HFLR-20260429-1500

I believe, Madam Clerk, I am supposed to ask you if there are any communications.

Department of Public Safety Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault 2025 Annual Report, and the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board 2025 Report. There are no further communications this afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Are there any reports of standing committees? The Finance Committee considered House Bill 77, Mail Theft, recommends it be replaced with committee substitute for House Bill 77 Finance with the same title, attached 2 new indeterminate fiscal notes and 3 new zero fiscal notes. Signing the report do pass: Representatives Jimmy, Galvin, Tomaszewski, Hannon, Allard, Stapp, Moore, Bynum, and co-chairs Schraggy, Josephson, and Foster.

The bill has no further referral. The Transportation Committee considered House Bill 302, travel insurance, recommends it be replaced with committee substitute for House Bill 302, Labor and Commerce, with a new title. Attached 1 previously published zero fiscal note. Signing the report do pass: Representatives McCabe, St. Clair, Mena, Stutes, and co-chairs Eischeid and Carrick. The bill has no further referral.

The Judiciary Committee considered House Bill 384, definition of victim counseling center. Attached 1 previously published zero fiscal 0 fiscal note. Signing the report, do pass, Representatives Costello, Mena, Eichide, Vance, and Chair Gray. The bill has no further referral. The Health and Social Services Committee considered Senate Bill Number 272, Health Information Exchange, recommends it be replaced with House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill Number 272, Health and Social Services, with the same title.

Attached 1 previously published 0 fiscal note. Signing the report, do pass, Representatives Gray, Fields, Chair Mena, no recommendation. Prox, Schwanke, and Ruffridge, the bill has no further referral. And I have no further reports of standing committees. Are there any reports of special committees?

There are no reports of special committees.

Are there any citations or resolutions for introduction? There's a special order citation calendar today. Mr. Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that notice and publication requirements be waived and the citations on the first special special citation order calendar be made a special order of business.

[Speaker:KARUBAS] Let's— can you hold your objection for just a second? We're not yet to the approving part, but you're— and that's where you're choosing.

Do you wish to speak to your objection?

Brief it is.

[Speaker:CHAIR] Will the House please come back to order. The objection is to the making the citations a special order of business, which is a 27-vote threshold.

If the body is ready for the question. The question before the body is, shall citation— citation calendar be a special order of business? Members may proceed to vote. Clerk, please lock the roll.

Does any member wish to change his or her vote? Will the clerk please announce the vote? 24 Yeas, 16 nays. So, the vote to make citations be a special order of business has failed to pass. Madam Clerk, I'm not sure what that means now.

Can you— We're going to have to have an at ease.

Madam Clerk, do we need another special at ease? Everything is special these days. Okay, back to being at ease.

Will the House please come back to order. In lieu of the subsequently failed motion to adopt this citations, that as a citation calendar special order of business, the clerk will now read the 30 or 40 of titles that we have in front of us, and we will take a break if needed. Madam Clerk. For you to clear your voice and/or to take a sip of water. Honoring Eric Elliott by Representative Fields and Senator Tobin.

Honoring Theresa Quiner by Representative Jimmy. Honoring James E. Cockrell by Representatives Jimmy, Freer, and Ruffridge. Honoring Linda Janes by Representative Holland. Honoring Andy Holman by Representatives Holland, Freer, and Galvin. Honoring Dr. Jennifer Jen Schmidt by Representative Holland.

Honoring Chris Rose by Representatives Holland and Mears. Honoring Paxton Wolber by Representatives Holland, Fields, and Senator Giesel. Honoring Jamie Bricker by Representatives Story, Hannon, and Senator Keel. Honoring Kristen Garreau by Representatives Story, Hannon, and Senator Keel. Honoring Florence Marks Shakley by Representatives Story, Hannon, and Senator Keel.

Honoring Miley Kakaruk by Representatives Diebert, Freer, and Jimmy. Honoring Reverend Dr. Ann Marie Frank by Representative Diebert and Senators Cronk and Kawasaki. Honoring Heather Johnson, Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals 2026 Principal of the Year, by Representatives Diebert, Stapp, and Senator Kawasaki. Honoring University of Alaska Anchorage and Idaho State University Doctor of Pharmacy Program 10th Anniversary by Representatives Mena, Ruffridge, and Senator Giesel. Honoring the 2020 26th House Floor Staff by Representatives Stutes and Hall.

Honoring South Anchorage High School Wolverines Hockey Team by Representative Holland. Honoring Resurrection Lutheran Church 100th Anniversary by Representatives Storey, Hannon, and Senator Keel. Honoring Fairbanks Golden Heart Rotary Club 20th Anniversary by Representatives Diebert, Kerik, and Senator Kawasaki. Honoring Alaska Nanooks Women's Volleyball Team by Representatives Diebert, Kerrick, and Senator Kawasaki. Honoring Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board by Representatives Diebert, Kerrick, and Senator Kawasaki.

Honoring Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center 25th anniversary by Representatives Diebert, Kerrick, and Senator Kawasaki. Honoring World Eskimo Indian Olympics 65th anniversary by Representatives Diebert, Kerrick, and Senator Kawasaki. Honoring Obadiah's Fine Art Gallery Alaska Art and Frame 50th Anniversary by Representative Galvin, Senator Gray Jackson. Honoring Arctic Office Products 80th Anniversary by Representatives Galvin, Divert, Senator Gray Jackson. Honoring Elsie Bent by Senator Cronk, Representative Schwanke.

Honoring Joe Barrows Thompson by Senator Merrick. Honoring Christina Koch by Senators Dunbar, Tobin, and Representative Freer. Honoring Chugiak High School Mustangs girls cross-country team by Senator Merrick. Honoring Team USA's women's Olympic hockey team by Senator Merrick. Honoring Eagle River High School baseball team by Senator Merrick.

Honoring Senate floor staff of 2026 by Senator Wilkowski. In memoriam Elston Lawson by Representatives Galvin Gray, Senator Gray Jackson. In memoriam Joseph Joe William Brost, by Representative Underwood. In memoriam Carol S. Benson, by Representatives Dybert, Carrick, and Senator Kawasaki. In memoriam Sandra Sandy Lynn Taylor, by Senator Cronk.

In memoriam Christian Gordon Anderson, by Senator Kawasaki and Representatives Dybert and Freer. In memoriam Edgar Husted, by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Staff. In memoriam Alden Roy Shorty Wilbur by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Staff. In memoriam Judith Karen and Andy J. Kleinfeld by Senators Kawasaki, Myers, Representative Dybert. In memoriam Neville Abbott Jacobs by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Dybert.

In memoriam Pamela Jean Burlingham by Senator Kawasaki. In memoriam Robert "Rob" Booth Boswell, by Senator Kawasaki, Representatives Prox and Dybert. In memoriam Mary Shields, by Senator Kawasaki, Representatives Dybert, Stapp. In memoriam Gwendolyn "Gwen" Marie Blackburn, by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Dybert. In memoriam Hannah J. Solomon, by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Dybert.

In memoriam Robert Charles Canard Jr., by Senator Kawasaki. Representatives Dybert and Carrick. In Memoriam Ronald Johnson by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Dybert. In Memoriam Kenneth Ken Asid by Senator Kawasaki and Representatives Dybert and Stapp. In Memoriam Hannah Nina Babe Adams by Senator Kawasaki and Representative Dybert.

In Memoriam Judy Diana Romans by Senator Kawasaki, Representative Stapp, and Dybert. In Memoriam Landon Stasiokas by Senator Kawasaki and Representatives Staff and Diver. I have no further citations or resolutions for introduction this morning. Madam Clerk, are there any bills for introduction? I have no bills for introduction this morning, Mr. Speaker.

This brings us to consideration of the daily calendar. Madam Clerk. Please read the first item on today's calendar.

House Bill number 217 by the House Transportation Committee entitled an Act Relating— Regulating Autonomous Vehicles and Providing for an Effective Date.

The Transportation Committee considered the bill, recommends it be replaced with committee substitute for House Bill 217 Transportation with the same title, attached 1 new zero fiscal note, Signing the report do pass: Representatives G. Nelson, St. Clair, and co-chairs Carrick and Eichide. No recommendation: McCabe and Mena. The Community and Regional Affairs Committee considered the bill, recommends it be replaced with committee substitute for House Bill 217, Community and Regional Affairs, with the same title, attached 1 previously published zero fiscal note. Signing the report do pass: Representatives Holland, Prox, G. Nelson, Hall, and co-chairs Hemmschut and Mears.

Amend St. Clair. There are two committee substitutes. Mr. Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute for House Bill 217 be adopted in lieu of the original bill. Objection. For purposes of explanation of changes. There is an objection for the purposes of explaining the changes. I'm going to point towards the bill sponsor, Representative Carrick.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the changes from the version, original version of the bill, to version I from Community and Regional Affairs before the body today are in Section 1, subsection B1, defining commercial vehicle. The definition of a commercial vehicle was added to this subsection just to clarify that the legislation does not apply to vehicles used for personal or non-commercial use, vehicles that have a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less, and that are designed transport no more than 16 passengers. And then in Section 1, subsection D, relates to civil action regarding a motor vehicle accident involving autonomous vehicles, and it defaults to the current statute relating to vehicle accidents under AS 09.17.080 on apportionment of damages, so that essentially fault and liability take place in the same way that other accidents in the state involving commercial vehicles do. And then in Section 1, subsection E, we clarify that the legislature does not apply to personal delivery vehicles that are defined very narrowly and specifically.

Essentially, it excludes those little personal delivery vehicles that are becoming more popular in urban areas for small-scale deliveries. And so the, the changes just specify that it definitively does not apply to that type of practice either. So I'd be happy to take further questions, but Those are the summary of changes. Is the objection maintained?

