ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE RULES STANDING COMMITTEE  May 1, 2017 1:32 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Chair Representative Matt Claman, Vice Chair Representative Sam Kito Representative Louise Stutes Representative Mike Chenault Representative David Eastman Representative Lora Reinbold MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2 Proclaiming April 2017 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. - MOVED HCS SCR 2(2D RLS) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: SCR 2 SHORT TITLE: SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH: APRIL 2017 SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) MEYER 02/08/17 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/08/17 (S) STA, HSS 02/24/17 (S) STA REFERRAL WAIVED 02/27/17 (S) HSS AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 02/27/17 (S) Heard & Held 02/27/17 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 03/01/17 (S) HSS AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 03/01/17 (S) Moved SCR 2 Out of Committee 03/01/17 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 03/03/17 (S) HSS RPT 5DP 03/03/17 (S) DP: WILSON, BEGICH, VON IMHOF, GIESSEL, MICCICHE 03/06/17 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 03/06/17 (S) VERSION: SCR 2 03/08/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/08/17 (H) STA, HSS 03/21/17 (H) STA AT 5:30 PM GRUENBERG 120 03/21/17 (H) Moved SCR 2 Out of Committee 03/21/17 (H) MINUTE(STA) 03/24/17 (H) STA RPT 7DP 03/24/17 (H) DP: JOHNSON, WOOL, LEDOUX, KNOPP, BIRCH, TUCK, KREISS-TOMKINS 04/04/17 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106 04/04/17 (H) Heard & Held 04/04/17 (H) MINUTE(HSS) 04/06/17 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106 04/06/17 (H) Moved SCR 2 Out of Committee 04/06/17 (H) MINUTE(HSS) 04/07/17 (H) HSS RPT 5DP 1NR 04/07/17 (H) DP: JOHNSTON, EDGMON, SULLIVAN-LEONARD, KITO, SPOHNHOLZ 04/07/17 (H) NR: EASTMAN 04/26/17 (H) RLS AT 1:30 PM GRUENBERG 120 04/26/17 (H) Moved HCS SCR 2(RLS) Out of Committee 04/26/17 (H) MINUTE(RLS) 04/27/17 (H) RULES TO CALENDAR PENDING RPT 04/27/17 (H) RETURNED TO RLS COMMITTEE 04/27/17 (H) RLS RPT HCS(RLS) NT 4DP 3AM 04/27/17 (H) DP: KITO, CLAMAN, STUTES, LEDOUX 04/27/17 (H) AM: EASTMAN, CHENAULT, REINBOLD 05/01/17 (H) RLS AT 1:30 PM GRUENBERG 120 WITNESS REGISTER No witnesses to record ACTION NARRATIVE 1:32:21 PM CHAIR GABRIELLE LEDOUX called the House Rules Standing Committee meeting back to order at 1:32 p.m. [The committee had recessed at 1:34 p.m. on 4/26/17 to a call of the chair.] Representatives Claman, Stutes, Kito, Chenault, Eastman, Reinbold, and LeDoux were present at the call back to order. SCR 2-SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH: APRIL 2017  1:33:11 PM CHAIR LEDOUX announced that the only order of business would be SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2, Proclaiming April 2017 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. CHAIR LEDOUX issued an apology for having made a procedural error in not allowing amendments to be offered during the previous hearing of SCR 2 on 4/26/17 and explained the reason she had requested SCR 2 be sent back to the House Rules Standing Committee was to correct the error. 1:34:03 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN moved to rescind the committee's action in moving HCS SCR 2(RLS) out of the House Rules Standing Committee on 4/26/17. There being no objection, the proposed House committee substitute (HCS) for SCR 2, Version 30-LS0320\O, Martin, 4/26/17, was before the committee as a working document. 1:34:34 PM REPRESENTATIVE CHENAULT moved to adopt Amendment 1, labeled 30- LS0320\D.1, Martin, 4/26/17, which read as follows: Page 1, line 1: Delete "2017" Insert "2018" Page 1, lines 1 - 2: Delete "April 2017 and" Page 1, line 2: Delete "April 7, 2017, and" Page 3, line 29: Delete "2017" Insert "2018" Page 4, line 1: Delete "April 2017 and" Page 4, lines 3 - 4: Delete "April 7, 2017, and" REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN objected. REPRESENTATIVE CHENAULT explained that Amendment 1 would update the proposed concurrent resolution. He explained that since it is already May 2017, those dates that referred to April 2017 would be deleted. 1:35:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN withdrew his objection to the motion to adopt Amendment 1. 1:35:43 PM REPRESENTATIVE KITO noted that Amendment 1 is labeled D.1, but the working document before the committee is Version O. He said he wanted to make sure the amendment is conformed to the correct version of the bill. REPRESENTATIVE CHENAULT responded that Amendment 1 is intended to address Version O, and he said he would not be averse to an amendment to Amendment 1 to ensure that purpose. 1:36:40 PM CHAIR LEDOUX relayed that Legislative Legal and Research Services advised the committee that the bill drafter would conform amendments adopted to Version O. 1:36:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN stated support of Amendment 1 as a sensible measure to ensure that the dates in the concurrent resolution are updated. 1:37:02 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN, in response to Chair LeDoux, reiterated that he had withdrawn his objection to the motion to adopt Amendment 1. There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. 