Sponsor Statement HB 333

"An Act relating to the crime of endangering the welfare of a minor."

Approximately 75% of the child abuse cases in Alaska involve adults who are partially or profoundly incapacitated by alcohol or illegal drugs. Children in Alaska are battered, sexually assaulted, and killed at, or near, the worst rate in North America over the last ten years.

In addition, a person who is incapacitated by drugs or alcohol cannot adequately care for a child nor deal with the contingencies that are liable to appear at any moment such as: fire, choking, poisoning, sickness, etc.

This bill makes it a crime of criminal negligence, a class C felony, to be incapacitated by alcohol or drugs while having responsible charge of a child under ten years of age.