Legislature(2025 - 2026)GRUENBERG 120
03/28/2025 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB137 | |
| HB118 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 137 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 118 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 118-COUNCIL ON HUMAN AND SEX TRAFFICKING
1:47:23 PM
CHAIR GRAY 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."
1:47:38 PM
CHAIR GRAY moved to adopt Amendment 1 to HB 118, labeled 34-
LS0316\I.1, C. Radford, 3/24/25, which read:
Page 3, line 2:
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Page 3, line 15:
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Page 3, line 17, following "homeless;":
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(G) one member who is a leader of a labor
or trade organization;"
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REPRESENTATIVE VANCE objected. She asked why a union member
would warrant a seat at the table and what unions are doing to
stop trafficking.
1:48:48 PM
CHAIR GRAY explained that Amendment 1 would add the leader of a
labor or trade organization to the council's membership to offer
additional representation for labor trafficking. He reasoned
that labor leaders work directly with individuals in the field
and are passionate about ensuring fair wages.
1:51:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked whether a "trade organizations"
would have to be a union.
CHAIR GRAY responded no.
1:51:45 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP pointed out that Alaska has many strong
trade organizations that are nonunion. He opined that the
amendment makes sense because leaders of these organizations are
more likely to care about labor trafficking and highly
incentivized to report it.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE referenced the Businesses Against
Trafficking (BAT) program and encouraged businesses seeking
education and prevention strategies to contact her office. She
removed her objection. There being no further objection,
Amendment 1 was adopted.
1:54:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA moved to adopt Amendment 2 to HB 118,
labeled 34-LS0316\I.2, C. Radford, 3/27/25, which read:
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Insert "16"
Page 3, line 4:
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Insert "eight"
Page 3, line 15:
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Page 3, line 17, following "homeless;":
Insert "and
(G) one member who is a survivor of human
or sex trafficking;"
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Delete "Seven"
Insert "Eight"
CHAIR GRAY objected for purposes of discussion.
1:54:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA explained that Amendment 2 would add a
public member to the council who is a survivor of human or sex
trafficking.
1:55:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE said some of the concerns raised by leaders
on the council is that creating a seat specific to survivors
could be vulnerable, as they must represent that role publicly.
With Alaska being a small state, she pointed out that
traffickers could seek retaliation. She said she agrees with
the intent to have survivor representation; however, the "how"
is important to continue to provide for their public safety.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA said the intention of Amendment 2 is to
ensure that policies are driven by those most impacted, and that
stakeholders have the ability to vote, not just hold an advisory
role. She acknowledged the vulnerability that would be required
of this member and questioned whether the position could be kept
anonymous. She reported that other states with similar
councils, such as Washington and Oregon, have positions that are
designated for those with lived experience.
CHAIR GRAY pointed out that many [people with lived experience]
already serve in these rolls as an advocate, not a victim. He
recalled the committee's prior debate on this topic, which
revolved around eligibility for this seat and how one might
determine whose lived experience is more qualified than
another's.
2:01:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD suggested that reclassifying the title
of the position could be helpful.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA suggested reworking the language on lines
14-15 of Amendment 2 to be more reflective of someone with
"lived experience" rather than a "survivor."
2:04:16 PM
CHAIR GRAY removed his objection to Amendment 2.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE objected for purposes of discussion. She
asked whether Representative Mina would be amenable to adding
intent language to specify that preference would be given to
seat members with lived experience.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked whether that the intent language would
pertain to the new position or the 7 existing members.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE said she's open either, as long as it's not
overly prescriptive.
2:07:43 PM
CHAIR GRAY spoke in favor of Representative Vance's suggestion,
because some people may not be comfortable with being defined
solely as "the survivor."
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE suggested that the intent language should
say, "to the extent practicable, public members [will] be
survivors with lived experience in human and sex trafficking."
