Rep. Allard testifies for deaf children, while Rep. Hannan hears that she has somehow been called a bigot

By
Suzanne Downing
-
30
Rep. Jamie Allard of Eagle River testifies for the needs of deaf students, and Rep. Sara Hannan of Juneau accuses Allard of calling her a bigot, in House Finance Committee.

One legislator was making the case for deaf children’s needs in school. Another legislator was hearing things.

Rep. Jamie Allard was giving the House Finance Committee reasons to vote in favor of her bill to provide more support for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She said that those children should not be discriminated against in funding and programs. Allard wears a hearing aid, and has a hearing disability exacerbated by military service.

This was Allard’s second presentation in front of Finance, which is usually limited to closing comments. Instead, it was an interrogation session by the opposition Democrats, including Rep. Andy Josephson and Rep. Sara Hannan, who were trying to kill the bill.

While Allard had used the word “discrimination,” Rep. Hannan took issue with Allard, accused Allard of calling her a “bigot,” and said Allard was impugning the motives of the Democrats who were grilling her. Hannan misquoted Allard, but Allard quickly corrected the record.

“I never said ‘bigot,'” Allard responded, as an at-ease was called by Rep. Will Stapp, who asked everyone to “take about 30 seconds.” Allard had been badgered by the Democrats on the committee in an apparent attempt to bait her.

When the room came back to the record, Allard repeated that she had never called anyone a bigot, which is factual, according to the Gavel Alaska recording.

Watch Allard’s argument for her bill and then the response from Hannan in taking umbrage at the testimony:

House Bill 111 establishes that children who are deaf or hard of hearing have the right to an individualized education program that identifies their primary language, considers their prognosis for hearing loss, provides instruction in their primary language, provides assistive devices and services, and provides appropriate and timely assessments in their primary language.

The bill has cosponsors from both sides of the aisles: Rep. Cliff Groh, Andrew Gray, Kevin McCabe, Sarah Vance, Stanley Wright, Rebecca Himschoot, Jesse Sumner, Ashley Carrick, George Rauscher, Ashley Carrick, George Rauscer, and Bryce Edgmon.

But some House Democrats don’t want the bill to make it to the floor of the House and are trying to kill it in the Finance Committee.

On the Senate side, Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, a Democrat from Anchorage, is carrying the companion legislation.

House Bill 111 is at this link.

30 COMMENTS

  1. Remember when Hannan gave a speech on the floor touting the benefits of the nazi medical experiments?

    You can call her pretty much anything, and you’ll be right.

  2. Jamie- I’m so sorry these people don’t know how to behave themselves or tell the truth. It’s not fair to you or to Alaskans, period. Keep fighting, Girl!

  5. I am Almost sure deaf education is part is special education funding. The district receives funding for each of the students who are identified. If students are not receiving services this issue should be addressed with the district since this money is federal and students HAVE to be served.

    • Yes, they are given money$$, but most of the money is probably being spent for all the WOKE educational materials they need RE-educate the deaf/hard of hearing.. It’s got to be very expensive changing ALL the educational materials to “fit” their theories. As a hard of hearing(military), I understand.. FIGHT ON jAMIE!!.

  6. Representative Allard is CORRECT! An Individual Education Plan (IEP) identifies the goals and objectives for a student to achieve a successful education program. The school district identifies the IEP team that is also inclusive of a parent, an advocate that the parent wants to include on the IEP team.

    Students also have another layer of protection services. Your Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. ‘https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/civilrights/resources/factsheets/504.pdf

    An IEP can identify students that are gifted and talented. These students can be provided with an enrichment program within our public educational system.

    Representative Allard is obviously following the laws and again protecting our children and grandchildren within the public educational system that is afford to them within the Alaska Constitution.

  7. More unpleasantness of Women leaders who grew up believing “if we had women running this world there be no problems” this just another characteristic how women don’t listen to one another when she not part of her clique just as much as men don’t listen to women

  8. Hannah, Josephson, and others are just playing dirty politics over this common sense bill. They hate Rep. Allard for her stances on education and parental rights and for trying to protect children from gender reassignment procedures and treatments (HB338). This type of political pettiness is the root cause of the Legislature’s incapacity to efficiently accomplish anything meaningful.

  11. I was unable to follow the discussion on Gavel Alaska because of my hearing loss. The producers of this service have not ever provided closed captioning for the hearing impaired despite (or maybe because of) the strong special interest sponsorship of this programming. And as a parent of a child who had a learning disability, I can reflect on the uselessness of the IAP program, except to secure extra funding for the school district. Thank you Jamie and MRA , for bringing this issue to light.

  14. IEP? I’ve been deaf in my right ear since I was five y.o. My IEP involved my mother speaking with the teachers at the beginning of the school year, explaining the situation, and asking that I get preferential seating (right side of the room, front row). Eventually, I took care of that for myself and managed to do well enough in school to graduate with a solid education. But that was a long time ago, before the AEA bureaucrats ruled the roost.

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