Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska Senate Bill SB169 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	SB0169A -1- SB 169
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11	11	SENATE BILL NO. 169
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13	13	IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
14	14
15	15	THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
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17	17	BY SENATOR TOBIN
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19	19	Introduced: 4/11/25
20	20	Referred: State Affairs, Finance
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22	22
23	23	A BILL
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25	25	FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
26	26
27	27	"An Act establishing the welcoming Alaska office; establishing the welcoming Alaska 1
28	28	center; establishing the Welcoming Alaska Advisory Committee; repealing the office of 2
29	29	citizenship assistance; and providing for an effective date." 3
30	30	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
31	31	* Section 1. AS 23.05 is amended by adding new sections to read: 5
32	32	Sec. 23.05.131. Welcoming Alaska office. (a) The welcoming Alaska office is 6
33	33	established in the office of the commissioner. The office shall 7
34	34	(1) provide to new immigrants and newcomers employment 8
35	35	information, referrals to employment services, including job placement services, and 9
36	36	information about how to use labor unions, administrative agencies, and court actions 10
37	37	to pursue claims or charges of job discrimination, illegal termination of employment, 11
38	38	sexual harassment, and unsafe working conditions; 12
39	39	(2) consult with stakeholders, including state agencies and local 13
40	40	governments, to identify strategies to reduce licensing and other employment barriers 14 34-LS0125\G
41	41	SB 169 -2- SB0169A
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44	44	for new immigrants and newcomers; 1
45	45	(3) use the education and experience of new immigrants and 2
46	46	newcomers to benefit the economy of the state; 3
47	47	(4) contract with other state agencies to develop and administer 4
48	48	programs or services that promote entrance into and mobility within the workforce for 5
49	49	new immigrants and newcomers; 6
50	50	(5) consult with stakeholders, including state agencies and local 7
51	51	governments, to develop and implement a statewide strategy to support businesses in 8
52	52	recruiting and retaining workers who are new immigrants and newcomers; 9
53	53	(6) advise the commissioner on 10
54	54	(A) improving employment opportunities for new immigrants 11
55	55	and newcomers; 12
56	56	(B) preventing employment discrimination against new 13
57	57	immigrants and newcomers; 14
58	58	(C) cooperating with state and federal agencies to accomplish 15
59	59	the office's mission; 16
60	60	(D) supporting the economic and social integration of new 17
61	61	immigrants and newcomers; and 18
62	62	(E) reducing the exploitation of new immigrants and 19
63	63	newcomers; 20
64	64	(7) subject to appropriation, offer grants to support the economic and 21
65	65	social integration of new immigrants and newcomers; 22
66	66	(8) subject to appropriation, offer grants to state and local government 23
67	67	agencies, community-based organizations, and nonprofits that provide individualized 24
68	68	support to foreign workers; 25
69	69	(9) serve as a convener for community-based organizations serving 26
70	70	new immigrants and newcomers; 27
71	71	(10) design and implement strategies and programs to make the state a 28
72	72	more welcoming place for new immigrants and newcomers; 29
73	73	(11) serve as a point of contact for all state agencies regarding issues 30
74	74	affecting new immigrants and newcomers; 31 34-LS0125\G
75	75	SB0169A -3- SB 169
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78	78	(12) subject to appropriation, establish the welcoming Alaska center 1
79	79	under AS 25.05.134 and operate a toll-free multilingual hotline for referral of services; 2
80	80	(13) coordinate with departments and nonprofit organizations to assist 3
81	81	new immigrants and newcomers in improving quality-of-life issues, including access 4
82	82	to business opportunities, education, employment, housing, healthcare, and other 5
83	83	services; 6
84	84	(14) subject to appropriation, assist political subdivisions with fees and 7
85	85	other costs associated with visa applications, recruitment, and housing support for new 8
86	86	immigrants and newcomers; 9
87	87	(15) research and analyze economic and demographic trends to better 10
88	88	serve new immigrants and newcomers; 11
89	89	(16) coordinate and establish best practices for language access 12
90	90	initiatives for all state agencies; 13
91	91	(17) serve as an information clearinghouse on information regarding 14
92	92	new immigrants and newcomers; and 15
93	93	(18) make policy recommendations to the governor and the legislature 16
94	94	on issues affecting new immigrants and newcomers. 17
95	95	(b) The office may contract with other organizations as appropriate to further 18
96	96	the goals of the office. 19
97	97	(c) The governor shall appoint an individual to serve as the executive director 20
98	98	of the office. The executive director is in the partially exempt service under AS 39.25 21
99	99	(State Personnel Act). 22
100	100	(d) The department shall adopt regulations necessary to implement this 23
101	101	section. 24
102	102	Sec. 23.05.132. Welcoming Alaska liaison. (a) Each principal department in 25
103	103	the executive branch shall designate one staff member to serve as a liaison between 26
104	104	the department and the office. 27
105	105	(b) A liaison shall 28
106	106	(1) disseminate information about services offered by the department 29
107	107	that are available to new immigrants and newcomers, department staff, the office, and 30
108	108	the public; 31 34-LS0125\G
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112	112	(2) communicate with the office on issues affecting new immigrants 1
