05/09/2025 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

              HB 156-DISCLOSURE OF WAGE INFORMATION                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:22:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL announced that the  next order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL   NO.  156,  "An   Act  relating  to   disclosure  of                                                               
information   regarding  employee   compensation  by   employers,                                                               
employees, and applicants for employment."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:23:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE indicated that  she would not be offering                                                               
Amendment 1 to HB 156.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:23:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE moved  to adopt Amendment [2]  to HB 156,                                                               
labeled  34-LS0752\A.2,   A.  Radford,  5/5/25,  which   read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 30:                                                                                                           
          Delete "three years"                                                                                                  
          Insert "one year"                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL objected.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COULOMBE  explained   that  Amendment  [2]  would                                                               
decrease the time  an employee can file a grievance  under HB 156                                                               
from three years to one year.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL maintained her objection.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
A  roll  call  vote  was  taken.    Representatives  Saddler  and                                                               
Coulombe voted in  favor of the motion to adopt  Amendment [2] to                                                               
HB 156.   Representatives Burke, