Dear Members and Supporters of Alaskans Together For Equality,
Senate Bill 202, the Alaska Hate Crimes Bill, has been scheduled for its first hearing, before the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 8th. The full text of the bill can be found at:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/
The Judiciary Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. and has several bills scheduled to be heard so testimony could be taken on SB 202 anytime between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. on Monday. We invite you to provide short testimony in support of SB 202 with an added amendment to cover gender identity and expression. Testimony can be given in person in Room 105 of the new Thomas Stewart Building adjacent to the Capitol, by teleconference from your local Legislative Information office (see http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/
If you are not able to testify on March 8th, please send a message to your own state senator and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee plus the bill's sponsor, Senator Davis. The legislators are:
Senator Hollis French
Senator_Hollis_French@legis.
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@
Senator Dennis Egan
Senator_Dennis_Egan@legis.
Senator Lesil McGuire
Senator_Lesil_McGuire@legis.
Senator John Coghill
Senator_John_Coghill@legis.
Senator Bettye Davis
Senator_Bettye_Davis@legis.
If you are not able to send an email message, then your third option is a Public Opinion Message or POM, a short and easy-to-send 50 word message that should be addressed specifically to the Senators listed in the previous paragraph. Your POM could say something like: "I strongly support SB 202 with an amendment that adds gender identity and expression to Section 11.76.150(a). Please pass this bill with a gender identity amendment out of the Senate Judiciary Committee." To send a POM go to: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/
The following talking points are provided for your use in writing testimony or sending a message to legislators regarding SB 202.
SB 202 Talking Points for Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc.
1. We support SB 202 introduced by Senator Davis in the second session of the 26th Alaska Legislature because:
a) it covers crimes motivated by prejudice, bias, or hatred based on the victim's sexual orientation as well as on other inherent characteristics.
b) we recognize that hate crimes are not limited to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community but occur throughout minority communities and are designed to create fear. This bill emphasizes that Alaska has no tolerance for such acts.
c) the Alaska court system has primary jurisdiction over crimes of assault and battery which may result in prosecution as hate crimes when occurring in Alaska.
d) Alaska prosecutors and law enforcement officials need the support and force of an Alaska statute in order to most effectively investigate, prosecute, and track all potential hate crimes within the state.
2. We support the amendment of SB 202 to add the phrase "gender identity and expression" to Sec. 11.76.150 (a) because:
a) people who are perceived as gender variant, whether heterosexual or gay, seem "different" to some people and may evoke a violent emotional response leading to harm.
b) a substantial number of crimes have been documented that are based on the societal perception of someone as "too feminine" or "too masculine." These crimes can include bullying of both straight and gay persons in schools and throughout Alaskan communities.
3. We appreciate Senate Judiciary Committee for holding a hearing on SB 202, ask for its passage out of committee with a "gender identity" amendment, and support its swift movement through the legislative process so that it becomes law in the very near future.
We look forward to hearing your testimony on Monday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at alaskanstogether@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Alaskans Together for Equality
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