Legislature(2025 - 2026)GRUENBERG 120
03/19/2025 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB6 | |
| HB118 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 118 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 118-COUNCIL ON HUMAN AND SEX TRAFFICKING
1:46:10 PM
CHAIR KOPP announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 118, "An Act establishing the Council on Human
and Sex Trafficking; and providing for an effective date."
1:46:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE, as prime sponsor, presented HB 118 by
offering a PowerPoint presentation [hard copy included in the
committee packet]. She began on slide 1, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 118 establishes Alaska Council on Human&
Sex Trafficking
• Coordination
• Resources
• Response
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE moved to slide 2, "Trafficking in Alaska,"
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
45% of trafficked youth identified are Alaska Native.
One in four homeless women at the Anchorage Covenant
House have been trafficked for sex.
Alaska Institute for Justice worked with more than 79
survivors in 2024 that includes both labor and sex
trafficking.
Alaska's rate of rape and sexual assault is 3 times
the national average.
100% of trafficked clients at Priceless report a
history of sexual abuse as a child.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE continued to slide 3, "Recommended Action
Steps," which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Recommended Action Steps:
1) Enact state statutes that places the CHST in the
Department of Public Safety and establishes: the
council as the monitoring body; the term for the
council; appointments; and duties.
2) Establish membership of the council in the current
Administrative Order and future statutes that includes
the Department of Labor Commissioner or designee and
the Commissioner of the Department of Family and
Community Services (DFCS) or designee.
3) Amend the key responsibilities in the Governor's
Administrative order and future statutes to include
demand reduction and accountability programs.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE moved to slide 4, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
PURPOSE
Provide planning and coordination of programs specific
to victim services, education, public awareness, data
collection and dissemination, and reducing demand for
human and sex trafficking.
DUTIES
• Develop standardized data and annual reports
• Award grants and provide audits
• Increase education and public awareness
REPRESENTATIVE concluded on slide 5, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Alaska Council on Human & Sex Trafficking
15-member council mirrors administrative order 328
• 7 members appointed by the governor
• 6 commissioners & attorney general
• Public members
1:57:50 PM
BOB BELLANGER, Staff, Representative Sarah Vance, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Vance, prime sponsor,
Presented the sectional analysis for HB 118, which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
Section 1: Amends AS 39.25.110 to exempt the executive
director of the Council on Human and Sex Trafficking
from "Classified Service."
Section 2: Amends AS 39.50.200(b) to add the Council
on Human and Sex Trafficking to the list of "state
commission or board."
Section 3: Inserts the following new sections:
Sec. 44.41.150 establishes the Council on Human
and Sex Trafficking as a permanent board in the
Department of Public Safety and sets forth the purpose
of the council.
Sec. 44.41.155 lays out the duties of the
council.
Sec. 44.41.160 establishes the Membership of the
council consisting of a total of 15 members seven of
which will be appointed by the governor, and the other
members will consist of the chief executive officer,
commissioner, or designee from various organizations
or commissions. It also sets the terms for the public
members.
Sec. 44.41.165 sets forth how and how often
meetings are scheduled and what constitutes a quorum.
Sec. 44.41.170 prohibits members from receiving a
salary but provides for transportation expenses and
per diem.
Sec. 44.41.175 establishes the definitions under
AS 44.41.150 - 44.41.175 for "council" and "human and
sex trafficking."
Sec. 4: Amends a section to include the council's
sunset on June 30, 2029.
Sec. 5: Sets an effective date of July 1, 2026.
2:02:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD talked about Alaska ranking number one
in the country [for rates of sex trafficking] and the
effectiveness of awareness classes.
2:05:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO sought to better understand the work
done previously on this issue.
2:06:11 PM
KATIE TEPAS, Program Coordinator, Department of Public Safety
(DPS), said the foundation was laid by former Governor Sean
Parnell's taskforce in 2013, which "timed out" after submitting
a report to the legislative body. In 2021, Governor Mike
Dunleavy issued the first of two administrative orders, which
designated the Council on Human and Sex Trafficking ("the
council") under DPS. The first report offered significant
recommendations under key priority areas. The second report
finetuned those recommendations to actions items not requiring
designated funds. The priority areas included: expanding
services providers; demand reduction programs; addressing
housing issues; developing resource guides; training for law
enforcement and medical providers; public awareness campaign
materials; e-learning modules and curriculum review; and
establishing the council in statute.
2:08:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO asked for confirmation that the bill
would make no changes to the designated funds by putting the
council in statute.
MS. TEPAS replied that by simply putting the council in statute,
the mission would not be drastically furthered. She said grant
funds or state dollars would be needed to affect change and hire
additional staff, like a grant administrator, program
coordinator, and an administrative assistant. She recommended
that a deep dive is needed to compile all of the services that
are available to victims and survivors of trafficking across the
state and better understand what's needed on a regional level.
2:12:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO pointed out that the majority of council
members are with organizations that work on sex trafficking.
She asked whether these entities would bear some of the
financial responsibility for the council's goals and objectives.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE acknowledged that many of the members are
already doing the work, but the council is needed to pool
resources and data, which would help illuminate big picture
trends from information that is currently being siloed. She
explained that putting the council in statute would grant the
authority to administer grants, which the Governor's Council on
Human and Sex Trafficking currently lacks. She expressed her
hope that the council's mission would mature over time and
spread awareness.
2:16:54 PM
VICE CHAIR KOPP commented on prior legislation that attempted to
combine the Council on Human and Sex Trafficking with the
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). He
asked whether this idea had garnered further consideration due
to the cost of standing up a new council.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE confirmed that there had been two
renditions of this idea in recent years and offered further
context on the legislative history. She explained that the
current version would avoid frontloading the council's
responsibilities with statutory mandates and continue the work
of the governor' council as resources come available.
2:20:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID how many meetings the council had in
2024.
MS. TEPAS offered to follow up with the requested information.
She noted that there were numerous different working groups that
met monthly in addition to full council meetings. She shared
her understanding that the council would meet quarterly under HB
118.
2:22:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA how the council's membership structure was
decided.
MS. TEPAS said membership was determined through the governor's
office.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked about gaps in the council's membership
as it relates to immigrants and refugees, and whether the bill
sponsor had considered updating current membership to be more
representative of the different facets of human trafficking in
Alaska.
2:25:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE recalled that a request was made to expand
the governor's council to be more inclusive of labor
trafficking. In response, the governor amended the executive
order (EO) to include the Department of Labor & Workforce
Development (DLWD) and the Department on Family and Community
Services (DFCS).
2:27:34 PM
VICE CHAIR KOPP announced that HB 118 was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 6 A.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 6 Ver A SectionalAnalysis.3.12.25.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 6 Ver A SponsorStatement.3.12.25.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 6 Ver A SupportingDoc.K&LGates.3 512.25.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 6 Ver A SupportingDoc.Ballotpedia.ESG.3.12.25.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 6 FN Revenue.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 118 - Sponsor Statement - Alaska Council on Human and Sex Traffickings.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB0118A.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 118, 34-LS0316-I - Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 118 - GCHST-Final-Report-Sept2022.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 118 - Alaska Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking Data Summary Document January 2024.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 6 FN Retirement Management Board.pdf |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 6 |
| HB 118 ACHT.pptx |
HJUD 3/19/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |