02/10/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

         HB 13-APPLICABILITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:50:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  13,  "An  Act relating  to  the  definition  of                                                               
'employer' for  the purposes  of the  State Commission  for Human                                                               
Rights."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:50:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   SUMNER  opened   public   testimony  on   HB  13.   After                                                               
ascertaining  that nobody  wished  to testify,  he closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:51:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX expressed  his  concern  about the  possible                                                               
"weaponization" of  human rights cases in  smaller businesses and                                                               
asked if it  would be worth holding the bill  for the purposes of                                                               
taking a deeper look at that conversation.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ANDY JOSEPHSON,  Alaska State  Representative, as                                                               
prime sponsor  of HB 13, answered  that he would not  be in favor                                                               
of  holding the  bill  and  stated that  a  lawyer  would not  be                                                               
necessary in the  beginning stages of a complaint.   He said that                                                               
the Alaska State  Commission on Human does a good  job on vetting                                                               
complaints and filtering out ones without merit.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:53:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE moved  to report HB 13  out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:54:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was  taken.  Representatives Ruffridge, Saddler,                                                               
Carrick, Fields,  and Sumner voted in  favor of moving HB  13 out                                                               
of   committee   with    individual   recommendations   and   the                                                               
accompanying  fiscal notes.   Representative  Prax voted  against                                                               
it.   Therefore, HB 13  was reported out  of the House  Labor and                                                               
Commerce Standing Committee by a vote of 5-1.