Exposure to COVID Slows House Session

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Category: State News

Created on Wednesday, 02 February 2022 16:04

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By BECKY BOHRER
The Associated Press

JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska House speaker said today a “large portion” of Alaska state representatives had been exposed to COVID-19. That scuttled plans for a formal floor session and left unresolved a proposal to remove from legislative committees a representative who has acknowledged being a member of the Oath Keepers far-right organization.

The House on Monday tabled consideration of the proposed action against Republican Rep. David Eastman, and it wasn’t immediately clear when the matter might come up again. The House did not meet Tuesday and held a so-called technical session Wednesday, during which no formal business was taken up. 

Joe Plesha, communications director for the House’s bipartisan majority, said it was determined Tuesday that “roughly half the members in this body were close contacts to a positive case. It is still being determined who has to quarantine based on their vaccination status.”

House Speaker Louise Stutes was not immediately available for comment today. The House is next scheduled to meet Friday. 

A legislative panel on House committees voted 5-2 Monday to remove Eastman from committee assignments, with the dissenting votes coming from two minority Republicans, Plesha has said. There was little public notice ahead of the meeting, and Eastman has criticized what he called a lack of transparency around the action. Eastman is part of the 18-person Republican minority.

He said Wednesday that he is active on the committees on which he sits. “As important as that is, I won’t compromise my integrity to stay on those committees,” he said. 

A leader of the Oath Keepers and other members or associates have been charged with seditious conspiracy related to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Eastman has said that he did not condone the storming of the Capitol.

Eastman last week told The Associated Press he joined the Oath Keepers “a little over 12 years ago. Along with 38,000 others who have committed to honoring the oaths we have taken.”

In a post on his website, he described his connection with the group as “slight” but also said he refused to “throw the law-abiding members of Oathkeepers to the Cancel Culture wolves.”

Ivan Hodes was among the West Point graduates who last year called on Eastman, a fellow graduate, to resign. Hodes also has supported calls to expel Eastman. Hodes said there should be a debate on the House floor about Eastman’s membership in the Oath Keepers and how that reflects on the House as an institution. 

House Minority Leader Cathy Tilton has said it’s a “slippery slope” for the Legislature to make determinations about a person’s involvement in an organization. Tilton has noted that there have been no charges against Eastman.