00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 23(L&C) 01 "An Act renaming the State Commission for Human Rights the Alaska State 02 Commission for Civil Rights; relating to removal of commissioners of the Alaska State 03 Commission for Civil Rights; relating to reports from the Alaska State Commission for 04 Civil Rights; relating to the definition of 'employer' for the purposes of the Alaska State 05 Commission for Civil Rights; and relating to local civil rights commissions." 06 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07  * Section 1. AS 18.80.010 is amended to read: 08 Sec. 18.80.010. Creation. There is created in the office of the governor an  09 Alaska [A] State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights.  10  * Sec. 2. AS 18.80.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 11 (b) The governor may remove a commissioner from office for cause. For 12 purposes of this subsection, cause includes incompetence, neglect of duty, and 13 misconduct in office, and public statements and public or private actions that 01 undermine the commission's work or violate this chapter. To remove a commissioner 02 for cause, the governor shall provide a copy of the charges to the commissioner and 03 offer an opportunity for the commissioner to be publicly heard in person, or by 04 counsel, in the commissioner's defense, upon not less than 10 days' notice. If a 05 commissioner is removed for cause, the governor shall file with the lieutenant 06 governor a complete statement of all charges made against the commissioner and the 07 governor's findings based on the charges, together with a complete record of the 08 proceedings. 09  * Sec. 3. AS 18.80.150 is amended to read: 10 Sec. 18.80.150. Annual report. Each year, the [THE] commission shall 11 review all data [REPORT ANNUALLY TO THE GOVERNOR] on civil rights 12 problems the commission [IT] has encountered in the preceding year [,] and produce  13 a report by November 15 of each year on those problems. The report may include  14 recommendations for [RECOMMEND] legislative action. [THE COMMISSION 15 SHALL PROVIDE THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AGENCY WITH 40 COPIES 16 OF THE REPORT DURING THE WEEK PRECEDING THE CONVENING OF 17 THE ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR LIBRARY DISTRIBUTION.] The 18 commission shall make [COPIES OF] the report available to the public electronically 19 and notify the governor and the legislature that the report is available.  20  * Sec. 4. AS 18.80.220 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 21 (e) In an action brought under (a)(1) of this section, it is an affirmative defense 22 that 23 (1) the employer is a religious corporation, association, educational 24 institution, or society that hires employees of a particular religion to perform work 25 connected with carrying on the corporation, association, educational institution, or 26 society and its activities; and 27 (2) the employee is hired to engage in activities that are ecclesiastical, 28 spiritual, or religious, and the employee's job responsibilities include furthering the 29 study or advancement of religion.  30  * Sec. 5. AS 18.80.290(a) is amended to read: 31 (a) The legislative body of a municipality may, by ordinance or resolution, 01 authorize the establishment of membership in and support of a local civil [HUMAN] 02 rights commission. The number and qualifications of the members of a local 03 commission and their terms and method of appointment or removal shall be as 04 determined by the legislative body, except that a member may not hold office in a 05 political party. 06  * Sec. 6. AS 18.80.300(2) is amended to read: 07 (2) "commission" means the Alaska State Commission for Civil 08 [HUMAN] Rights; 09  * Sec. 7. AS 18.80.300(5) is amended to read: 10 (5) "employer" means a person, including the state and a political 11 subdivision of the state, who has one or more employees in the state but does not 12 include an organization [A CLUB] that is exclusively social [,] or [A] fraternal and [, 13 CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, OR RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION OR 14 CORPORATION, IF THE CLUB, ASSOCIATION, OR CORPORATION] is not 15 organized for private profit; 16  * Sec. 8. AS 18.80.300(7) is amended to read: 17 (7) "executive director" means the executive director of the Alaska 18 State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights; 19  * Sec. 9. AS 24.60.039(b) is amended to read: 20 (b) If a person files a complaint with the committee under AS 24.60.170 21 alleging a violation of this section, the committee may refer the complainant to the 22 Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights and may defer its consideration 23 of the complaint until after the complainant establishes to the satisfaction of the 24 committee that the commission has completed its proceedings in the matter. 25  * Sec. 10. AS 39.50.200(b)(13) is amended to read: 26 (13) Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights 27 (AS 18.80.010); 28  * Sec. 11. AS 44.62.330(a)(42) is amended to read: 29 (42) Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights, where 30 procedures are not otherwise expressly provided in AS 18.80;