After the appointment of Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, as Speaker of the House on February 11, the House organized, formed committees, and started to hold floor sessions.

Residents of the Copper Valley, Prince William Sound, and nearby communities are part of either district 6-C or 9-E.  Residents of district 6-C are represented by Sen. Click Bishop and Rep. Mike Cronk.  Residents of district 9-E are represented by Sen. Mike Shower and Rep. George Rauscher.

Similar to the snapshot of the Senate in our February 18 issue, the Record has compiled what bills our House representatives are sponsoring and what committees they are serving on this legislative session. 

Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok/Northway

Rep. Cronk is serving as a member of the House Resources Committee, House Transportation Committee, House Education Committee, and House Tribal Affairs Committee.

He is cosponsoring HB 108 and HJR 12.

HB 108 amends AS 14.07 by making it a policy of the state “to provide public secondary school students over 14 years of age the opportunity to participate in concurrent vocational education, training, and on-the-job trade experience programs from nonsectarian agencies providing industry-standard instruction.”

It would also add siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles to the list of adult relatives that children under the age of 14 can work under the direct supervision of at a business or on a boat owned by that relative.

Additionally, the latest hour minors are allowed to work until would be extended from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

It was referred to the Education, Labor & Commerce, and Finance Committees.

For HJR 12, Rep. Cronk joins 22 other representatives, including Rep. Rauscher, who are “Urging the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, to honor the recent lease sales and proceed with permitting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; urging the President of the United States to defend the 2020 Record of Decision approving the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; opposing designation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a National Monument; and urging the Alaska delegation in Congress to uphold sec. 20001 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.”

It has been referred to the House Resources Committee.

Rep. Cronk can be reached at 907-465-4527 or representative.mike.cronk@akleg.gov.

Rep. George Rauscher, R-Sutton

Now is a good time to refill your teacup or coffee mug, because Rep. Rauscher is sponsoring and cosponsoring a total of 16 bills:  HB 1, HB 2, HB 7, HB 11, HB 12, HB 13, HB 23, HB 29, HB 32, HB 77, HB 86, HJR 3, HJR 4, HJR 5, HJR 12, and HB 108.

He is a member of the House Energy Committee, House Resources Committee, and House Military & Veterans Committee.

HB 1 is "An Act providing for audits of CARES Act funds expended for the community assistance program and direct grants to municipalities and communities."

The legislative audit division and office of management and budget would conduct two separate audits, both due on or before January 20, 2022.

It was referred to the Community & Regional Affairs and Finance Committees.

HB 2 seeks to change "the minimum age of persons allowed to sell cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, electronic smoking products, products containing nicotine, or products containing tobacco" from 19 to 18.

It was referred to the Community & Regional Affairs and Judiciary Committees.

HB 7 would add a new paragraph to the Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act.

The amendment prohibits interactive computer services (e.g., websites, applications, and social media platforms) “that represents itself as having neutral, impartial, or nonbiased content” from blocking, censoring, banning or removing a user’s content “based on the content or viewpoint expressed by a user.”

It states that an interactive computer service does not violate the amendment if it “voluntarily and in good faith restricts access to or availability of content that the interactive computer service reasonably considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, regardless of whether the content is protected by the Constitution of the State of Alaska or the Constitution of the United States.”

It was referred to the State Affairs, Labor & Commerce, and Judiciary Committees.  

 HB 11 is "An Act relating to assault in the third and fourth degrees; and relating to reckless endangerment."

 Under AS 11.41, a person can be charged with assault in the third or fourth degrees by recklessly placing another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury by means of a dangerous instrument, words, or other conduct.

This bill would add new subsections to those sections that read, “The provisions of … this section do not apply to the defensive display of a firearm by a person.”

It would also define “defensive display of a firearm” as “openly wearing, carrying, or possessing a firearm; verbally informing another person of the possession of a firearm; holding a firearm in a position that does not point the firearm directly at another person; displaying a firearm to dissuade a threatening person; and warning another person of the availability of a firearm to dissuade a threat by another person.”

 HB 12 is summarized as "An Act relating to the relocating and convening of the legislature at the Legislative Information Office in Anchorage; relating to the regulation of lobbying; relating to annual student guests of the legislature; relating to locations of sessions of the legislature; relating to the Legislative Ethics Act; relating to the relocation of functions of state government; and providing for an effective date."

This bill would amend several statutes related to where legislature sessions, lobbying, student visitations, and other capital-related meetings take place.

It was referred to Community & Regional Affairs, State Affairs, Judiciary, and Finance Committees.

HB 13 amends and adds new sections to AS 25.20 and is related “to a presumption of the best interests of the child in child custody and visitation determinations.” 

 In addition to adding new sections regarding shared child custody and the relocation of a child out of state, it adds a section on legislative intent, which reads: “It is the intent of the legislature to ensure the frequent, continuing, and meaningful contact of a child with each parent of the child who has shown the ability to act in the best interests of the child and to encourage parents who have separated or dissolved their marriage to share the rights and responsibilities of raising their child. It is further the intent of the legislature to encourage parents to participate in making decisions affecting the health, education, and welfare of their child and to resolve a dispute involving their child amicably through mediation.”

It was referred to the Health & Social Services, and Judiciary Committees.

Similar to Senate Bill 39, HB 23 aims to establish an election offense hotline.  It would also create a free access system where voters can check to see if their ballot is counted, as well as require that voters be notified if their vote against a candidate, proposition, or question is not counted.

Additionally, counting boards would be required to check absentee ballot signatures against voter registration records to verify they match.

Among other amendments related to ballot custody, retention, and destruction, HB 23 also prohibits absentee voting by facsimile in state elections.   

It was referred to the State Affairs, Judiciary, and Finance Committees.

HB 29 is "An Act relating to liability of an electric utility for contact between vegetation and the utility's facilities; and relating to vegetation management plans."

It amends AS 09.65 to say that a utility offering service under “former Alaska Public Utilities Commission or the Regulatory Commission of Alaska … may not be held liable for property damage, death, or personal injury resulting from contact between vegetation and the utility's facilities” unless the vegetation is located entirely within the utility’s boundaries and the utility failed to have or comply with a vegetation management plan; or if the vegetation was located outside of the utility’s boundaries, entered the boundaries, and made contact with the utility’s facilities.

It was referred to the Judiciary and Labor & Commerce Committees.

HB 32 also amends AS 09.65 by “providing civil immunity to recreational vehicle park owners for certain damages; and providing civil immunity from liability related to the inherent risks of camping."

It states that RV park owners are “not liable for civil damages to guest property resulting from state or municipal action.”  

The list of “inherent risks of camping” that owners, employees, and officers of private campgrounds would be immune from liability of is lengthy and includes things like uneven and unpredictable ground, natural bodies of water, lighting or lack of lighting at campsites, weather-related events, the ignition of fireworks, and the presence of both wild animals and domestic animals belonging to campground guests.

Immunity is not provided for damages occurring as a result of gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct.

It was referred to the State Affairs and Judiciary Committees.

HB 77 aims to repeal the certificate of need program for health care facilities.

Rep. Rauscher sponsored a similar bill two years ago.  According to a 2019 article by the Anchorage Daily News, the certificate of need program “sets up a protocol for hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities seeking to expand the services they offer.  In order to build a new expansion costing more than $1.55 million, facility administrators must document and demonstrate a need for the added service capacity in the community to the state.”

It was referred to the Health & Social Services and Finance Committees.

HB 86, also known as the Alaska Online Checkbook Act, would broaden the state’s financial transparency through “the establishment and maintenance of an Internet website providing information on state government financial transactions and specifying the information to be made available on the website."

The Department of Administration would be tasked with developing and maintaining the website that would organize and make available to the public a laundry list of state financial transactions.

It was referred to the State Affairs and Finance Committees.

HJR 3 proposes “amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to terms of legislators” that would be put before Alaskan voters in the next general election.

It seeks to change Article II, section 3 of the state constitution by adding, “No person who has served as a representative for six full or partial successive terms shall again be eligible to hold that office. No person who has served as a senator for three full or partial successive terms shall again be eligible to hold that office.”

Years served before the next legislature would not be counted towards the limit.

It was referred to the Community & Regional Affairs, State Affairs, and Judiciary Committees.

HJR 4 “encourages the United States Congress to pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 (H.R. 38) or the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 (S. 69)” and requests that the president “sign into law legislation that enacts” it.

It also asks congress to “pass legislation that amends the federal criminal code to allow an individual qualified to carry or possess a concealed handgun in one state to carry or possess a concealed handgun in another state that also allows individuals to carry concealed firearms.”

It was referred to the State Affairs and Judiciary Committees.

HJR 5 seeks to reduce the minimum age required to purchase a handgun from federally licensed dealers from 21 to 18.  Currently, anyone aged 18-20 can buy rifles, long guns, and shotguns from federally licensed dealers.

It states that handguns are a more practical form of self-defense and protection against wildlife.

It was referred to the State Affairs and Judiciary Committees.

Rep. Rauscher can be reached at 907-465-4859 or representative.george.rauscher@akleg.gov.

At the time of press, sponsor statements for house bills were not available. 

For weekly updates on state government news, you can sign up for the Glennallen Legislative Information Office’s electronic newsletter by emailing or calling Seth Wilson at lio.glennallen@akleg.gov or 907-822-5588. 

Article by Amanda Swinehart

Read Amanda Swinehart’s Alaska 32d Legislature Snapshot, Senate Edition