04/04/2017 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        SCR 2-SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH:APRIL 2017                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:54:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced  that the final order  of business would                                                              
be SENATE CONCURRENT  RESOLUTION NO. 2, Proclaiming  April 2017 as                                                              
Sexual Assault Awareness Month.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:54:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTINE  MARASIGAN, Staff,  Senator  Kevin  Meyer, Alaska  State                                                              
Legislature, offered  some background on the  proposed resolution.                                                              
She  stated that  the  proposed  resolution would  proclaim  April                                                              
2017  as  Sexual  Assault  Awareness Month,  part  of  a  national                                                              
campaign designed  to raise public awareness about  sexual assault                                                              
and educate communities  and individuals on how  to prevent sexual                                                              
violence.   She shared  that this had  first been brought  forward                                                              
in 2001  by then Representative  Meyer.   When asked why  this was                                                              
not placed permanently  in statute, the sponsor  explained that by                                                              
bringing  it forward  each  year, attention  was  renewed for  the                                                              
issue  of sexual  violence.   She  declared  that national  sexual                                                              
assault statistics  were staggering, as one in five  women and one                                                              
in seventy  one men  had been victims  of violent sexual  assault,                                                              
with even higher  rates in Alaska.   She reported that  in 2015, a                                                              
victimization  survey stated that  33 percent  of women  in Alaska                                                              
had  experienced   sexual  violence.    She  stated   that  sexual                                                              
violence  was  preventable,  and  that it  was  a  social,  public                                                              
health, criminal  justice, and human  rights issue.   She declared                                                              
that it  was necessary  to continue  to educate  the public.   She                                                              
stated that  this year, the campaign  would focus on  engaging new                                                              
voices to broaden the scope of prevention efforts.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:57:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SULLIVAN-LEONARD  asked  if  there  had  been  any                                                              
success for bringing down the statistics.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. MARASIGAN  replied that the  most recent report did  show that                                                              
the statistics for  sexual assault with alcohol  were coming down,                                                              
and she offered to supply those statistics.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:58:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  offered her belief that this was  "one of the                                                              
most  important  issues  that  we   have  to  take  on,  community                                                              
violence."  She  directed attention to page 2, line  16, and noted                                                              
that these  programs had  all been  cut in  the budget  during the                                                              
last  year.   She  declared that  these  were prevention  programs                                                              
which  had tremendous  positive impact.   She  pointed to  page 2,                                                              
lines  22 - 25,  and stated  that the  Fourth R  program had  been                                                              
funded through a  grant, and had not been made  available to every                                                              
district.    She  stated  that these  grant  funds  had  not  been                                                              
renewed.   She declared that it  was a challenge when  funding was                                                              
cut.  She expressed her support for the proposed resolution.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SULLIVAN-LEONARD  asked if  the  funding had  been                                                              
returned for this year.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR offered  her belief  that there  was not  any                                                              
new funding for those grant programs.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:01:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ALIZA KAZMI, Policy Specialist, Alaska Network on Domestic                                                                      
Violence and Sexual Assault, paraphrased from a prepared                                                                        
statement, which read:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     On behalf  of our 19 member  agencies, I offer  our full                                                                   
     support  of  Senate  Concurrent   Resolution  2.    With                                                                   
     missions to  end violence, our members work  with sexual                                                                   
     assault  victims  and  survivors  every  day  -  through                                                                   
     collaborating   with   law   enforcement   and   medical                                                                   
     professionals  to  establish immediate  safety:  through                                                                   
     legal  advocacy   and  connecting  victims   with  other                                                                   
     social  services:  and  through  prevention  programming                                                                   
     working  with  tribal partners,  children  and  parents,                                                                   
     and many other community stakeholders.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Sexual assault  is a heinous crime that  is dehumanizing                                                                   
     and traumatizing.   33 out  of 100 women in  Alaska have                                                                   
     experienced   sexual   assault    in   their   lifetime,                                                                   
     according  to the most  robust state-specific data  that                                                                   
     we  have at this  point.   The crime  of sexual  assault                                                                   
     also     disproportionately     impacts     particularly                                                                   
     vulnerable  populations  such  as Alaska  Native  women.                                                                   
     Because  of  the  nature  of the  trauma,  and  how  our                                                                   
     advocates are  compelled to safeguard victim  safety and                                                                   
     confidentiality,   the   importance   of   intentionally                                                                   
     building  awareness  about   sexual  assault  in  Alaska                                                                   
     cannot be overstated.   Alaskans need to  understand the                                                                   
     issue,  acknowledge  its urgency,  and  be empowered  to                                                                   
     take action so  that we can work together  to end sexual                                                                   
     assault,  and cease to  beknown as  the rape capital  of                                                                   
     the United States.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Building awareness  of what sexual assault  is, requires                                                                   
     immense  resources in and  of itself.   This is  because                                                                   
     sexual assault  is a complex manifestation of  power and                                                                   
     control.   It is not  about sexual gratification.   This                                                                   
     abusive  exertion  of  power  and  control  can  include                                                                   
     force,  threats (to  life), trickery  (through drugs  or                                                                   
     lies),  manipulation   (through  guilt   and  pressure),                                                                   
     and/or coercion (through bribes or blackmail).                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     We urge  you to join  the Governor in proclaiming  April                                                                   
     as  Sexual  Assault  Awareness   Month,  and  pass  this                                                                   
     resolution  to  support  victims,   survivors,  and  the                                                                   
     sexual  assault service provision  and prevention  work,                                                                   
     that agencies like our members do every day.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:03:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that SCR 2 would be held over.