Nice try skylark, but this whole rape kit story is as phony as the day is long, manufactured by Tony Knowles and his buddies on the Obama campaign by revisionist history. Skylark hides the ball in reviewing and quoting from the committee minutes on the Alaska bill. Read for yourself the committee minutes from the Alaska State Affairs committee re SSHB 270-SEXUAL ASSAULT & SEXUAL ABUSE, and you will get a much different story than skylark trys to spin.
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_single_minute.asp?ch=H&beg_line=0317&end_line=0714&session=21&comm=STA&date=20000309&time=0820The minutes are enlightening and conclusive. Wasilla Police Chief Fannon was, at worst, telling the hospitals at which the rape exams were conducted to bill the victims' insurance companies, which appears to be corroborated by the 2000 Frontiersman story quoting him. But the victims themselves were at no time being charged directly by any police department in the State of Alaska, Wasilla included - this is confirmed in the committee minutes by both Del Smith, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Public Safety, and Lauree Hugonin, Director, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA). We learn the true culprit (as to why some rape victims in Alaska "sporadically" received bills related to their rape exams) was the hospitals - specifically, changes in accounting procedures used by the hospitals in relation to billing insurance companies for rape exams. According to TRISHA GENTLE, Executive Director, Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, some Alaska hospitals "have chosen to separate some of the costs of sexual assault exams. Hospitals are adding sexually transmitted disease (STD) and blood tests to the cost of sexual assault exams, and the hospital makes a choice to bill the victim for those charges. Police departments are willing to pay for sexual assault exams, but it is an internal decision on the part of the hospital as to who pays the hospital bill." Read the whole minutes of that committee meeting as linked above - some key excerpts are copied below. The minutes from every other meeting on this bill are at
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_minutes.asp?chamb=B&date1=010181&date2=120180&session=21&Root=HB270 and they all tell the same story, which completely exonerates Palin from the bogus media headlines that she "charged victims for rape exams." Get this out there, quick!!!!!
"DEL SMITH, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Safety,
testified in support of HB 270. He noted that it has always been
the position and practice of law enforcement to pay for the
collection of forensic evidence in support of a criminal
prosecution. Under no circumstances, he explained, has he ever
thought it appropriate to bill a victim or even by extension bill
the victim's insurance company. He commented that he does not
think that a victim ought to even see a bill related to sexual
assault whether it is on their insurance form or not. He
emphasized that a police agency investigating a crime should pay
because that is the cost of doing business in the collection of
evidence no matter what the crime; he does not know of any police
agency that has requested payment. The Department of Public
Safety paid $48,659 in fiscal year (FY) 1999 for sexual assault
exams in the state, and so far in FY 2000 the department has paid
$22,880. He indicated that paying for exams had never been an
issue in the department or in the Anchorage Police Department.
He reiterated Representative Croft's comment that Alaska Cares
handles juvenile sexual assault exams, and the department is
pleased with the proposed CS because it leaves payment of
juvenile exams with Alaska Cares.....
CHAIR JAMES asked if she understood correctly that Mr. Smith is
saying that the department has never billed a victim for exams.
MR. SMITH replied that the department might have been billed, but
he has not found any police agency that has ever billed a victim.
CHAIR JAMES said she understood then that some other entity
billed victims and that the department did not think HB 270 was
necessary for the department.
MR. SMITH answered that he did not think HB 270 was necessary for
the Department of Public Safety under the current administration,
but he would feel more comfortable if there were a law that would
make sure sexual exam billings were discontinued.
LAUREE HUGONIN, Director, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and
Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), ..... emphasized that it is incomprehensible that the
victim should have to relive the crime upon receiving a bill for
the assault exam from his/her insurance company. Just as Mr.
Smith had testified, billings have not come from police agencies
but have come from hospitals. She hopes everything can be done
to expedite the proposed CS because people must understand that
it is not acceptable for the system to re-victimize someone who
has gone through such a horrible experience.
TRISHA GENTLE, Executive Director, Council on Domestic Violence &
Sexual Assault, testified in support of HB 270. She said that
the council believes that the proposed CS needs to be on the
record so that when those rare situations do arise, hospitals and
police officers have clear direction not to charge sexual assault
victims for the exam. She noted that in those cases when a
victim wants an exam but the police do not think it is justified,
the victim can get a medical exam. She explained that a forensic
exam is a very specific process; in most parts of the state there
are sexual assault response teams available to cooperate with
police. She explained that sexual assault response teams are
made up of trained nurses, examiners, and advocates who are able
to meet with a victim. She acknowledged that there are times
when a victim is not sure he/she wants to go through with a
forensic exam, but he/she has health concerns so instead of going
through a forensic exam he/she chooses to go to a doctor for a
medical exam.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN said he understood that a medical exam choice
on the part of a victim is a personal choice and would not be
affected by the proposed CS.
MS. GENTLE agreed with Representative Ogan's statement and added
that the victim's exam would not be identified as a sexual
assault exam.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN commented he is puzzled as to why hospitals
are sending bills to victims when the exam has obviously been
ordered by a local police department.
MS. GENTLE answered that there have been changes in hospital
protocol, and hospitals have chosen to separate some of the costs
of sexual assault exams. Hospitals are adding sexually
transmitted disease (STD) and blood tests to the cost of sexual
assault exams, and the hospital makes a choice to bill the victim
for those charges. Police departments are willing to pay for
sexual assault exams, but it is an internal decision on the part
of the hospital as to who pays the hospital bill. She indicated
that there is an issue of insensitivity."
Posted by: Peter Melaragno at September 22, 2008 07:02 PM
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/273965.php