The objection has been removed. Hearing no further objection, the committee substitutes have been adopted. Madam Clerk, are there any amendments? Amendment number 1 by Representative Ruffridge, beginning page 1, line 1. Representative Ruffridge.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move amendment number 1. There's an objection. Representative Ruffridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Amendment number 1 deals with actually something that really the underlying bill is not really addressing with autonomous vehicles, but a different issue dealing with commercial motor vehicle licensing that was brought to me by a number of different people this year. And really our time ran out on a way to deal with this directly. And so Working with the co-chairs of House Transportation and the underlying bill sponsor, drafted this as an option to deal with this issue. Mr. Speaker, federal regulations with commercial driver's licenses allow for an individual who is taking the driving test portion to take the driving test portion, and if a component of it was not met with the full requirements, they can go back and just take that portion alone. Currently, our state requires a stricter version of that, which requires them to retake the entire driving test, which delays access to getting that license, drives additional costs and additional work from the department.

So here before you is an amendment to align our own state statute with those from the federal government, allow people to get their commercial driver's license a little bit faster. And that is the amendment you see before you. Thank you.

Will the House please come back to order. Representative Carrick. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I consider Amendment Number 1 a friendly amendment on this legislation. As the member from Keaney-Soudatna mentioned, it's not exactly related to the underlying bill, but it does address a known issue with commercial driver's license testing.

And this legislation was worked on by the House Transportation Committee and with the member from North Pole in the other body who is a CDL holder. And this is a known issue and it corrects a known problem, and so it's a friendly amendment. Representative Stapp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please call in the House to remain in effect until adjournment.

Call has been placed on the House until adjournment has occurred.

Continuing on under debate, is the objection maintained? The objection has been removed. So not hearing additional objections, Amendment Number 1 has been approved. And I believe we have satisfied the call of the House. Brevities, Mr.

Chair. Brevities.

Will the House please come back to order for debate on House Bill 217 under amendments. Madam Clerk, I have no further amendments, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Majority Leader, Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute for House Bill 217 as amended be considered engrossed, advanced to 3rd reading, and placed on final passage. There is an objection.

This bill will be held to the next day's calendar. Madam Clerk, please read the next item on today's calendar.

House Bill 244 by Representatives Underwood, Costello, and Fields, entitled an act relating to certified nurse aide training and providing for an effective date.

The Health and Social Services Committee considered the bill, attached one new zero fiscal note. Signing the report do pass: Representatives Prox, Gray, Mear, Schwanke, and Chair Mena. The Labor and Commerce Committee considered the bill, attached one previously published zero fiscal note. Signing the report do pass: Representatives Freer, Colon, Sadler, Nelson, and Co-Chair Fields and Hall. I have no committee substitutes.

Madam Clerk, are there any amendments? I have no amendments, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Majority Leader, move and ask unanimous consent that House Bill 244 be considered engrossed, advanced to third reading, and placed on final passage. There's an objection.

This bill be held to the next day's calendar. Madam Clerk.

House Bill number 314 by Representatives Prock, Stapp, and Tomaszewski, entitled an Act Relating to Registered Interior Designers and Interior Design, relating to project costs for the construction, enlargement, or improvement of airports, extending the termination date of the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors, relating to the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors, Establishing requirements for the practice of registered interior design. Relating to the practice of architecture, engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, and registered interior design. Relating to the scope of the certification requirements for architects, engineers, land surveyors, landscape architects, and registered interior designers. Relating to immunity for design professionals. Relating to the cost of construction for recreation centers.

Relating to liens for labor or materials furnished, relating to the procurement of landscape, architectural, and interior design services, relating to the cost of construction of safe water and hygienic sewage disposal facilities in villages, and providing for an effective date. The Finance Committee considered the bill, attached one new fiscal note and one zero fiscal note. Signing the report do pass: Representatives Galvin, Tomaszewski, Hannon, Stapp, And Co-Chairs Schraggy and Foster, no recommendation. Moore, Co-Chair Josephson, amend Bynum. I have no committee substitutes.

Madam Clerk, are there any amendments? I have amendments that are being copied. The House will stand at ease until amendments have been copied and distributed.

Will the House please come back to order. For the body is House Bill 314 in second reading. Madam Clerk, are there any amendments?

Amendment number 1 by Representative Bynum, beginning page 2, line 24. Representative Bynum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I offer Amendment 1, I'd like to rise and ask for unanimous consent to be excused from the vote for a declared conflict of interest in accordance with Rule 34 of our uniform rules. There is an objection.

Representative Bynum, you'll be required to vote. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move Amendment 1.

You are 2 for 2. There's an objection.

Brief it is. Brief it is.

Will the House please come back to order? Representative Bynum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From looking through this bill and watching it go through the committee process, what Amendment Number 1 does is that it corrects what I believe is a deficiency in the bill, and that is that it changes the organization of the board from being 4 members that are engineers to 5, and reducing the amount of land surveyors from 2 to 1. The reason that this is being brought forward, Mr. Speaker, is because when we look at the construction of the board, the original bill was reducing the engineering representation on the board to make room for the interior designer position.

Uh, after talking to the bill sponsor and looking at the construction of the board and who's actually being represented, uh, on this board, you'll see, Mr. Speaker, that 84% of members that are associated with this board are engineers or in some sort of an engineering class. Currently, the board is represented by 46% of those on the board being engineers. And this original version of the bill would have reduced that to below 40% of being recognized as board members. And so this amendment corrects that. I'd like to also point out that when we look at land surveyors, currently land surveyors comprise of less than 6% of those that are in the field.

They have 2 positions which comprise of 18% of the representation on the board. This would reduce them to 9% representation on the board, and there is currently a vacancy for land surveyors on the board now. And I look forward to any questions.

Discussion on Amendment Number 1? Representative Prox.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not aware of any specific objections to accomplishing this amendment. Thank you.

But there is an objection, and the objection is maintained.

Any Representative Staff, you are removing your objection.

So the objection has been removed. Not hearing any additional objections, so adopted. So Amendment Number 1 has been adopted. Madam Clerk, Amendment Number 2 by Representative Bynum, beginning page 20, line 15. Representative Bynum.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move Amendment Number 2.

Hearing no— there is an objection from somewhere far in the back. Representative Bynum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This very complex amendment starts on page 20 and it changes the effective date of the bill from March 31st to May 31st.

The objection has been removed. Not hearing any further objection, Amendment Number 2 has been adopted. Madam Clerk, I have no further amendments. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader, Mr.

Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that House Bill 314 as amended be considered engrossed, advanced to third.

—Placed on final passage. There's an objection. The bill be held to the next day's calendar. Madam Clerk.

Senate Bill Number 40 by Senator Gray Jackson, entitled an Act Establishing the Period Between September 15 and October 15 of Each Year as Hispanic Heritage Month. The State Affairs Committee considered the bill. Attached one previously published zero fiscal note, and the House Rules Committee subjects submitted an updated zero fiscal note. Signing the report: do pass, Representatives McCabe, Moore, Hemmschulte, and Chair Carrick. Do not pass: Vance.

I have no House committee substitutes. Madam Clerk, are there any amendments? I have no amendments, Mr. Speaker. Mr.

Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that Senate Bill 40 be considered engrossed, advanced to third reading, and placed on final passage. There is an objection. This bill be also held the next day's calendar.

Madam Clerk.

Committee substitute for House Bill number 214, State Affairs, by the House State Affairs Committee, entitled an Act Relating to Approve of financial responsibility for suspension of— for non-payment of judgments. The bill is in third reading, final passage. Representative Galvin. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to place this on our table today.

The key points about this particular bill are that we're updating an outdated and excessively punitive section of Alaska's law related to driver's licenses after —unsatisfied civil judgments on time from car accidents. So current law requires a lifetime SR-22, which is an insurance certificate, even after the judgment has been fully paid. This is a lifetime requirement and it's applied even for a single occurrence. So this bill changes that and It changes it in statute by introducing a graduated penalty system based on repeat occurrences. So the first unsatisfied on-time judgment— pardon me, the first— yeah, the first judgment that was not satisfied on time, instead of it being a lifetime insurance certificate requirement, it would be a 1-year SR-22 insurance requirement.

Pardon me, an SR-22 certificate requirement. And the second incident would be 3 years, third 10 years, and the fourth would be a lifetime requirement. I want to make it clear about what this bill does not do. It does not change— that makes no changes to the current section of statutes related to DUI requirements. It also has no changes to criminal offenses or penalties, and it applies only to civil lawsuits and unpaid monetary judgments.

That is unpaid on time monetary judgments. The rationale for this is that we're maintaining accountability when mistakes have been made, especially for repeat offenders, and it allows individuals to move past mistakes after fulfilling obligations. It aligns penalties more closely with the severity of the offense. I want to thank the State Affairs Committee, and a special recognition to members from Districts 26 and 35 for improving the bill. And also share with you, some of you might wonder how many Alaskans are being impacted by this, and it's approximately 3,516 Alaskans who currently are required to carry an SR-22, uh, for life.

And those costs are approximately— can be around $2,000 per year. Those payments go to insurance companies, not to the state. And this matters because I believe that this bill will promote fairness and responsibility, encouraging compliance while removing unnecessary lifetime penalties. This protects the public while also modernizing the law. I appreciate the thoughtful discussion in the State Affairs Committee, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Any debate?

Representative Prox.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With your indulgence, I would like to just point out, because there's confusion about uninsured motorist carrier— uninsured motorist coverage. So if you— if for the public's benefit, generally speaking, uninsured motorist coverage is available attached to your auto insurance policy. Policy. And talk to your agent, but I would encourage getting the same uninsured motorist coverage, at least to the max, as your liability coverage so you don't run into this problem.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In wrap-up, Representative Yelvin. Thank you. I appreciate that. Again, thank you, to the representative from North Pole. This can feel complicated, but truly it is a matter of when there's been an accident and someone is at fault and then a civil suit is placed on the person who didn't pay or make sure that that was settled.

And then if they didn't pay or complete the judgment on time, then this rolls in and it's a lifetime place. And again, I've been thinking about this because it came to me me as considering how many of our young drivers make mistakes. And some of them really depend on being able to drive in order to work. And so I think that this helps level the playing field for those who cannot afford $2,000 a year, but yet we also want to make sure that there are consequences for mistakes. So, um, I'm hoping that this bill may maintain that accountability piece, especially for repeat offenders, but also allows individuals to move past their past mistakes and after they fulfilled their obligation.

So thank you for your consideration. Are you ready for the question? Question being, shall Committee Substitute for House Bill 214, State Affairs, pass the House? Members may proceed to vote.

Will the clerk please lock the roll? Does any member wish to change his or her vote? Will the clerk please announce the vote? 40 Yeas, 0 nays. With a vote of 40 yeas, 0 nays, House Bill 214 has passed the body.

Madam Clerk. House Joint Resolution Number 44 by the House Resources Committee, supporting the ability of Alaska Native corporations and entities owned by federally recognized tribes in the state to participate in the United States Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development Program. The Resources Committee considered the resolution attached, 1 new zero fiscal note. Signing the report: do pass, Representatives Fields, Colombe, Hall, Elam, Mears, and co-chairs Daibert and Freer. No recommendation, Prox and Sadler.

I have no committee substitutes. Madam Clerk, are there any amendments? I have no amendments. Mr. Speaker. Mr.

Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that House Joint Resolution 44 be considered engrossed, advanced to third reading, and placed on final passage. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Madam Clerk, please read the title for the third and final time.

House Joint Resolution number 44 by the House Resources Committee, supporting the ability of Alaska Native corporations and entities owned by federally recognized tribes in the state to participate in the United States Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development Program.

Representative Johnson, I see your mic is raised, but I believe Representative Dybert is carrying the resolution before the body.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to serve notice of reconsideration for my vote on HB 78. Notice of reconsideration, briefies. That's—.

Come back to order. Representative Dybert.

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Permission to read? Permission granted. I'm here today to present House Joint Resolution 44 from the House Resources Committee, of which I'm proud to serve as co-chair. House Joint Resolution 44 speaks to something fundamental to Alaska: honoring our commitments, strengthening our economy, and supporting self-determination for Alaska Native people.

Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Alaska Native corporations were created to provide long-term economic opportunity and stability for Alaska Native shareholders and our communities. The federal AA Business Development Program is one of the most effective tools we have to make that promise.

—Of economic self-sufficiency and opportunity real. It also serves as a powerful tool for our small businesses, helping them access federal contracting opportunities, grow their capacity, and compete in markets that would otherwise be out of reach. Alaska Native corporations are among the largest private sector economic drivers in our state, generating billions in economic activity supporting thousands of jobs and reinvesting directly into Alaska communities through dividends, scholarships, elder benefits, and critical services. The 8(a) program brings federal dollars into Alaska, billions of dollars that are then circulated right back into our local economies. It was created— it has created thousands of jobs across our state including for veterans and in rural and underserved communities.

But this is not just about economics. As the gov— as the executive highlighted in his letter to President Trump, Alaska is the nation's frontline in the Arctic, and Alaska Native corporations play a direct role in our national security. From supporting missile defense systems and operate— operations at Fort Greely to enabling Arctic logistics and infrastructure. These entities provide capabilities that are essential to protecting our country. And it's important to be clear, the 8(a) program is not a handout.

It, it is a merit-based, highly regulated federal contracting program that delivers real value, reducing procurement timelines, saving taxpayer dollars, and ensuring strong performance.

But right now, this program is facing increased scrutiny at the federal level, including proposals that could limit participation, undermine a program that has worked for decades here in Alaska, and put Alaska jobs and rural economies at risk. And if it is weakened, Mr. Speaker, the consequences will be real. Fewer jobs, less investment in rural Alaska, and fewer resources flowing back into our communities that depend on this program. H.R. 44 Sends a clear message that Alaska stands united in support of this program and the role it plays in our state and our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask for your support for H.R. 44. Thank you.

Debate on HJR 44. Representative Stapp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to conflict of interest. I have received dividends from Native corporations, part of my family, and I ask to be excused from voting.

There's an objection. Representative TAP, you'll be required to vote.

Quite frankly, I think there are multiple of us who are shareholders, and I'm just going to make a blanket ruling. I believe that's in my authority to do so, that any member of the body who is a shareholder of an Alaska Native Regional Corporation is required to vote. So, which I should have said beforehand.

Any wrap-up comments, Representative Dibert? Not seeing any. Are you ready for the question? The question being, shall House Joint Resolution 44 pass the House? Members may proceed to vote.

Will the clerk please lock the roll? Does any member wish to change his or her vote?

