult                 
  to prosecute  repeat child molesters.  As the rule currently                 
  reads, it  has been interpreted  by some judges  to indicate                 
  that  the  jury could  learn  that an  accused  molester had                 
  abused other children  only if the  court finds that it  was                 
  part of a very specific  "common scheme or plan".  The  bill                 
  would  address  that  problem  by  simply  eliminating  that                 
  phrase.                                                                      
                                                                               
  Representative  Navarre  MOVED  to  report  SB  350  out  of                 
  Committee  with  individual  recommendations  and  with  the                 
  accompanying fiscal notes.   There  being NO OBJECTIONS,  it                 
  was so ordered.                                                              
                                                                               
  SB  350  was reported  out  of  Committee with  a  "do pass"                 
  recommendations and with zero fiscal notes by the Department                 
  of Law dated 3/09/94, the  Department of Public Safety dated                 
  3/09/94 and the Department of Administration  dated 3/09/94.