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SENATE BILL NO. 117
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY THE SENATE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Introduced: 3/5/25
Referred: Labor and Commerce, Finance
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act renaming the State Commission for Human Rights the Alaska State 1
Commission for Civil Rights; relating to removal of commissioners of the Alaska State 2
Commission for Civil Rights; relating to reports from the Alaska State Commission for 3
Civil Rights; relating to the definition of 'employer' for the purposes of the Alaska State 4
Commission for Civil Rights; and relating to local civil rights commissions." 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 6
* Section 1. AS 18.80.010 is amended to read: 7
Sec. 18.80.010. Creation. There is created in the office of the governor an
8
Alaska [A] State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights. 9
* Sec. 2. AS 18.80.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 10
(b) The governor may remove a commissioner from office for cause. For 11
purposes of this subsection, cause includes incompetence, neglect of duty, and 12
misconduct in office, and public statements and public or private actions that 13 34-LS0698\A
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undermine the commission's work or violate this chapter. To remove a commissioner 1
for cause, the governor shall provide a copy of the charges to the commissioner and 2
offer an opportunity for the commissioner to be publicly heard in person, or by 3
counsel, in the commissioner's defense, upon not less than 10 days' notice. If a 4
commissioner is removed for cause, the governor shall file with the lieutenant 5
governor a complete statement of all charges made against the commissioner and the 6
governor's findings based on the charges, together with a complete record of the 7
proceedings. 8
* Sec. 3. AS 18.80.150 is amended to read: 9
Sec. 18.80.150. Annual report. Each year, the [THE] commission shall 10
review all data [REPORT ANNUALLY TO THE GOVERNOR] on civil rights 11
problems the commission [IT] has encountered in the preceding year [,] and produce 12
a report by November 15 of each year on those problems. The report may include 13
recommendations for [RECOMMEND] legislative action. [THE COMMISSION 14
SHALL PROVIDE THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AGENCY WITH 40 COPIES 15
OF THE REPORT DURING THE WEEK PRECEDING THE CONVENING OF 16
THE ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR LIBRARY DISTRIBUTION.] The 17
commission shall make [COPIES OF] the report available to the public electronically 18
and notify the governor and the legislature that the report is available. 19
* Sec. 4. AS 18.80.220 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 20
(e) In an action brought under (a)(1) of this section, it is an affirmative defense 21
that 22
(1) the employer is a religious corporation, association, educational 23
institution, or society that hires employees of a particular religion to perform work 24
connected with carrying on the corporation, association, educational institution, or 25
society and its activities; and 26
(2) the employee is hired to engage in activities that are ecclesiastical, 27
spiritual, or religious, and the employee's job responsibilities include furthering the 28
study or advancement of religion. 29
* Sec. 5. AS 18.80.290(a) is amended to read: 30
(a) The legislative body of a municipality may, by ordinance or resolution, 31 34-LS0698\A
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authorize the establishment of membership in and support of a local civil [HUMAN] 1
rights commission. The number and qualifications of the members of a local 2
commission and their terms and method of appointment or removal shall be as 3
determined by the legislative body, except that a member may not hold office in a 4
political party. 5
* Sec. 6. AS 18.80.300(2) is amended to read: 6
(2) "commission" means the Alaska State Commission for Civil 7
[HUMAN] Rights; 8
* Sec. 7. AS 18.80.300(5) is amended to read: 9
(5) "employer" means a person, including the state and a political 10
subdivision of the state, who has one or more employees in the state but does not 11
include an organization [A CLUB] that is exclusively social [,] or a fraternal and [, 12
CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, OR RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION OR 13
CORPORATION, IF THE CLUB, ASSOCIATION, OR CORPORATION] is not 14
organized for private profit; 15
* Sec. 8. AS 18.80.300(7) is amended to read: 16
(7) "executive director" means the executive director of the Alaska 17
State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights; 18
* Sec. 9. AS 24.60.039(b) is amended to read: 19
(b) If a person files a complaint with the committee under AS 24.60.170 20
alleging a violation of this section, the committee may refer the complainant to the 21
Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights and may defer its consideration 22
of the complaint until after the complainant establishes to the satisfaction of the 23
committee that the commission has completed its proceedings in the matter. 24
* Sec. 10. AS 39.50.200(b)(13) is amended to read: 25
(13) Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights 26
(AS 18.80.010); 27
* Sec. 11. AS 44.62.330(a)(42) is amended to read: 28
(42) Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights, where 29
procedures are not otherwise expressly provided in AS 18.80; 30