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Committee advances "Kathleen's Law" to increase penalties for failing to report violent crimes; trafficking amendment fails
Summary
House Bill 170, which increases penalties for failing to report violent crimes, was moved from committee after debate. An amendment to add first‑degree human and sex trafficking to the list of reportable violent crimes failed on a 2‑5 roll call.
The House State Affairs Committee voted to move House Bill 170, a measure to increase penalties for failing to report violent crimes, out of committee on May 8, 2025. The sponsor described the bill as an accountability measure aimed at ensuring silence does not shield perpetrators, and linked the proposal to efforts addressing missing and murdered Indigenous persons.
Representative Robin Burke, sponsor of HB 170, said the bill “seeks to increase penalties for failing to report violent crimes committed against adults. This bill is an accountability, justice, and ensuring that silence in the face of violence no longer shields perpetrators from consequences.” She invoked the bill’s association with the effort known in testimony as “Kathleen's Law.”
Representative Vance offered Amendment 1 to add first‑degree human trafficking and first‑degree sex trafficking to the list of violent crimes that must be reported. He said those offenses constitute “human slavery” and belong on the list. Representative Burke said she opposed adding the trafficking language at this stage, citing concerns that the change could inadvertently criminalize bystanders who witness unclear conduct and do not recognize trafficking.
Legal advisers and witnesses clarified statutory terms. Nancy Mead, general counsel for the Alaska Court System, noted that the statutes in question list specific offenses for the failure‑to‑report provision and that "violent crime" is not generally defined by a single statute. Casey Schroeder, senior assistant attorney general with the Department of Law, explained the knowledge standard the state would have to prove in a prosecution: a witness must have observed conduct they knew, or reasonably should have known, was a listed violent offense. She said the legislature is free to add offenses to the statute, but prosecutions would require evidence the witness knew the nature of the offense.
The committee voted on Amendment 1 by roll call; the clerk recorded 2 yeas and 5 nays and the amendment failed. Following additional brief discussion, Vice Chair Story moved that HB 170 be moved from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal notes. With no objection recorded, the bill was reported out of committee.
The committee record shows the bill will continue to its next referral for further consideration. The transcript shows the committee heard and debated whether trafficking statutes (AS 11.41.360 for human trafficking in the first degree and related statutes for sex trafficking) should be added to the list of violent crimes for purposes of the failure‑to‑report offense.
