Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
01/26/2024 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Human and Sex Trafficking Awareness Week | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
January 26, 2024
1:02 p.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Sarah Vance, Chair
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Andrew Gray
Representative Cliff Groh
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jamie Allard, Vice Chair
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Jesse Sumner
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Justin Ruffridge
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): HUMAN AND SEX TRAFFICKING AWARENESS WEEK
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JOSH LOUWERSE, Director of Statewide Initiatives
Covenant House Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint, entitled "Justice in
Human Trafficking Week," during the presentation on Human and
Sex Trafficking Awareness Week.
ANNA TAYLOR, Supervising Attorney
Alaska Institute for Justice
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint, entitled "Labor
Trafficking," during the presentation on Human and Sex
Trafficking Awareness Week.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:37 PM
CHAIR VANCE called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. Representatives C. Johnson, Gray,
Groh, and Vance were present at the call to order. Also present
was Representative Ruffridge.
^PRESENTATION(S): Human and Sex Trafficking Awareness Week
PRESENTATION(S): Human and Sex Trafficking Awareness Week
1:03:13 PM
CHAIR VANCE announced that the only order of business would be a
presentation on Human and Sex Trafficking Awareness Week.
1:03:57 PM
JOSH LOUWERSE, Director of Statewide Initiatives, Covenant House
Alaska, provided a PowerPoint, entitled "Justice in Human
Trafficking Week" [hard copy included in the committee packet].
He said trafficking vulnerabilities include inadequate social
safety nets; insufficient state statutes; cumbersome anti-
trafficking funding; the influx of fentanyl; a lack of community
understanding; and victims feeling unsafe to come forward.
Areas of homelessness continued to be a recruitment ground for
traffickers.
1:14:11 PM
MR. LOUWERSE, in response to a committee question, answered yes,
the movement of drugs was a key piece to both labor and sex
trafficking.
1:17:17 PM
MR. LOUWERSE resumed the presentation with trafficking
prevention tips. He suggested that taking a holistic look at
how Alaskans live and removing some of the day-to-day pressure
could help. Systematic training of law enforcement was another
suggestion. The FY 23 Covenant House Alaska trafficking data
identified three common risk factors: less than one permanent
connection; suffered from disorders; and an income of less than
$1,341. 57 percent of the tracking victims identified by the
organization showed two or more risk factors. Covenant House
Alaska offered numerous legislative recommendations, including
the passage of comprehensive "Safe Harbor" laws; providing
special protections to minors; allowing vacatur of convictions
for those found guilty of crimes committed while being
trafficked; removing the defense that allows traffickers to
claim they did not know a minor victim's age; impounding
vehicles used in the act of buying sex; publicly reporting those
who are convicted of buying sex; and mandatory trafficking
education for "Johns." Mr. Louwerse concluded the presentation
by highlighting all trafficking-related legislation, including
HB 254, HB 259, HB 265, HB 265, HB 67/SB 65, HB 235, and HB 234.
1:33:42 PM
MR. LOUWERSE, in response to committee questions, explained that
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, and queer (LGBTQ) youth were
disproportionately homeless and more vulnerable to trafficking
due to a lacking support system; Covenant House Alaska's shelter
served 250-300 young people per year, and with its expanded
housing opportunities, 1,000 kids collectively.
1:38:59 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 1:38 p.m. to 1:41 p.m.
1:41:47 PM
ANNA TAYLOR, Supervising Attorney, Alaska Institute for Justice
(AIJ), presented a PowerPoint, entitled "Labor Trafficking"
[hard copy included in the committee packet]. The AIJ, a non-
profit, was founded in 2005 to protect the human rights of all
Alaskans through legal services, policy, and education. The AIJ
has three components: Alaska Immigration Justice Project (AIJP),
the Language Interpreter Center (LIC), and research and policy.
Between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, the AIJ served 72
survivors of labor trafficking, 8 survivors of sex trafficking,
and 17 survivors of both. 40 survivors were not fluent in the
English language. She explained that human traffickers
capitalize on their victims' vulnerabilities, such as
immigration status, substance abuse, or past criminal
convictions, to maintain control. In terms of immigration
status, undocumented immigrants were the most vulnerable to
victimization out of fear of deportation and basic survival;
however, those with non-immigrant visa status or lawful
permanent residents were also at risk.
1:55:57 PM
MS TAYLOR, in response to a committee question, confirmed that
there was a "crackdown" on identification requirements after
[the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]. She further
discussed the barriers created by not having proper
identification.
2:02:15 PM
MS. TAYLOR continued the presentation by discussing immigration
and labor trafficking. A class action lawsuit was brought
against North Pacific Seafoods by 800-1,000 plaintiffs - many
from Mexico and Central America - that alleged wage violations
and exploitative labor practices. She said labor trafficking
was about forcing someone to do work and required force, fraud,
and coercion. The A-M-P Model involved the identification of
action, means, and purpose to recognize trafficking. Ms. Taylor
shared several examples of how the A-M-P model was used to
identify trafficking in various scenarios based on real world
examples. The four-year T Visa was available for victims of
severe human trafficking to provide security and safety for
survivors who have not unwillingly refused to help in the
investigation of human trafficking. U Visas and VAWA Self-
Petitions were also available for human trafficking survivors.
2:17:10 PM
MS. TAYLOR, in response to committee questions, identified the
agriculture industry, the construction industry, and fish
processing plants as areas of concern, as well as any situation
in which an employee lives with his/her employer; "severe" human
sex trafficking was defined in the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act (TVPA); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
decided whether a case was extreme enough.
2:24:01 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:24 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Covenant House Justice in Human Trafficking Week Presentation (01-26-24).pdf |
HJUD 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM |
|
| AIFJ HJUD Presentation (01-26-24).pdf |
HJUD 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM |