Latest news with #HouseBill62
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska House votes to raise age of sexual consent — but with a caveat
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, speaks in favor of House Bill 62 on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska Legislature is on pace to raise the state's age of sexual consent to 18 next year, after the state House voted 39-0 to approve House Bill 101 on Monday. The bill now goes to the state Senate, which is expected to take it up in January, when lawmakers convene for the second year of the 34th Alaska State Legislature. The bill comes from Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, who said on Monday that it represents a way to fight rape and child sexual assault. Under current law, it is legal for an adult to have sex in Alaska with a 16-year-old or 17-year-old who consents. If that child is assaulted, Gray said, they must prove that they did not consent. 'This makes prosecutions of these cases of sexual assault and sex trafficking more difficult, especially if the young person had seen the perpetrator on multiple occasions, or if alcohol and drugs were involved,' Gray said. The bill has a significant exception: 'For teens 13 to 15 years old, they can consent to sex with someone up to four years older than them. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can consent to sex with someone up to six years older than them,' he said. That exemption came at the suggestion of domestic violence shelters, sexual assault experts and homeless shelters, who were concerned that without the close-in-age exemption, they would deter teens from seeking help. Additional clauses in the bill criminalize the sending of explicit images of 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds. 'It is my hope that this bill will prevent the strategic targeting of 16- and 17-year-olds by predators,' Gray said. Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, also spoke in support of the bill. 'This bill reminds us that those who are under 18 are still children,' she said. 'They're vulnerable youth. They are figuring out who they are in the world. … Raising the age of consent to 18 makes it easier for law enforcement to say, 'We're going to help you.' It puts the onus on the offender instead of on the victim. That child victim no longer would have to prove that what happened to them was not consensual.' Vance and Gray unsuccessfully attempted last year to change the age of consent, but the proposal ran into technical problems and the session ended before those could be resolved. HB 101's passage came three years after the Legislature voted to limit child marriage by banning marriages involving Alaskans younger than 16. Because sex is permitted between married partners of any age, that effectively raised the state's age of consent to 16. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alaska House votes to streamline Alaska's sexual assault kit tracking system
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, speaks in favor of House Bill 62 on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House voted to advance a bill that would establish a statewide tracking system for sexual assault examination kits, expedite processing times, and ensure that survivors can privately monitor the status of their own kit. Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed the legislation, House Bill 62, and the House passed the bill on Friday with a vote of 39 to 0. One member, Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen, was absent. Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage and chair of the House Judiciary Committee spoke in support of the bill on the House floor on Friday. 'House Bill 62 is a vital step toward strengthening Alaska's response to sexual assault,' he said. 'Currently, there's no legally required timeline for when health care providers must notify law enforcement after completing a kit. House Bill 62 corrects this.' If passed, the legislation would set more expedient timelines for processing sexual assault examination kits, which is a collection of physical evidence that can be used in criminal prosecution. Health care providers would have to notify law enforcement that a kit is ready for forensic testing within 14 days. The law enforcement agency would then have to submit the kit for forensic testing also within 14 days, down from 30 days. The lab would have to test the kit within 120 days, down from 180 days or six months. Alaska law enforcement has made major progress on a statewide backlog in testing sexual assault examination kits in recent years, and Gray urged support for the bill to continue that positive trend. 'Supported by advocacy groups, medical professionals and public safety officials, this bill is the result of a statewide collaboration,' he said. 'With the backlog of untested kits now behind us, House Bill 62 ensures that we never have a backlog again.' The legislation would also create a tracking system for survivors to privately monitor their own forensic kit through the testing process. David Kanaris, chief of the scientific crime detection laboratory in the Department of Public Safety testified before lawmakers in February that this was a major priority for the department. 'Doing this previously had to be done through them contacting a law enforcement agency,' he said of kit tracking. 'Which can be a traumatic experience in itself for the victim-survivor, and so allowing them to do it at their own pace through the kit tracking system was huge for us.' The state already has a tracking system in place, supported by grant funding, according to the department, and the bill would provide that the state maintain the system, at an estimated cost of $200,000 per year. With just five days left in the legislative session, the Alaska Senate is likely to take up the bill next year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill targeting ESG for farmers advances to next NC House committee
A farmer harvests soybeans. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo by Brandon O'Connor. The North Carolina House Agriculture and Environment Committee voted Wednesday to approve legislation targeting socially responsible lending in agriculture, moving the measure to the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Sponsors explain House Bill 62, the 'Farmers Protection Act,' as a measure to prevent banks and credit unions from using discriminatory practices against farmers in the state. It's sponsored by Reps. Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin, Wayne), Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), and Karl Gillespie (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon). Rather than race or gender, the bill targets 'ESG' — short for 'environmental, social, governance,' a method for evaluating sustainability performance. The proposal purports to ban banks and credit unions from denying service to agriculture producers based on their greenhouse gas emissions, use of fossil-fuel derived fertilizer, or use of fossil-fuel powered machinery, according to the bill text. 'It says you cannot deny cancel financial services based upon a farmer's ESG score or rating,' Jackson said. 'Figure it based upon if they have good credit or not, but not based upon their ESG score.' The House Judiciary 1 Committee approved the legislation at the end of February. Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) reminded members of the earlier discussion, where Jackson offered the bill is a preventative measure. 'You indicated in that discussion that there wasn't any evidence of this happening right now among North Carolina banks and with North Carolina farmers, but it was part of a national effort anticipating what might happen,' she said. Mark Swallow spoke during the bill's public comment section as a representative of Democracy Out Loud. He said there's a reason ESG exists — as a protective measure, not a punitive one. 'It's meant to make sure, as the climate is changing, that we can survive in it, including farming,' he said. 'To try and de-incentivize bankers, you should be incentivizing farmers to do what they need to do to live up to those standards, because if they want to continue farming, they need to make those changes.' On Wednesday, the committee also voted to advance HB 164, 'Protect North Carolina Sawmills,' to the House Rules Committee.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC House committee approves bill that targets socially responsible lending in agriculture
A farmer harvests soybeans. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo by Brandon O'Connor. The North Carolina House Judiciary 1 Committee approved a bill Tuesday that its sponsors say is designed to prevent banks and credit unions from using discriminatory practices in transactions with the state's farmers. The bill, however, has nothing to do with race, gender or other societal groups traditionally victimized by discrimination in agriculture. Instead, House Bill 62, the 'Farmers Protection Act,' is the latest in a growing catalogue of legislative proposals across the country introduced by conservative lawmakers that target 'ESG' — short for 'environmental, social, governance' and the practice whereby corporate actors take such matters into account. North Carolina's former Treasurer Dale Folwell regularly championed the anti-ESG cause and in 2023 helped win enactment of a new state law — passed over then-Governor Roy Cooper's veto — that banned the use of ESG in multiple parts of state government, including investment decisions. The new bill would ban banks and credit unions from denying service to agriculture producers based on their greenhouse gas emissions, use of fossil-fuel derived fertilizer, or use of fossil-fuel powered machinery, according to the bill text. The bill would also establish a rebuttable presumption that if a bank or credit union has made an ESG commitment related to agriculture, it is in violation of the law if it restricts service to a farmer (e.g., turning down a loan application). The rebuttable presumption can only be overcome if the lender provides evidence that its denial or restriction of a service was based 'solely on documented financial considerations rather than an ESG commitment,' the text reads. Since the bill would exclude banks at the national level, Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) asked if its sponsors have looked at ways North Carolina could motivate them to implement the policy. 'There are federal regulations coming,' Balkcom said. 'Once that happens, we'll be able to customize with this.' Mark Swallow from Democracy Out Loud testified against the legislation during the public comment portion of the meeting. He said this bill is about protecting the fossil fuel industry, not farmers. 'It uses legislation to bully banks and especially credit unions….' Swallow said. 'This legislation will hurt, if not kill agriculture in our state by preventing it from evolving to address the new reality of changing climate.' Swallow encouraged the committee to rewrite the bill to reduce the use of fossil fuels and protect the environment, saying the changing climate will hurt farmers much more than financial discrimination, but the committee was unmoved. The measure, which is sponsored by Reps. Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin, Wayne), Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), and Karl Gillespie (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon) was approved on a voice vote and referred to the House Agriculture and Environment Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Dixon.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Dunleavy proposes bill to streamline Alaska sexual assault kit tracking system
