Conversation Stoppers Conversation Stoppers March 12, 2022 Dear Friends and Neighbors, With some key legislators out of state, this week didn't have a lot of big drama. But we did get a lot of work done. Just a heads-up: the first item in this week's newsletter is about sexual assault laws, so some readers may find it disturbing. I'm grateful to everyone who helped raise the Wooshkeetaan Kootéeyaa at the State Office Building Friday. It's such a gift to our community. I was honored to attend. No Means No The Senate Judiciary Committee just moved a bill rewriting some of Alaska's sexual assault laws. Nobody likes thinking about this, but it’s terribly important to write these laws well. Right now in Alaska, if a perpetrator doesn't use or threaten force, a sex act doesn't count as sexual assault. This bill changes that, making it a crime to engage in a sex act without the other person’s consent. That will cover situations when a victim freezes, or says 'no' without physically fighting back. It also fixes the penalties for some other behavior that was hard to prosecute at the right level. Objectionably touching someone's privates through their clothes is currently treated as harassment—a lower level offense. The bill acknowledges there's a sexual crime happening there. It also fixes some gaps. When it passes, the state will be able to revoke a teacher’s license for a possessing or distributing child pornography. Like I said, this is an awful topic to think about. Spending hours deeply immersed in the ways one human being can be terrible to another makes for a rotten afternoon at work. Still, the committee was able to work with one another, with advocates, and with both prosecutors and defense attorneys. That, in turn, helped us craft a law that will protect victims and respect everyone's constitutional rights. As the bill moves forward and hopefully passes this year, we need to keep in mind that more arrests and prosecutions won't solve Alaska's sexual assault problems by themselves. Survivors need shelter and help to resume their lives safely. Young people need to learn consent is essential. And those who were abused need counseling and treatment to break the cycle and not become abusers themselves. It's a problem we must never stop working on. Thanks to Captain Steve White for talking to the Juneau Chamber about the Marine Exchange of Alaska's great work! Big Bucks. Bad Idea. The Alaska Public Offices Commission got handed a tough situation. Nine days ago they looked hard at it and made a bad decision. A divided federal court said Alaska's voter-passed campaign contribution limits (most notably the $500 per individual cap) are unconstitutional. So the staff read the judges' ruling and made some well-thought-out recommendations that would inflation adjust our limits and meet the court’s standards. The commissioners rejected that. So now it’s the wild west. We’ve got no rules and no clear path to fix it. After some initial noncommittal statements, the governor publicly opposes campaign contribution limits. That's going to make it hard to get the votes in the legislature to pass new, sane rules. So what's this all about? I disagree with the US Supreme Court's ruling that money is the same as speech when it comes to campaigns. Wealthy Americans have the right to buy more boats and houses and land, but not more democracy. Still, it's the law. But the high court never even suggested that means there can be no limits at all. Federal campaign contribution limits have withstood court challenges, after all. So while I can argue all day about the damage we do by letting big money interests push their agendas over ordinary Alaskans, we need to look at what the Court allows. One of the very few reasons the Supremes will let a state cap campaign contributions is the risk of corruption. Let's think that one through: Successful campaigns for the Alaska State Legislature usually cost in the $40-140,000 range. (There are exceptions.) That's a lot of $500 checks. And most candidates raise their money from much smaller donations than that. With a low cap, nobody trades their donation for extra influence. Now imagine someone approached candidates for the legislature saying they had $100,000 checks for those who agreed with them on an issue. How many candidates would hang up the phone? Especially knowing the donor's next call would be to their opponent? There's no magic line here where on one side, honest people stay honest and other they go bent. If the limit goes to $1,500, it's a tiny bit harder to tell a would-be donor to take a hike. But a good campaigner can make up that amount on shoe leather and phone calls. The higher the ceiling goes, the tougher it gets to win a campaign without courting "conditional" money. You don't have to allow six figure checks to see the risk. History is replete with examples of people who compromised a principle or two over here so they could accomplish a goal over there. It seldom ends well for the public. Campaign contribution limits lower the risk of that stuff starting. Most public servants come into this work with the best intentions—to do right for their constituents and communities. If we allow massive, unlimited contributions, Alaska opens the door to buying the people’s representatives. That’s just begging for trouble. All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE Events & Happenings Around District Q Juneau Tax Aid AARP is hosting a series of free tax prep sessions at St. Paul’s Catholic Church—schedule an appointment and get some help getting your taxes in order! Juneau Weeds Join the Southeast Alaska Master Gardeners Association for their free “weedy” Wednesdays talk. They’ll provide some good tips and answer any questions! Juneau Parks Clue #3 Was it Professor Chinook with the filet knife in Treadwell Arena?! Join this free and fun spin on the classic game. This time the clues are along the Outer Point Trail. Juneau Innovation JEDC’s annual innovation summit is ON! Be a part of Talent Transformation in a Dynamic Economy. March 16-17 at Centennial Hall. Haines River Talk Come listen to stories on the theme “Saved by a Song.” Seven speakers, seven stories, seven minutes, 7pm, all for $7. Plus live music and more—happening March 17th at the Chilkat Center for the Arts. Haines Snowburners A great way to get out and enjoy the great outdoors with the Chilkat Lake 100 or Hill Climb! Haines Wine Tasting Mark your calendars for April 9th—Support KHNS public radio, have a great time, and try some excellent wines. Skagway Live It’s not a Buckwheat Classic (happening today!) without a festive night of dancing and live music with “Bad Hombres Badder Mujer.” Join the fun at Skagway Brewing Company! Skagway Babies Stories, songs, and fun with Ms. Anna! The Windy Valley Babies get together every Wednesday in the library at 10 am. Skagway Teens Get out of the house and go to the library for a weekly night when your parents aren’t allowed to come bug you - Fridays at 6:30 pm! Gustavus Teens Try the Wii, ping-pong, games, and more. Plus, there’s popcorn! It's all free and fun—stop by the Gustavus Community Center after school on Mondays. Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call or email! Snail Mail? Alaska State Capitol Room 419 Juneau, AK 99801 Call: 800 550 4947 907 465 4947 Email Me! ‌ ‌ ‌ Contact My Staff, the people who power the work: Edric Carrillo 907 465 6419 [email protected] Cathy Schlingheyde 907 465 6827 [email protected] Senator Jesse Kiehl | Alaska State Capitol, Rm. 419, 4th Avenue & Main Street, Juneau, AK 99801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]