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GANG BILL HEADS TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE
HB 133 is second Buch bill to pass the Legislature this session
JUNEAU - HB
133, which would require gang members convicted of serious crimes to wear
electronic monitoring devices when they are released on probation or parole,
unanimously passed the Senate Saturday. It was the second bill sponsored
by freshman legislator Bob Buch (D-Anchorage) to pass the Legislature this
week.
On Friday, HB 220,
Buch’s bill to prohibit internet hunting in Alaska, also passed
the Senate with unanimous support.
“HB 133 addresses
a well-known problem where gang members who have been convicted of violent
crimes go back to gang activity,” Buch said. “It gives gang
members a way to break out of gang culture, and gives our law enforcement
agencies a tool for monitoring gang activity and to put a stop to it.”
HB 133 was requested
by the Anchorage Police Department and is a priority for the municipality
of Anchorage and the Anchorage School District. To get the bill through
the Legislature, Buch worked across the aisle to put together a bi-partisan
group of co-sponsors that included 11 Representatives and nine Senators.
“When gang members
pull the trigger they don’t stop to ask if you are a Republican
or Democrat,” Buch said. “Gang violence is a bi-partisan
issue and it required a bi-partisan solution.”
In addition to widespread
support in Anchorage, HB 133 was also endorsed by the Fairbanks and Kenai
Police Departments. “Folks all over the state recognize that when
something happens in Anchorage, it’s only a matter of time before
it happens everywhere else,” Buch said.
Buch added a sunset
provision to HB 133 to give the Legislature the opportunity to review
the program in five years to make sure that it is achieving its goals. “I
think it’s important to proceed cautiously with the public’s
money,” Buch said. “I want the Legislature to be able to
evaluate this program in five years before committing any additional
resources to it.”
“Public safety
is forefront in the public’s mind,” Buch said. “I have
had hundreds of conversations with my constituents about this issue.
HB 133 is just one thing we can do to make the streets of Anchorage safer.”
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