113	113	and newcomers; 2
114	114	(3) when applicable, coordinate between the office, the liaison's 3
115	115	department, and professional boards within the liaison's department to assist the office 4
116	116	with license applications from new immigrants and newcomers. 5
117	117	Sec. 23.05.133. Welcoming Alaska Advisory Committee. (a) The 6
118	118	Welcoming Alaska Advisory Committee is established in the department and shall be 7
119	119	staffed and administered by the office. The advisory committee consists of the 8
120	120	following nine members: 9
121	121	(1) one nonvoting member who is a member of the house of 10
122	122	representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 11
123	123	(2) one nonvoting member who is a member of the senate appointed by 12
124	124	the president of the senate; 13
125	125	(3) seven voting members appointed by the governor as follows: 14
126	126	(A) a representative from a nonprofit organization that provides 15
127	127	employment or language services to new immigrants and newcomers; 16
128	128	(B) a representative from a tribal nonprofit organization; 17
129	129	(C) a representative from the Alaska Council of School 18
130	130	Administrators; 19
131	131	(D) a representative from the business community; 20
132	132	(E) a representative from a nonprofit legal services agency that 21
133	133	provides services to immigrants and refugees; 22
134	134	(F) a representative from the criminal justice system; 23
135	135	(G) a member of the public. 24
136	136	(b) The committee shall 25
137	137	(1) assist the office with developing recommendations for policies, 26
138	138	procedures, regulations, and legislation to help ensure state government and state 27
139	139	programs are accessible and responsive to the needs of new immigrants and 28
140	140	newcomers; 29
141	141	(2) work with the office to monitor the work of state agencies to 30
142	142	include and retain new immigrants and newcomers in state programs; 31 34-LS0125\G
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146	146	(3) conduct public meetings, as requested by the governor or the 1
147	147	office, for the public to comment and make suggestions on attracting to and retaining 2
148	148	in the state new immigrants and newcomers and improving the employment 3
149	149	opportunities, inclusion in civic matters, and community connections of new 4
150	150	immigrants and newcomers; 5
151	151	(4) conduct studies, on request of the governor or the office, on issues 6
152	152	affecting new immigrants and newcomers; 7
153	153	(5) advise the office on ways to increase outreach to new immigrants 8
154	154	and newcomers; and 9
155	155	(6) review budget requests of the office and recommend to the 10
156	156	commissioner amounts for appropriations to the office. 11
157	157	(c) A voting member of the committee appointed by the governor serves at the 12
158	158	pleasure of the governor for staggered terms of four years until reappointed or 13
159	159	replaced. If a vacancy occurs among the voting members, the governor shall appoint a 14
160	160	member for the unexpired portion of the term. 15
161	161	(d) Voting members of the committee shall elect a member to serve as chair. 16
162	162	(e) A majority of the committee constitutes a quorum. 17
163	163	(f) The committee shall meet at least twice a year. A meeting may be held at 18
164	164	the call of the chair, by request of a majority of the committee, or at the request of the 19
165	165	executive director of the office. 20
166	166	(g) A member of the committee receives no salary but is entitled to per diem 21
167	167	and travel expenses authorized for boards and commissions under AS 39.20.180. 22
168	168	Sec. 23.05.134. Welcoming Alaska center. (a) Subject to appropriation, the 23
169	169	office shall establish a welcoming Alaska center in one or more communities to 24
170	170	provide virtual and in-person information and assistance for new immigrants and 25
171	171	newcomers. The office shall prioritize establishing a welcoming Alaska center in an 26
172	172	existing state office facility or on a University of Alaska campus that is easily 27
173	173	accessible and conveniently located. 28
174	174	(b) A welcoming Alaska center shall provide the following services to new 29
175	175	immigrants and newcomers: 30
176	176	(1) English and Alaska Native language instruction; 31 34-LS0125\G
177	177	SB 169 -6- SB0169A
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180	180	(2) employment services and training; and 1
181	181	(3) assistance with access to government programs and community 2
182	182	services. 3
183	183	Sec. 23.05.135. Definitions. In AS 23.05.131 - 23.05.135, 4
184	184	(1) "newcomer" means an individual who moved to the state from 5
185	185	another state in the preceding 36 months; 6
186	186	(2) "new immigrant" means an individual, or the child of an individual, 7
187	187	who has arrived, or will arrive, to the state as an immigrant or refugee; 8
188	188	(3) "office" means the welcoming Alaska office established under 9
189	189	AS 23.05.131. 10
190	190	* Sec. 2. AS 39.25.120(c) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 11
191	191	(22) the executive director of the welcoming Alaska office. 12
192	192	* Sec. 3. AS 23.05.125 is repealed. 13
193	193	* Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 14
194	194	read: 15
195	195	STUDY; REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE. The welcoming Alaska office 16
196	196	established under AS 23.05.131 shall conduct a study to determine immigration opportunities 17
197	197	in the state, establish goals for the welcoming Alaska office, and develop performance 18
198	198	indicators to measure progress for the welcoming Alaska office. The study must include input 19
199	199	from employers in the state. The welcoming Alaska office shall prepare a report explaining 20
200	200	the findings from the study and submit the report by July 1, 2027, to the senate secretary and 21
201	201	the chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature that the report is 22
202	202	available. 23
203	203	* Sec. 5. This Act takes effect July 1, 2026. 24