04/08/2014 09:04 AM House STA

             SCR 20-SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:23:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced that the  final order of business was SENATE                                                               
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION  NO. 20, Proclaiming  April 2014  as Sexual                                                               
Assault Awareness Month.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:24:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
EDRA  MORLEDGE,   Staff,  Senator   Kevin  Meyer,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, presented  SCR 20  on behalf  of the  Senate Finance                                                               
Committee, sponsor,  on which Senator  Meyer is chair.   She said                                                               
the proposed  concurrent resolution would proclaim  April 2014 as                                                               
Sexual  Assault Awareness  Month.   She  stated that  this is  an                                                               
annual,  national  campaign  to   raise  awareness  about  sexual                                                               
assault  and  educate  communities  and  individuals  on  how  to                                                               
prevent sexual violence nationwide.   She said sexual violence is                                                               
a serious public health problem,  which affects millions of women                                                               
and men.   She relayed that the Center for  Disease Control (CDC)                                                               
reports that in  the U.S., one in five women  and one in seventy-                                                               
one men  has been a victim  of violent sexual assault  or will be                                                               
in his/her  lifetime.  Further, nearly  one in two women  and one                                                               
in five  men has  experienced other forms  of sexual  violence at                                                               
some point.   She said in  Alaska, those rates are  2.5 times the                                                               
national average.  She said  statistics do not accurately reflect                                                               
the  problem, because  many victims  do  not tell  the police  or                                                               
report their experience to family or friends.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORLEDGE stated  that sexual violence impacts  health in many                                                               
ways;  it  can  lead  to long-term  physical  and  mental  health                                                               
problems.    Increasing  awareness  about  the  crime  of  sexual                                                               
assault and recognizing the enormity  of the problem may initiate                                                               
the  healing process  for victims  and prevent  further incidents                                                               
from occurring.   She said  the proposed legislation would  be "a                                                               
small  but  significant step  in  educating  the public  and  our                                                               
communities and lifting  the veil of secrecy that  so often hides                                                               
these horrific crimes."                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:26:06 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN asked  why the bill proposed just  April 2014, instead                                                               
of April in perpetuity.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORLEDGE  indicated that bringing the  discussion back before                                                               
the legislature  each year would  give the issue  more publicity,                                                               
which may increase public awareness.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN asked if there was anyone else who wished to testify.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:26:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER  moved to  report SCR  20 out  of committee                                                               
with individual recommendations and  the accompanying zero fiscal                                                               
note.   [There being  no objection,  SCR 20  was reported  out of                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.]