March 1, 2022
Alaskan Friends and Neighbors,
On the dawn of the first day of March, as the light grows longer, I wake up not with thoughts of sunshine and winter days soon coming to an end, but like many of you, my thoughts are for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.
As we are Russia’s closest neighbor to the west, Alaskans sense the seriousness of what is happening on the world stage perhaps more than most Americans. The outpouring of concern, love, and prayers for our Eastern European neighbors has been significant. Our district and area is home to more Alaskans who are relatives of Ukrainians than anywhere else in the state. Their worries about the dangers and struggles their family members in Ukraine are facing to defend their sovereignty against an aggressor, the likes we have not seen in more than 75 years, are very real.
Let us support them; let us pray for those they love in Ukraine, for their safety and well-being, for the refugees, for those making strategic decisions, for their leaders, for those defending their country. Likewise, may our nation’s leaders and those of other NATO nations have wisdom in how we assist this country of 44 million people. This is a different world than it was at the start of World War II, but the crucial need to maintain the balance of power in our world is no less.
I don’t know about you, but times like this cause me to adjust my perspective and focus on things that are truly important, such as family. I’ve been checking in on my children and grandchildren more frequently and touching base more often with friends and colleagues. I’ve also focused more on doing my best to serve you well. Although some of the issues in the legislature may seem petty compared to the fact that people in Ukraine are fighting to defend their way of life and their nation, I know many of the items before the legislature impact individual Alaskans and their way of life too.
Several issues are elevated in my mind as particularly important, considering current events, and I’m working on them on your behalf with extra fervor and diligence. You can watch our Facebook Live as we discuss several of those items and read about one of them in this newsletter: cybersecurity attacks, Alaska’s trade balance challenges with Russia and China, the tremendous need for Alaska to play a larger role in regard to increased energy independence for the USA , Permanent Fund divestment considerations regarding Russia, and food security efforts for Alaska.
With the invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s threats of cyberattacks and nuclear war, Trudeau’s crackdown of the Canadian Freedom Convoy, the formation of an American Freedom Convoy, and President Biden’s upcoming State of the Union, the daily news indicates we are certainly on brink of some very interesting times.
These issues are a stark reminder to us that we need to be able to sustain ourselves and our livelihoods. Never has it been more obvious that we must have not only our own food supplies, but the ability to store and move those foodstuffs to Alaskans. We must also focus on energy independence. Just as with our food infrastructure, moving our fuel long distances from Washington and Oregon is expensive and difficult to secure. These shipments have a long and arduous journey from Valdez to your cars and furnaces and can be interrupted by bad weather or other issues easily.
Another threat vector we need to mitigate is cyberattacks. Just about everything we depend on from our water supply to the ships that transport our fuel are connected to the internet in some way. This ‘Internet Of Things’ has become a way of life for every industry in our country and a cyberattack from a nation-state level actor like Russia could bring everything to a grinding halt within hours and we need to be prepared.
In light of the state of our world, I am focusing on HB3 which extends the definition of a disaster to cover cyberattacks. This will make your government more responsive to disruptions caused by cyberattacks and the associated denial of services and industries that accompany those attacks.
I am also focused on Senate Joint Resolution 16 and 17 regarding Russian and China seafood trade balance and working toward greater energy independence via micro-reactors, the topic of SB 177. These bills will help to build our food security and energy independence, more important now than ever.
Please stay in touch. Hearing from constituents and other Alaskans continues to be a top priority.
Working on your behalf,
I got to meet with the Alaska Professional Design Council this week to discuss SB169, an act relating to the inspection and testing of fire dampers, smoke dampers, combination fire and smoke dampers, and smoke control systems.
Raise Your Hand If You Know a Female Athlete
Fifty years ago, women’s sports changed forever. In 1972 slightly over 300,000 women and girls played college and high school sports in the United States. When I was a teenager, the only option for a female to be connected to a public school athletic program was to be a cheerleader, and the cheerleading squads were small (5-10) at each high school. Fifty years later, in 2022, the number of female athletes has increased by over 900 percent to more than 3.5 million women and girls thanks to a law called Title IX. This law, passed with great effort from its sponsor, Congresswoman Patsy Mink, promises:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation,or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Women’s college sports teams, virtually non-existent prior to 1972, can now be found on nearly every campus in the country. High schools are much the same. During the 2018-19 school year, 57.4% of high school students were athletes and 43% of high school athletes were girls according to the National Federation of State High School Associations..
An estimated ten-thousand Alaskan girls have come out for high-school sports every year for the last decade.
This year, as we celebrate Title IX’s 50th anniversary, women and girls stand, once more, at risk of losing an even playing field in sports. An ever-increasing trend of males and transgender women who were born male playing in women’s sports threatens competition and fairness.
Due to this risk, at the request of female athletes, coaches, parents, and other Alaskans, I am sponsoring Senate Bill 140, The Even Playing Field Act. Girls and women should not be robbed of the chance to be selected for a team, to win a championship, or to be awarded a college scholarship due to the physical advantages of transgender women.
For those of you who know and care deeply about transgender individuals, allow me right out of the gate to make it very clear that I very much value each and every transgender person, including those who are sports-minded; I absolutely support these individuals having opportunities to engage in athletic programs and sports on an even playing field too. The Even Playing Field Act is not about discriminating against anyone; it is actually the opposite: to ensure discrimination against girls and women does not occur – that they are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in athletic programs compared to boys, men, and transgender persons.
You might think this is not an issue here in Alaska, but as incidences of female athletes losing to transgender females increases elsewhere, young girls here are already questioning whether it will be worth their while to work hard and train as an athlete and to pursue sports. Alaska needs a clear policy in place presently so our grade school, middle school, and high school girls know if they apply themselves now, they have a chance in the future to stand on a podium as a top contender instead of only on the sidelines.
You may be wondering how uneven the playing field would be for females if we don’t protect girls’ and women’s sports to ensure fairness. Undeniable evidence and scientific research conclude that the average biological male body is stronger, larger, and faster than the average female body. This is particularly true in high school athletics. For example, many male high school track and field athletes consistently beat the times of the best female Olympians who’ve trained intensely for years. Male-bodied athletes have a substantial physical advantage over female athletes in sports, regardless of the beliefs that the male-bodied athlete may hold about their sexuality or gender identity.
Review the graphic below and bear in mind that even two years after hormonal therapy to suppress testosterone, transgender females retain a 12% advantage in running tests (according to 2020 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine).
For decades, biological sex-specific separations in athletics have preserved competition while allowing women the chance to win. The great triumph of Title IX and the success of millions of women in athletics must not be discarded in the name of social progress. I stand for equal opportunity for all which is why I cannot condone an uneven playing field nor allow the gains won in the last fifty years in girls’ and women’s sports to be lost.
This is why I have sponsored SB 140. My bill would require public schools to designate their athletic teams male, female, or co-ed and a student who participates in an athletic team designated female to be female based on her biological sex. Private schools competing against public schools would also be required to comply with these rules.
SB 140 has been referred to the Senate Education Committee and is up for its first hearing Thursday, March 3rd. Stay tuned for opportunities for public testimony on this bill in the upcoming weeks. I have heard strong support from Alaskans across the state over the last year on this topic of protecting fairness for girls and women sports, but I am not sure other legislators have. Please send your comments to Senate.Education@akleg.gov and to me at Sen.Shelley.Hughes@akleg.gov with “SB 140” in the subject heading.
This legislation will allow thousands of Alaskan women and girls to continue to compete on an even playing field and win fairly in sports for years to come.
In the event of a major cybersecurity attack, how would Alaska react?
It is no secret that Russia has been and continues to use cyber-attacks as a weapon against those who stand against Vladimir Putin’s empirical dreams. It was just in June 2017 that the Russian forces unleashed the cyber weapon dubbed NotPetya upon Ukrainian targets, which quickly spread across the globe, affecting even U.S. hospitals and causing an estimated $10 billion in damages. With the latest Russian aggression in Ukraine and the involvement of the United States and our allies in providing support to Ukraine and economic sanctions to Russia, it is little surprise that the FBI has issued a Cybersecurity Advisory which specifically points to Russian efforts to stall or disrupt our national defense.
Cybersecurity of the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unlawful access or criminal use and the practice of guaranteeing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. Because so much of what we do in our lives involves some form of electronic information storage, areas like communication, transportation, shopping, medicine, and other sectors have become a target for bad actors looking to make money from our information. As of 2021, there is a ransomware attack every 11 seconds, which is up from every 39 seconds in 2019. According to research by smallbiztrends.com, 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses, and that trend is growing.
Now more than ever, our state needs to do whatever we can to not only protect ourselves from cyber-attack but to also provide the tools necessary to recover electronic systems that have been victimized by those attacks.
House Bill 3, sponsored by Representative DeLena Johnson and passed in the House in April of 2021, will be considered soon on the Senate floor at my urging, considering the events currently on our world stage. I have been asked by the bill sponsor to carry the legislation as senators consider its passage. HB 3 adds cyber-attacks as a category to the Alaska Disaster Act which would allow swift action by the governor and the legislature if a widespread event were to occur.
Our state agencies, political subdivisions and critical infrastructures are dealing with and navigating against attacks daily. if you know an IT security individual, consider thanking them for their work daily to protect us. Even these smaller events cost millions in state dollars and disrupt public services. Just since 2018, there have been major devastating attacks to the City of Valdez, the Mat-Su Borough, the Department of Health and Social Services, and the Alaska Court System. The attack on the Mat-Su Borough alone cost $2.5 million.
HB simply adds that a disaster declaration can be made in the event of a significant cyber-attack that causes damage to critical infrastructure, information systems, information storage systems or if there is a credible threat of a cyber-attack to these systems of the state or political subdivision of the state. Such a provision in law will allow a faster response from law enforcement agencies and allow the federal and state governments to assist with recovery efforts.
HB 3 adds an item to our laws that was not even an afterthought for legislators when the disaster statutes were originally adopted. Now, it is a much-needed update in light of our quickly advancing technological world. At the same time, once HB 3 becomes law, I hope and pray we will not need to invoke it anytime soon or actually ever.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOU TO WEIGH IN THIS WEEK
Public Testimony
Below is list of bills scheduled to be heard in various committees this week. If you’d like to provide public testimony, plug the bill number (for example “HB 133”) into the search bar here to learn the date and time. Scroll down toward the bottom of this newsletter to find the public testimony call-in phone numbers.
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As the volume of daily contacts reaching out to my office has exponentially increased over time, my staff stands by, ready to assist you. If you desire follow-up, feedback, a response to a question, etc., it’s always best to call the office. Below are direct phone numbers for my aides, or you can call the general number at 907-465-3743. |
For additional information,
contact my staff:
Buddy Whitt- Chief of Staff
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Senate Judiciary Committee
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Senate Education Committee
Buddy.Whitt@akleg.gov
907-465-5025
Daniel Phelps – Legislative Aide
-Committee Aide for Community and Regional Affairs
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Alaska Grown Caucus
Daniel.Phelps@akleg.gov
907-465-1172
Brent Bartlett – Legislative Aide
– Senator Hughes’ Aide for Health and Social Services Committee
Brent.Bartlett@akleg.gov
907-465-3743
Serving You in These Roles
Current Senate Committees:
- Community & Regional Affairs Committee, Chair
- Health & Social Services Committee, Vice-Chair
- Rules Committee, Member
- Judiciary Committee, Member
- Education Committee, Member
- Legislative Council Committee, Alternate
Finance Subcommittee Assignments:
- Senate Transportation & Public Facilities (Fin Sub), Member
- Senate Administration (Fin Sub), Member
- Senate Judiciary (Fin Sub), Member
Other Appointments:
- State Agriculture & Rural Leaders, Alaska Delegate
- Mat-Su Legislative Delegation, Member
- National Conference of State Legislatures – State Coordinator
- National Conference of State Legislatures – Law, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, Member
- National Conference of State Legislatures – Task Force on Cybersecurity, Member
- Council of State Governments – Transportation Committee, Member
- Council of State Governments West – Canada Relations Committee, Member
For information on bills I’m co‑sponsoring
click here.
For information on all bills filed during this session,
click here.
Passed Legislation
(Bills that are finished with the legislative process)
SB 27 – Industrial Hemp Program; Manufacturing- Many of you are aware that in 2018 I sponsored and the legislature passed SB6 allowing for the legalized growth and production of Industrial Hemp as an agricultural product in the Alaska. In late 2018 the US Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill which made additional changes to the federal statutes regarding the production of industrial hemp. SB 27 makes a few small changes in Alaska statute in order to conform to those federal changes.
The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate and almost unanimously in the House (Representatives Eastman and Kurka were opposed to this bill). This summer the Governor signed the bill at the Alaska State Fair, and just a few weeks ago the United States Department of Agriculture approved the Alaska Industrial Hemp Plan so that Alaska can now grow, manufacture, and sell hemp and hemp products across jurisdictions. This is a great win for Alaska.
Legislation Update
(Shelley’s bills filed with your best interest in mind)
SB 41 – Health Insurance Info; Incentive Program. Also known as the Alaska Health Care Consumers Right to Shop Act. The bill is currently in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. A second hearing on the bill was held recently and we are hopeful for a third hearing which we expect will include some slight revisions. After a refresher about what the bill did (since the bill had not been before the committee for nearly a year) members were supportive. The bill was held to allow an adjustment. We hope the bill will be heard again soon and moved out. The next committee of referral is the Senate Finance Committee. This bill will loosen up free-market principles to operate like they should in our healthcare market in Alaska. Providing an easy way for consumers to price compare through an online tool and offering an incentive via cashback for shared savings if the consumer chooses a provider who charges less than the average charge, this bill help reintroduce competition into a sector of our economy where it is now fairly non-existent. When it comes to healthcare, Alaska is not only the highest cost state in the nation, it is the highest cost location on the globe. This stifles economic growth in other sectors, overburdens Alaskan families and individuals, is taking dollars allocated to education away from instruction in our schools, and increases costs for local and state governments.
SB 42 – Virtual and Early Education, Reading- The “Education Transformation Act” (now merged into Senate Education Committee SB 111) establishes proven reading instruction in our schools with the goal that children will learn to read well by third grade. It also establishes an online platform with a menu of classes and video samples in order to open up a larger variety of course offerings and teaching expertise to students statewide. Lastly, it provides for optional pre-K with a strong reading preparation component. The bill is awaiting a third hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Certain items in the bill were recently misunderstood and misrepresented by a few members of the House majority in a newspaper opinion piece. Several of us are working to set the record straight so that the legislation can move forward and young Alaskan students can benefit from schools being held accountable to teach children to read.
SB 43 – Elections, Voting, Campaign Finance- “An Act relating to campaign finance and initiatives; relating to elections and voting; and relating to unlawful interference with voting”. SB 43 is about improving transparency and accountability in Alaska’s campaign finance laws as well as securing the integrity of Alaska’s election process. We were able to move the bill from the Senate State Affairs Committee to the Judiciary Committee but will not be requesting a hearing because the key pieces of the bill were incorporated into SB39, an election integrity bill by Senator Shower which awaits a hearing in Senate Finance.
SB 102 – Extending the Alaska membership in the Compact to advocate for an Article V Constitutional Convention for the purposes of advancing an amendment to the United States Constitution requiring a balanced budget. Alaska’s membership in this compact is set to expire this year, but with the passage of Senate Bill 102, Alaska would remain a member in the compact until 2031. The bill has been in the possession of the Senate Finance Committee since early April 2021 but has not been scheduled. Former Lt Governor Mead Treadwell is a big advocate for this legislation and is visiting with key members of the legislature, hoping to win support for the bill to move.
SB 140 – An Act relating to school athletics, recreation, athletic teams, and sports. The goal of SB 140 is simply to maintain the rights women fought for and gained in obtaining Title IX status in 1972. Before Title IX, 1 in 27 girls played sports. Today that number is 2 in 5. SB140 will be heard for the first time in the Senate Education Committee on Thursday, March 3rd.
SB181 – Identification of Contractor in Ads – This bill amends the current statute to allow contractors to provide an internet website or landing page that contains their licensure and identification requirements rather than listing the details in the advertisement. This bill was moved out of the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee last week and awaits a hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.
SJR 4 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to abortion. This bill will allow for the question of abortion to be decided through legislation or voter initiative. The bill was heard and passed out of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee is currently in the Senate Finance Committee. We are hopeful that the committee will hear the bill in the near future.
Join Shelley on Facebook Live each week to ask questions and give input.
We typically broadcast Mondays at 6:00 pm, but watch for a notification on Facebook as the day/time is subject to change.
Be sure to “like” the “Senator Shelley Hughes” Facebook page www.facebook.com/AKShelleyHughes
so you’ll get a heads-up each time we air!
HAVE A FEDERAL ISSUE???
Contact Alaska’s US Senators and Congressman
Lisa Murkowski – Senator
Anchorage: 907-271-3735
Mat-Su: 907-376-7665
Dan Sullivan – Senator
Anchorage: 907-271-5915
Mat-Su: 357-9956
Don Young – Congressman
Anchorage: 907-271-5978
TIPS TO STAY IN THE LOOP
More important than ever!
TIP #1: The Alaska State Legislature web site is the place to track bills, locate and contact your legislators (session), and access committee information. Questions? Try the help wizard or call 1-800-478-4648.
TIP #2: SMS Bill Tracking! Once you know what bill(s) you want to monitor, here’s a convenient way to track what’s happening. Text any bill number (ex: SB1) to 559-245-2529 to enroll in text alerts for that particular piece of legislation. You’ll receive an enrollment confirmation as well as instructions on how to unsubscribe.
TIP #3: How to Get in Touch with Shelley! Give our office a call at (907)465-3743 or 800-565-3743 or send an email to Sen.Shelley.Hughes@akleg.gov. If you need assistance, want a response, or need other follow-up, please call rather than email.
Buddy Whitt- Chief of Staff
-Senator’s Aide for Senate Rules Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Majority Leadership
-Senator’s Aide for Senate Floor Session
Buddy.Whitt@akleg.gov
907-465-5025
Daniel Phelps – Legislative Aide
-Committee Aide for Community and Regional Affairs
-Senator’s Aide for Senate Judiciary Committee
Daniel.Phelps@akleg.gov
907-465-1172
Brent Bartlett – Legislative Aide
-Senator’s Aide for Health and Social Services Committee
Brent.Bartlett@akleg.gov
907-465-3743
Diane Bryant – Legislative Aide
-Senator’s Aide for Education Committee
Diane.Bryant@akleg.gov
907-465-1173
Juneau Office
Alaska State Capitol Rm 30
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-465-3743
800-565-3743
Mat-Su Office (closed while in Juneau)
600 E. Railroad Avenue
Wasilla, Alaska 99654
907-376-3725
Best regards,
Copyright © *2022* *Office of Senator Shelley Hughes*, All rights reserved.
