APRIL 4, 2014  

Erin’s Visit & More

The past couple of weeks have been very busy! We had hearings on five bills and a resolution while our special guest, Erin Merryn, was in town to testify on H.B. 233, Erin’s Law, in the House Education Committee.

This week has been focused on the gasline bill, the enabling legislation necessary for advancing an Alaska liquid natural gas (AK LNG) project. As a member of the House Resources Committee, I’ve been working hard to learn as much as possible about this proposal. We’re considering amendments and next week’s report will have a full update.

H.C.R. 21, a “Resolution to Declare April Child Abuse Prevention Month”, passed both bodies and is awaiting the Governor’s Signature! This is a perfect complement to today’s Go Blue Friday, spearheaded by the Alaska Children’s Trust to raise awareness about child abuse.

I also requested the Governor issue a proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. I was please he responded to the request – his proclamation can be found here.

H.B. 238, a bill to increase food security by adjusting the procurement preference for Alaska Grown agricultural and fisheries products, moved out of Community & Regional Affairs and is waiting to be heard by the House Finance Committee.

H.B. 233, “Erin’s Law”, was unanimously passed out of the Education Committee and is waiting for a hearing by the House Finance Committee. We had an amazing outpouring of support for the bill and for our amazing special guest, Ms. Erin herself. Check out some of our week’s activities below, and go to my Facebook page to see the rest of our photos.

Erin’s Alaska Visit
Our first order of business was to meet with Governor Parnell, who gave his full support to H.B. 233.	Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) hosted a roundtable discussion on prevention efforts happening in Anchorage.
Erin cradling her baby bump during an emotional interview at KTOO.	Rep. Tarr & Erin at their Press Conference Thursday morning.
Erin & Rep. Tarr waiting for the Choose Respect March to begin in Juneau!	Rep. Tarr & Erin holding the sign for Gov. Parnell’s Choose Respect March in Juneau on March 27. Alongside them are Representatives Nageak, Holmes, Costello, Hughes, LeDoux, Pruitt, Seaton, and Munoz, as well as Senator Micciche and his family, Senator Lesil McGuire, and Commissioner Rodell.
Erin met with advocates from the AWARE shelter and SART nurses, who were in Juneau for training.	Erin & Rep. Tarr alongside the House Education Committee members, after passing Erin’s Law through the committee. Left to right: Representatives Lora Reinbold, Peggy Wilson, Gabrielle LeDoux, Chair Lynn Gattis, Sam Kito, Dan Saddler, and Paul Seaton.

We received quite a bit of press coverage on H.B. 233 during Erin’s visit to Alaska,

Check out her stories below:

Alaska Dispatch: Meet the Woman Behind ‘Erin’s Law’ – Giving Voice to Sexual Abuse Survivors

Alaska Daily News: Alaska House committee advances 'Erin's Law' to counter child sexual abuse

Juneau Empire: House Education moves 'Erin's Law'

Fairbanks Daily News Miner 'Erin's Law' advances in Alaska House

KTOO: Alaska Legislature Forwards Erin’s Law

KDLG: Erin’s Law Proposed for Alaska

KTUU: House Panel Advances Erin’s Law (video interview)

Sincerely,

Representative Geran Tarr