Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
03/14/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB2 | |
| HB23 | |
| HJR3 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 2 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 23 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HJR 3 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 2-CONTRACTS: PROHIBIT ISRAEL DISCRIMINATION
3:04:29 PM
CHAIR SHAW announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 2, "An Act relating to contracts with public
agencies; and relating to the State of Israel." [Before the
committee, adopted as the work draft on 3/7/23, was the proposed
committee substitute (CS) for HB 2, Version 33-LS0084\B,
Dunmire, 3/1/23, ("Version B").]
3:05:01 PM
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on HB 2.
3:05:44 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
3:06:04 PM
BOB KAUFMAN expressed his support for HB 2. He shared a
personal anecdote, opining that the boycott, divestment,
sanctions (BDS) movement was designed to villainize Israel. He
stated that anti-BDS legislation was in the interest of both
Alaska and the U.S., as trade with Israel created billions in
investment and tens-of-thousands of jobs. BDS aimed to end this
mutually beneficial relationship by severing cooperation between
the U.S. and Israel, he said, in addition to weakening Israel as
the homeland of the Jewish people. He shared his belief that
the bill was well designed. He urged the legislature to enact
anti-BDS legislation to remove from the table the Palestinian
leadership's desire to liquidate Israel.
3:08:49 PM
GARY MORTON, Christians United for Israel, stated his support
for the bill, citing it as vital to Israel and to the Alaska
Jewish and Christian communities. He urged unanimous and
bipartisan support for HB 2, characterizing the campaign to
boycott Israel as immoral. He discussed the BDS movement's
strategy to systematically spread hate, as well as the parallel
rise in anti-Semitic crime across the country. He urged the
state to "do the right thing" for Israel.
3:11:16 PM
ALICE MORTON, Representing Self, stated her support for HB 2,
characterizing Israel as a good trade partner with Alaska. She
discussed the BDS movement that sought to socially alienate and
economically isolate Israel. She urged the committee to support
the bill.
3:12:37 PM
PAULA COLESCOTT, Christians United for Israel, discussed the
mutual beneficial relationship between Israel and Alaska. She
indicated that the political gain for BDS was to bring down the
state of Israel. She described choosing to stand with Israel
and defending the Jewish people's right to self-determination in
their ancestral homeland as "American." She encouraged support
for the bill.
3:14:31 PM
BRAD LOWERY, Executive Pastor, Anchorage First Assembly, agreed
with the statements made by previous testifiers. He emphasized
his support for the proposed legislation, as the bill would
ensure that Alaskan taxpayer dollars were not spent subsidizing
an anti-Semitic effort designed with terroristic intent to
destroy Israel. He further noted that HB 2 would not constrain
an individual's right to boycott. He requested support for the
HB 2.
3:16:00 PM
QUEEN PARKER, Representing Self, expressed support for HB 2 and
voiced her agreeance with the previous testifiers.
3:16:41 PM
IVAN HODES, Representing Self, noted that he was a member of the
Jewish congregation in Anchorage, Beth Sholom. He stated his
opposition to HB 2. He opined that it was a business's right to
choose which entities to do business with, adding that the state
should not be determining whether those choices were acceptable.
He acknowledged that some but not all - BDS was rooted in
anti-Semitism. Nonetheless, he pointed out that many of the
policies carried out by the state of Israel were in conflict
with his interpretation of Judaism; therefore, he rejected the
idea that any criticism of Israel was anti-Semitic. He
continued by noting that most of the testifiers were Christian
not Jewish, characterizing their support for the measure as
hypocritical. He argued that if people were truly committed to
anti-Semitism, domestic anti-Semitism should be included in the
bill as well.
3:19:50 PM
ALEX KOPLIN, Representing Self, characterized the bill's
reference to state taxpayer dollars as misleading, as there was
no statewide sales or income tax in Alaska. He discussed his
opposition to the bill moving forward and elaborated on his
Jewish heritage. He pointed out that his opposition to many of
government issues in Israel did not make him anti-Semitic. He
opined that the bill would give too much power to Israel.
3:23:20 PM
CHAVA SCHAPIRA, Representing Self, shared her strong opposition
to HB 2. She explained that in practice, the BDS movement
allowed people to boycott products made in Israel. She
described BDS as a method of political speech that allowed
people to object to Israeli policies without violence. She
characterized the bill as "anti-free speech," insisting that it
violated First Amendment rights and would likely be struck down
by the Alaska Supreme Court. She opined that the legislation
had nothing to do with protecting Jews in Alaska from anti-
Semitism, and more to do with targeting other leftist movements
and allowing the government to monitor political speech.
3:26:22 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
3:27:44 PM
JOHN MILLER, Representing Self, voiced his support for HB 2. He
believed that it was in the best interest of the U.S. and Alaska
to support Israel and to discourage countries or corporations
that would attempt to harm an ally.
3:28:55 PM
LORAN BAXTER, Representing Self, affiliated himself with the
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and Christians
United for Israel. He stated his support for HB 2. He
emphasized Israel's right to a biblical homeland. He remarked
that Israel was the only democratic country in its area and a
strong ally to the U.S. in an "unforgiving" region of the world.
He shared his personal reverence for Israel's development of
effective missile defense technology. He relayed a personal
anecdote. He questioned the message that would be sent by
failing to pass the legislation.
3:32:38 PM
STEVE ZELENER, Representing Self, expressed his support for HB
2. He informed the committee of his personal background and
summarized his experience moving from his birthplace of Kyiv,
Ukraine to Israel at a young age. He referenced the rise in
anti-Semitic attacks against students. He opined that any
creation of more anti-Semitism would continue to destroy culture
and friendship on campus. He urged the legislative body to "do
the right thing."
3:34:49 PM
SARAH BELLER, Representing Self, shared that she was an attorney
in Anchorage and a member of Congregation Beth Sholom. She
stated her strong opposition to the bill, which she
characterized as dangerous. She contended that the bill would
not make Jews safer in Alaska and would not help Israel.
Instead, she said, HB 2 would allow the government to dictate
what Alaskans think and how they spend their money. Further,
she believed that the bill likely violated the First Amendment
rights, as it attempted to coerce businesses into certain
political views and actions. She pointed out that the bill was
written by the far-right organization ALEC [American Legislative
Exchange Council], which was pushing the same law in dozens of
states around the country. She stressed that out-of-state money
should not be allowed to dictate Alaskans' beliefs or where they
shop and spend their money. She urged a "no" vote on HB 2.
3:35:59 PM
GERALDINE PRYME, Representing Self, stated her support for HB 2.
She characterized the proposed legislation as vital to Israel
and the local Jewish community. She referenced the rise in
anti-Semitism across [Anchorage].
3:36:44 PM
CANDY MILLER, Representing Self, stated her support for HB 2.
She said she was in favor of policies and legislation that
supported sound positions aimed at creating a strong
relationship between U.S. and Israel.
3:37:51 PM
ALEX PETKANAS, Representing Self, emphasized his strong
opposition to the bill, noting that he attended Congregation
Beth Sholom regularly for services and adult learning classes.
He characterized the legislation as an affront to free speech,
adding that it would do nothing to protect Jewish people. He
contended that anti-Semitism was not the same as being anti-
Israel. He noted that as Israel was not his homeland, he had
the right to oppose the harm done to Palestinian people by a
violent government. He added that as an American, he also had
the right to free speech and to protest his own government. He
characterized any attempt to take away that right as disturbing.
He employed the committee to oppose the bill.
3:39:02 PM
PHILLIP MOSER, Representing Self, stated his opposition to HB 2,
describing it as incredible and harmful. He said he found it
incredulous that the bill was being brought forward by
legislators who didn't speak out against a colleague that was
linked to a Holocaust denial website. He remarked, "I find it
incredulous that this action is coming from the same law body
that decried the situation in Russia, yet still has the vast
majority of their funds invested in the same things they said
they were going to divest from." He stated that he found it
incredulous that the bill was coming from the same legislative
body that forwarded anti-trans bills. He elaborated on the BDS
movement, describing it as legitimate and not anti-Semitic. He
reiterated his opposition to the bill.
3:42:18 PM
CHAIR SHAW closed public testimony on HB 2.
3:42:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SARAH VANCE, Alaska State Legislature, prime
sponsor of HB 2, clarified that the bill was focused on state
contracts related to Israel, adding that it would reinforce
Alaska's support for Israel as an ally. She said the bill
clearly stated that it would not infringe upon an individual's
right to free speech. She discussed legal challenges to the
legislation across the country, noting that HB 2 had been
tailored to avoid such occurrences with the inclusion of one
word that was absent from the bills that were litigated in other
states. She emphasized that HB 2 was crafted after a "lesson
learned" from the legal challenges in those states. She
described the legislation as vetted, sound policy that sought
the authority to justify Alaskan dollars in support of Israel.
CHAIR SHAW invited questions from members of the committee.
3:45:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY sought to verify that the legislation aimed
to limit state contracts with public agencies that were
participating in boycotts of Israel.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE explained that the bill pertained to
businesses with contracts over $100,000 and at least 10
employees that were choosing to boycott Israel. She emphasized
that smaller businesses would not be impacted.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked why the Alaska Permanent Fund
Corporation (APFC) was exempted.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE indicated that APFC was excluded to
maintain its distance from social - or "lightning rod" issues.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether the state had any existing
contracts that would be impacted by the bill.
3:46:59 PM
JAKE ALMEIDA, Staff, Representative Sarah Vance, Alaska State
Legislature, offered to follow up with the requested
information.
3:48:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to report CSHB 2, Version 33-
LS0084\B, Dunmire, 3/1/23, out of committee with individual
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being
no objection, CSHB 2(STA) was reported out of the House State
Affairs Standing Committee.
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