Will the clerk please announce the vote? 40 Yeas, 0 nays. The vote of 40 yeas to 0 nays, HJR 44 has passed the body. Madam Clerk, there are no further items on today's calendar, Mr. Speaker.

This brings us to unfinished business. Mr. Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that Representative Moore be excused from the call of the House from Friday May 1st at 12 noon to Monday, May 4th at 7 AM. Hearing no objection, the member is excused on the dates and times indicated by the Majority Leader.

At this time, House Bill 316, personal injury wrongful death damages, has received a fiscal note, so I'm adding a Finance Committee referral. And as well, Senate Bill 185, dealing with insurance rebates and advertising. It's also received a fiscal note, so a Finance Committee referral will be added to it.

Representative Stap. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move and ask unanimous consent to notice reconsideration and ask to be taken up on the same day for HJR 44.

Hearing no objection.

Brief it is.

Well, the House, please come back to order. So the motion before the body is Shell HGR44 Pass the body under reconsideration. We're ready for the question. Members may proceed to vote.

Will the clerk please lock the roll? Does any member wish to change his or her vote? Will the clerk please announce the vote? 40 Ayes, 0 nays. With a vote of 40 ayes to 0 nays, HJR 44 has passed the body under reconsideration.

This brings us to committee announcements. Representative Fields. Labor and Commerce will meet 5 minutes after adjournment. Representative Carrick. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

House Transportation for tomorrow is canceled.

Are there any other announcements? Representative Hannon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As many of you are aware and are wearing, today is Denim Day. The local domestic violence and crisis response program in Juneau, AWARE, is hosting a community awareness denim fashion show here in Juneau this evening at the Crystal Saloon June, beginning at 6 PM.

Their goal is to both raise awareness of the issues, and most of you know that Denim Day comes out of a court ruling in Italy in 1999 when a rape conviction was overturned, the perpetrator using the defense that she wore such tight jeans, she must have assisted him in committing the crime because he couldn't have gotten her out of the jeans by himself.

Aware is a program that wants to advocate and affirm that victims of crime need to be respected. And many of you were allowed, and many of us are wearing denim in violation of our normal rules of decorum here on the floor. So if you are available to attend that denim fashion show, they would be very appreciative. Again, it's at 6 PM this evening at the Crystal Saloon.

This brings us to special orders. Brief at ease.

Come back to order. Under special orders, Representative Allard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to recognize Denim Day. Topic?

Denim Day. Denim Day? Yes. And if I can ask for the body's permission to read from my notes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Denim Day is the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, since 1999. Denim Day happens to fall on the last Wednesday of April. All community members are invited to make social media statements today and to wear their jeans. It's a visible protest against the misconceptions around sexual violence. As we know very well in this body, this matters in Alaska more than anywhere else in the country.

Alaska has the highest rate of sexual violence in America. On top of that, in 2024 alone, from our own statistics, 51% of all reported victims were juveniles.

This just stops me cold, Mr. Speaker. Half of our victims are children. I want the whole body in Alaska to hear that. Half of our victims are children. I'm a veteran, and I've served alongside men and women of unshakeable courage.

And I will tell you, it takes courage to survive what too many Alaskans have survived. It takes courage to report it. It takes courage to walk back into your community and hold your head up high when the system fails you. I respect that kind of courage enormously, Mr. Speaker. This crisis is statewide.

It affects us in our cities as well as in our rural communities. And my faith calls to protect the vulnerable, defend the defenseless, and stand with those who have been wronged. This is not a partisan position, but a human one. To every survivor in the state: Alaska sees you. I see you.

You're not alone. We all see you in this room and you're not forgotten. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the floor back.

The House, please come back to order under special orders. Representative Allard, you just had the floor. But Mr. Speaker, I forgot to mention I have my awesome assembly guy here and I was told we can just incorporate that in our special orders. Representative Allard, I'm going to recognize Representative Ruffridge, then I'll come back to you. I don't see any other microphones raised.

Representative Ruffridge.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Permission to speak on Enough is Enough. Representative Ruffridge. Uh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. This, um, this is a difficult topic to discuss, and, uh, frankly, I'm, um, I feel a little inequipped to discuss it.

It's something that I think other members of the body probably know quite a bit more about, have dealt with trying to solve the issue more than I have.

But I want to talk just a little bit about the story of Kelly.

Kelly left Shaktoolik with a purpose, Mr. Speaker. She was 19, on her way back to college in Soldotna. Like many people from all parts of Alaska, our path to do any of that goes through Anchorage. Anchorage. She arrived January 6th.

She was staying with a friend on Spinard. And the next morning she left the house saying she was going to meet somebody, left behind her wallet, cash, carried only her phone. And then she was gone. She did not arrive safely at school. There was no explanation, no contact.

And instinctively her family knew that something was wrong. This is obviously not who she was. And, uh, went through all of the channels to make sure that Kelly was officially declared missing. But then, uh, weeks went by, months, and they kept looking. Family traveled to Anchorage to continue the search.

MMIW advocates made sure that they were involved, tried to get the community rallied around. They asked people to look, and for months they kept looking. People held up signs at basketball games, including stopping the state basketball tournament to make sure that people didn't forget that Kelly had never arrived at school and she wasn't at home.

Families and communities oftentimes, Mr. Speaker, have to do these things when the system is silent. They are left to organize the search themselves. And I'm sure many of you are aware that just a few days ago, uh, Kelly was found. Her body was found in a ravine not far from the place where she was staying. As of this moment, there's no arrests, no cause of death, um, and all of that is still under investigation.

That is Kelly's story as it is today. And Mr. Speaker, I, I would not be necessarily compelled to speak if that was just Kelly's story, but it's so many other people's story across the state. There are Too many names to mention, and there's names that we never hear on this House floor. If you look through the reports, there's hundreds of missing and dirt Indigenous people in Alaska labeled as suspicious or unresolved, and families are left navigating a system that oftentimes lacks any answers or even clear data. At this point, I think it's fair to call this a pattern.

And the pattern is that women go missing, families search, time passes, and they are never really rescued. They are recovered. And when you listen to these stories, Mr. Speaker, I think there's two things that stand out. One, um, and sadly I think it's that there is violence associated with this, but even worse than that, it's delay. There's a gap between when someone is last seen and then when the full weight of of a response arrives, if it arrives.

The gap between a family's urgency and the system's pace is too great. And in some cases, the system is silent altogether. And I think the question that I raise today is a difficult one, but it's necessary. And it's this: If Kelly had not been a young Alaska Native woman from a small community, would her story have unfolded the same way? Or would the response have been faster, louder, and more sustained?

Because when communities and family members feel like they have to stop the state basketball tournament just to make sure that people remember that Kelly is missing, then something's not working the way that it should. I don't want to point fingers at any one department or any one individual. I'm recognizing that a system has not kept pace And the reality is that people are living in that system and people are dying in that system, and we have changes that we need to make. Last week, Mr. Speaker, other circumstances unfolded, and I was made aware of another Alaska Native woman who was in a trafficking situation and called out to the police department for help. Police department arrived and that person happened to be intoxicated for a lot of reasons that I'm sure we can understand.

Anchorage Police Department in that case left her there with her attacker reportedly returning at any moment. Didn't stay there to find out. They didn't make an arrest. And luckily there was someone that was able to, uh, help in that situation. Get her out of that situation.

But now she is living in fear because her attacker can continue to act with impunity. And these are just two accounts, Mr. Speaker, but I think it highlights a simple fact: our state is not safe for Alaska Native women.

They are being targeted, victimized, and as a collective, we— not just the House, but the legislature and others— seem to do little to address this problem. I think, Mr. Speaker, that it's time to do something about that. Because Kelly's story began with hope, a young woman on her way to college. I think we know that story, and I, I feel, Mr.

Speaker, strongly that it should have ended with a different ending. But now it's a call to us, and I think this call is not just Kelly's call, it's all the other people that have come before her, and sadly, I think the people that will probably come after her. We get to change, I think, what happens next. We should change. We must have a faster response from first report.

I don't care what it takes to get it, but we should get it. Mr. Speaker, we should have coordination amongst our law enforcement agencies. I don't know what I have to do to make that happen, but it should happen. We shouldn't be having one organization handle that on their own.

This should be a collective effort. And it means that we should be supplying sustained attention and oversight until there are answers. Have we gotten better in this area? Sure. Sure, we've gotten a little better, I think.

Is it good? No.

When will we learn the lesson that the next time a family makes a call, the next time that somebody doesn't come home, do we demand that action is taken differently? I think that action is still in our hands. Enough is enough. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Will the House please come back to order? Thank you, Representative Ruffridge, for those comments.

Representative Stapp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of enforce your own rules. Representative Stapp.

First, I'd like to remove the call in the House, Mr. Speaker. Call has been removed in the House. Representative Stapp. Yeah, appreciate the member co-chair from Anchorage.

I know we have Business and Finance to take public testimony. That's why I removed the call, Mr. Speaker. I'll be fairly brief. I mean, look, a lot of people I think gave pretty good talks on a pretty consequential bill today, Mr.

Speaker. I was not afforded to do that by this body. I was the only one who was not afforded to do that, Mr. Speaker. I was interrupted 4 times.

I had 3 point of orders, all of which were out of order, by the way, Mr. Speaker. If people wanna utilize Masons to entitle point of orders, they should absolutely maybe know the Masons' rules, Mr. Speaker. I know the rules very well.

I tend not to use them very well. I used them today just to prove a point that I know them. I would rather not do that, Mr. Speaker, but I don't interrupt people. I don't disrespect people.

If I do, I always try to apologize. I would appreciate that if I were afforded the same courtesy as I give everyone else. I think the member co-chair from Anchorage gave a very excellent speech to the nature of the bill. I will remind folks that it was absolutely not even close to the topic of the concurrence vote, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I don't mind latitude. I asked for that. But I'm just very dissatisfied, Mr. Speaker. I was treated very unfairly today.

I'm not going to complain about it again, but you'll see my dissatisfaction in action. Thank you.

Representative Vance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of doing something, The topic of doing something. Representative Vance.

I think we all feel the weight in the room.

The topic of Denim Day. It hits close to home for women.

Because there's probably not a single woman in the room who doesn't know someone, have a friend who was asked the question, what were you wearing?

But it's the, um, it's the comments by my member from Kenai that begs the question, what are we doing about it? You all know this is— this has been a passion of mine for a long time. But I want to call attention to the body that there is a tool in the tool belt. Right now, we have the Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking that was created by administrative order.

But it's likely going to end with his administration. It is not in statute. I have a bill, House Bill 118, that creates the governor— the Council on Human and Sex Trafficking in statute. It's been buried in committee for a variety of reasons. Originally, it has a small fiscal note, and we, we've been under budget constraints.

But I want to highlight to the body and hopefully to the other body, we still have a few weeks left to put that into law so that the work of awareness and prevention of human and sex trafficking can continue. They've done incredible work and we don't— we can't allow that work to stop. We have to build awareness about what exploitation looks like in the state of Alaska. We have to continue educating the public, our first responders, our medical professionals, our teachers, and the council was in the process of creating learning modules to be able to have continuing education credits, public awareness campaign, and really collecting the data to have a bigger picture of what's going on.

I just want an opportunity for them to continue that work. And I know it's, it's kind of out of form to, to make a plea on a piece of legislation, but I think today's that day to say the Governor's Council hasn't met in almost 2 years. I think because of capacity reasons in the Department of Public Safety, And they have been focusing on the MMIW issue, which needs a lot of focus, but they are connected.

My community in Homer right now is joining together about a woman who was missing for several years, Duffy. And we had FBI come down and do a big search, and there were many people who participated in that. And finally, they found out that she had been picked up by someone who had been a caregiver and she was familiar with, and he brutally murdered her. So this happens in all of our communities, Mr. Speaker. And, um, and so I just implore the body that we have tools in our tool belt to continue the work.

It's not complicated. It's something that's achievable, and I just ask the body to take that into consideration, that we can do more before this session ends. Representative Allard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move and ask for unanimous consent to roll up the calendar for introduction of a guest.

There is an objection. Representative Allard, we're under special orders. We're trying not to make this a regular routine, but you're more than welcome to— I'll grant you the floor under special orders. I'm not sure if your guest is in the gallery. Thank you.

May I? Proceed. Okay, thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, on the Anchorage Assembly, what happens is you fill people's seats presiding when you run for election. And so many, many, many, many, many moons ago, years ago, I took the seat of our former Lieutenant Governor and 3-star General Craig Campbell.

And then after I was done running for, on the seat for representing Eagle River Chugiak, then the next person that took my seat, or the community seat, was Scott Myers. And what happens is every other year the seats are up and we fall into certain people's seats, or you get elected and you go in a different seat. Well, After Scott Myers was done, we became very familiar with Don Handlin, and he is our newest assembly member with the Anchorage Assembly, and he represents Chugiak-Egorver. I'd like to say he's fiercely loyal to our community. He's got character beyond reproach.

He has integrity that no one could ever question. He'll bring balance to the Anchorage Assembly, and he's a hard worker. He took a lot of chin smackaroos when he ran for any sort of office, and he stood his ground, and I'm very proud to introduce him here in the Pravakovich Gallery. He's— if he can stand— and he's just somebody that anybody can go to, and I'm very proud that he's representing me and the rest of Chugiak/Eagle River and frankly the state. So please give him a warm welcome.

Representative Gray. On the topic of a new Anchorage Assembly chair. Representative Gray. Mr. Speaker, last night my former staff and friend Anna Brawley was elected chair of the Anchorage Assembly. Anna Brawley is the great-granddaughter of Juan Salbaza Ayamo, He was a Filipino attorney and civil rights leader who fought vigorously in the middle of the 20th century to protect a group at great risk of exploitation and abuse in Washington State, and that group was immigrants.

My hope is that Anna Brawley will follow in the footsteps of her great-grandfather to stand up for the underdog, advocate for those with less than, and protect a group that is at great risk of exploitation and abuse in 2026, and that group is immigrants. Congratulations to Anna Brawley. May her reign be long and glorious. Mr. Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that the House stand in adjournment until Thursday, April 30th at 10:30 AM. There is an objection. Representative Stepp, do you wish to speak to your objection?

Yes, 2 members, so no. Brief at ease, and I have not— I've not gavelled in an at ease, so.

My message is the members represent staff as well. When you speak, could you please raise your microphone?

I'll withdraw my objection. The objection has been withdrawn. So there being no objection, the House is done adjournment until Thursday, April 30th at 10:30 a.m.