2:08:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO spoke to her prior experience serving as
the deputy commissioner of the governor's boards and commissions
office. From that perspective, trying to prioritize someone
with lived experience would be uncomfortable for the bureaucrat
with over 250 boards to consider, she said. She suggested
implementing self-selection for the public member on the board,
which would also help achieve an odd number of seats. She
suggested striking "who is a survivor of human or sex
trafficking" on line 1 of Amendment 2 and replacing it with "of
the public".
REPRESENTATIVE MINA said she appreciated that perspective;
however, she wanted to ensure that the language is consistent
with public membership on other boards and commissions.
2:12:51 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 2:12 p.m. to 2:17 p.m.
2:17:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO moved Conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 2, to remove "who is a survivor of human or sex
trafficking" on line 14 and replace it with "of the public;".
There being no objection, Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 2
was adopted.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE removed her objection to the adoption of
Amendment 2. There being no further objection, Amendment 2, as
amended, was adopted.
2:18:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE made closing remarks and expressed
appreciation for the emphasis on labor trafficking. She
expressed her hope that labor trafficking could be curbed by
encouraging engagement from businesses.
2:20:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked whether the bill addresses conflicts
of interest related to grants that pass through the council.
2:21:14 PM
BOB BALLINGER, Staff, Representative Sarah Vance, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Vance, prime sponsor,
referred to page 4, lines 3-5 of HB 118, which states that a
person may not be appointed as a public member of the council if
they receive compensation through the grant programs.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked whether a council member could vote on
a federal grant that may benefit their organization.
MR. BALLINGER shared his understanding that the money would
still pass through the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual
Assault (CDVSA) and the state. He reiterated that a person
would not be able to serve on the council if the organization
they are a paid employee of is a grant recipient.
CHAIR GRAY added that by his reading, the bill would not prevent
a volunteer or board member of the organization from serving on
the council.
2:30:47 PM
CHAIR GRAY, in response to a comment from Representative Mina,
suggested that there may be language to recuse oneself from a
vote if there is a conflict of interest. In a state with only
760,000 people and not many organizations that engage in this
kind of work, any kind of exclusion would eliminate subject
matter experts.
REPRESENTATIVE COSTELLO noted that AS 39.52 deals with conflicts
of interest.
2:32:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked the bill sponsor to respond to the
letter of opposition and the opinion piece in Alaska Beacon
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE said she had not seen the opinion piece,
but shared her understanding that the opposition reflects a
desire to ensure that members would not be serving out of self-
interest. She assured the public that council members would be
working with the same accountability as every other board and
commission and operating under the transparency of the Executive
Ethics Act. She said the bill would provide a transparent
meeting process that would allow public engagement and hopefully
alleviate some concerns. She asserted that some people oppose
all of her work human trafficking for a variety of reasons, one
of which is the desire to legalize prostitution in Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked whether the frequency of meetings is
prescribed for the governor's council.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE shared her belief that frequency is not
prescribed for the current council.
2:36:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID inquired about the number of meetings
held by the governor's council.
MR. BALLINGER said that information had been provided to the
committee.
2:36:46 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease 2:36 p.m.
2:37:23 PM
CHAIR GRAY reported that the council met once last year [in
2024].
MR. BALLINGER agreed that the main committee met once, but there
were multiple subcommittee meetings.
2:38:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD expressed her desire to see trafficking
eradicated from Alaska and reiterated her support for the
legislation.
2:38:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD moved to report HB 118, as amended, out
of committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal notes, and to authorize Legislative Legal
Services to make any necessary technical or conforming changes.
There being no objection, CSHB 118(JUD) was reported from the
House Judiciary Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 137 Sponsor Statement Version A.pdf |
HJUD 3/28/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB 137 Sectional Analysis Version A.pdf |
HJUD 3/28/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB 118 Amendment 1.pdf |
HJUD 3/28/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 118 Mike Coons Email.pdf |
HJUD 3/28/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 118 Letter of Opposition 1.pdf |
HJUD 3/28/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |
| HB 118 Amendment 2.pdf |
HJUD 3/28/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 118 |