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House Extends Legal Authority to Ships
HB 405 Applies State Law to Crimes on State-Owned Vessels

(JUNEAU) - The House today unanimously passed House Bill 405, which would give the state statutory authority to prosecute crimes that occur on state-owned watercraft operating outside Alaska waters.

Rep. Kevin Meyer (R-Anchorage) introduced HB 405 in response to a court's dismissal of a case involving a sexual assault on a state ferry last year, he said.

"Last summer a young woman was sexually assaulted on a state ferry while it was traveling from Bellingham to Ketchikan," Meyer said. "Even though it occurred on state owned- and -operated vessel, the offense actually took place in Canadian waters."

The Ketchikan district attorney brought charges, and a Ketchikan grand jury indicted the defendant on two felony and four misdemeanor charges in connection with the attack. However, the Superior Court dismissed the indictment, finding that without a statute specifically authorizing the state to prosecute under these circumstances, Alaska had no jurisdiction in the case.

"I was very concerned with the court's dismissal because this crime is unlikely to be prosecuted by the federal government or the Canadian government," Meyer said. "The federal government does not generally prosecute offenses such as sexual assault, and the Canadian government has little interest in pursuing charges involving an Alaska victim."

While HB 405 will not affect this particular case, Meyer said he was pleased to help close a legal loophole, and to allow the state jurisdiction to prosecute such crimes in the future. He also said he is not abandoning his efforts to bring the perpetrators of last summer's ferry attack to justice.

"I have written letters to the members of our federal delegation encouraging them to ask the federal district attorney to intervene on behalf of the young woman who was assaulted last summer," he said.

HB 405 moves next to the Senate for consideration.

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