Priority School Legislation: April 13, 2005

Floor speech ikn support of my bill to require manditory imprisonment for anyone who assaults a school employee
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Mr. Speaker: Every year we are urged by parents and teachers, and the conscience of every member of this body, to support our teachers, and to support everybody who works so hard in the schools, to help our kids. Every year, we do our best to find ways help our schools with limited resources, limited money.

Now better salaries are good, and a school building that doesn’t fall down around your ears is very good, and we need smaller class sizes – but all those good things cost money, a lot of money. But the bill we’re hearing today, HB41, is good for our schools, and it doesn’t cost a fortune.

HB41 is good because sets a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for anyone who would assault a school teacher, or any other school employee. It’s good because it sends a message, a strong message, to the community that we’re serious about protecting our schools, and serious about protecting the teachers, who protect our kids.

This bill is priority legislation of the Anchorage School District, the North Star School District in Fairbanks, the Alaska Council of School Administrators, the Alaska Peace Officers Association, the NEA, and many more - including myself as a retired public school teacher, and my wife who is a retired classified school employee.

HB41 is a good bill, and it’s long overdue, and I urge you to vote “yes!” Thank you.