SB 69-SEXUAL ASSAULT EXAMINATION KITS/TRACKING  1:30:59 PM CHAIR CLAMAN announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 69 "An Act relating to sexual assault examination kits; establishing the sexual assault examination kit tracking system; and providing for an effective date." CHAIR CLAMAN said this is the second hearing of SB 69 in the Senate Judiciary Committee. He invited the Department of Public Safety to make comments on SB 69. 1:31:39 PM JAMES COCKRELL, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety, Anchorage, Alaska, stated SB 69 is an important bill to the people of Alaska and extremely important to survivors of sexual violence. He expressed hope that SB 69 will make it across the finish line this year. 1:32:23 PM CHAIR CLAMAN opened public testimony on SB 69. 1:32:53 PM LAUREE MORTON, Deputy Director, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), Juneau, Alaska, testified in support of SB 69 and offered the following paraphrased personal remarks: MS. MORTON stated, speaking in her own words and not that of ANDVSA, if sexual assault forensic exam kits had been available in years past, along with a way to track them independently, she would have been thankful. She emphasized that when a person commits sexual assault, they take more than just a forced sexual experience. She described additional losses and traumas that survivors endure, such as: - The fundamental right to self-determination over one's body. - How and when one's body is touched. - The physical invasion of the being. - The crushing of the spirit. - The stripping of every fiber of control over what happens to oneself. - The alteration of the essence of self. MS. MORTON explained that in the mind-numbing days, weeks, months after an attack, life somehow goes on. The survivor does not want to be a burden to anyone. People in the system are so busy and it feels like an intrusion to ask for anything. One feels a heightened sense of not wanting to be intrusive. So, the survivor sits and wonders, lashes out and wonders, acts as if it did not happen, and wonders. She expressed how she could see how Track-Kit may be a Godsend to those who catch themselves thinking about it at 11:00 p.m. or 3:00 a.m. It is technology used in a way to bring comfort, some semblance of autonomy back into a life. MS. MORTON expressed appreciation that the bill would establish in statute a victim's right to access and track their kit. She expressed appreciation for the governor's suggestions to streamline processing and improve the kits movement through the system. She said any effort that reduces the processing time while maintaining accuracy is valuable. MS. MORTON expressed appreciation to the committee for: - Its work to better the lives of those who suffer through sexual assault crimes. - Its consideration of ways to improve the system. - Allowing survivors to have more agency over what happens to them and creating a space where it happens with them. MS. MORTON expressed gratitude for the committees support. 1:35:56 PM CHAIR CLAMAN closed public testimony on SB 69. 1:36:05 PM CHAIR CLAMAN invited Commissioner Cockrell an opportunity to make final comments on SB 69. 1:36:18 PM COMMISSIONER COCKRELL expressed gratitude to the committee for hearing SB 69. He emphasized the importance of this bill to DPS and to those who have been victimized. SB 69 is a step forward. 1:37:27 PM At ease. 1:37:53 PM CHAIR CLAMAN reconvened the meeting and announced the amendment deadline along with other committee housekeeping matters.