1:37:16 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN moved to adopt Amendment 2, labeled 30- LS0320\O.1, Martin, 4/26/17, which read as follows: Page 3, following line 4: Insert new material to read: "WHEREAS taking the life of an innocent preborn child through abortion is the ultimate form of child abuse, and, in 2016, according to the Department of Health and Social Services, the lives of at least 556 Alaska preborn children were taken through the State of Alaska medical assistance and Denali KidCare programs; and WHEREAS, in 2016, 75 percent of the Alaska preborn children whose lives were taken through abortion whose mothers were 14 years of age or younger were taken through the Denali KidCare program; and" REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN objected. REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN indicated that Amendment 2 would address language in Version O that speaks to data from the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) regarding "reports and allegations of harm involving tens of thousands of children." He then began reading the language that would be inserted, as shown in Amendment 2. 1:38:22 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN called a point of order to state that Amendment 2 speaks for itself and he did not see the need to have it read to the committee. 1:38:39 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN opined that since [Version O] speaks to both sexual assault and child abuse, "we would not be doing justice to child abuse" without addressing abortion. He indicated that the second paragraph [of Amendment 2] speaks to the issue of sexual assault and child abuse. 1:39:24 PM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD said she thinks it is important to note that "the likes of 556 Alaskan preborn children were taken through the State of Alaska through Denali KidCare." She explained she thinks that is important, because this is an issue of public funds and abortion. 1:39:56 PM REPRESENTATIVE KITO objected to Amendment 2. He emphasized that he does not believe that the content in Amendment 2 is appropriate in a concurrent resolution about sexual assault awareness and child abuse prevention. He said child abuse is clearly defined in statute and does not include unborn children. He expressed concern that adopting Amendment 2 may turn the legislation into "a political football that at this point will possibly not have any other action." He said there are important things in SCR 2, on which he would like to see the committee take action. He opined that it would be more appropriate for Representative Eastman to withdraw Amendment 2 and allow the legislation to move forward. 1:40:52 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN posited that to allow SCR 2 to go forward "without raising awareness ... to those aspects of child abuse that do relate to the state funding that's spoken to in this amendment ... would not only be an injustice to the entire concept of ... raising awareness" of child abuse, but would also "defeat the purpose of raising awareness from this very important issue," which he said is the purpose of Amendment 2. 1:41:35 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN, in response to Chair LeDoux, confirmed that he maintained his objection to the motion to adopt Amendment 2. 1:41:44 PM A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Eastman, Reinbold, Chenault, and LeDoux voted in favor of Amendment 2. Representatives Claman, Stutes, and Kito voted against it. Therefore, Amendment 2 was adopted by a vote of 4-3. 1:42:24 PM REPRESENTATIVE STUTES thanked Chair LeDoux for her previous apology, for admitting an error and realizing that "transparency is what we're all about." 1:43:00 PM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD echoed the comments of Representative Stutes, and she thanked Chair LeDoux for "the opportunity to have the minority voice heard." She recognized that Chair LeDoux had voted with the minority. 1:43:22 PM REPRESENTATIVE KITO stated that with the adoption of Amendment 2, he could no longer support SCR 2. 1:43:35 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN thanked Chair LeDoux for her support of Amendment 2, and he stated his support of SCR 2, as amended. 1:43:53 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN moved to report HCS for SCR 2, Version 30- LS0320\O, Martin, 4/26/17, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the previous zero fiscal note. 1:44:05 PM REPRESENTATIVE KITO objected. 1:44:09 PM A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Chenault, Eastman, Reinbold, Stutes, and LeDoux voted in favor of the motion to report HCS for SCR 2, Version 30-LS0320\O, Martin, 4/26/17, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the previous zero fiscal note. Representatives Claman and Kito voted against it. Therefore, HCS SCR 2(2d RLS) was reported out of the House Rules Standing Committee by a vote of 5-2. 1:44:56 PM ADJOURNMENT  CHAIR LEDOUX recessed the House Rules Standing Committee to a call of the chair. [The House Rules Standing Committee was subsequently scheduled to reconvene at 12:30 p.m. on 5/4/17, delayed to a call of the chair, and was never reconvened.]