A sexual assault kit. (Photo from Alaska Department of Public Safety) Gov. Mike Dunleavy has introduced legislation to set a statewide tracking system in place for sexual assault kits, and ensure victims can privately track their kit through the process from collection to forensic testing. 'Survivors of sexual assault deserve a system that prioritizes their well-being and delivers justice,' Dunleavy said, in a prepared statement released with the bill's announcement. 'This bill reflects our commitment to creating a trauma-informed, survivor-centered process.' The legislation, House Bill 62, would expedite timelines for processing sexual assault kits, which is a collection of physical evidence after a sexual assault that can be used for prosecution in court. If passed, the bill would require health care providers who collect the sexual assault kits to notify law enforcement that the kit is ready for forensic testing within 14 days. The appropriate law enforcement agency would then have to submit the kit to a forensic lab for testing also within 14 days, down from 30 days in current law. The lab would be required to test the kit within 120 days, down from 180 days. It also requires the sexual assault kit tracking system to allow survivors to log on through an online portal and privately track the status of their own kit, and when it has been tested. James Cockrell, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the state has made significant progress in addressing a backlog of untested kits. He addressed the committee during its first hearing of the bill. In 2017, a statewide survey found almost 3,500 untested kits across the state, many held by local police departments. 'If you go back 10 years ago, where we were, we were in the dark ages when we were processing sexual assault kits,' Cockrell said. 'We've certainly cleared up the huge backlog.' There is a tracking system now, created through grant funding, and the new legislation would require the state to maintain the system, at a cost to the state of roughly $200,000 per year. 'Currently, I think we have 14,000 sexual assault kits in our crime lab,' he said. 'We retain all sexual assault kits, regardless of jurisdiction, wherever the examinations are taking place.' The tracking system is already in place, and this bill would cement the timelines for each stage of processing, Cockrell said, 'because it is such a devastating crime, and it's important that law enforcement takes it at that level and holds people accountable.' A similar bill failed in the Legislature last year, after health care providers raised concern over a proposed seven-day period to process kits. Currently there is no timeline. This bill would allow for 14 days instead, which Cockrell said was arrived at after discussions with providers. Transparency for survivors in tracking their own kit, and the choice of whether or not to log on to check its status was a major priority in the creation of the system, said David Kanaris, chief of the scientific crime detection laboratory in the Department of Public Safety. 'Doing this previously had to be done through them contacting a law enforcement agency,' he said of kit tracking. 'Which can be a traumatic experience in itself for the victim-survivor, and so allowing them to do it at their own pace through the kit tracking system was huge for us.' Kanaris said since the tracking system launched in June 2023, over half of the kits in the system have had a login by a survivor or advocate on their behalf. All the data is private and confidential via a barcode system, he added, aside from potentially being introduced as evidence in court. During the presentation to the committee, Kanaris shared photos of the large store room at the lab in Anchorage, where the estimated 14,000 sexual assault kits are now stored permanently. If DNA is detected in a kit, he said it's also stored in the Combined DNA Index System, a national DNA database that stores and compares DNA profiles, managed by the FBI. Alaska has the highest rate of sexual assault in the U.S. — four times higher than the national rate. Resources: STAR Alaska Crisis Line: Anchorage (907) 276-7273 Toll Free (800) 478-8999 AWAIC Alaska Crisis Line: (907) 272-0100 Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault's list of shelters AWARE's list of resources Legal help through Alaska Legal Services Corp. The Department of Public Safety reported that in 2020, the most current Alaska data, the rate of rape reported to the department was 154.8 per 100,000 Alaskans, compared to 38.4 per 100,000 in the U.S. Only about one third of sexual assaults nationally are reported to law enforcement, according to an analysis by RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. That's due to a wide range of reasons, including fear of retaliation or beliefs the police would not or could not do anything to help. Kanaris said currently half of all cases processed at his forensic lab — including homicide, property crimes, and others — are related to sexual assault, or about 600 out of 1,200 cases last year. It takes roughly 133 days to process those cases, he added. 'Each one of those (sexual assault kits) pertains to a victim's worst day,' Kanaris said. 'And it was quite eye opening for me as I moved to Alaska and had no idea of the magnitude of the problems. … And we're very proud of the work that we've done so far, and we would like to see that continue.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
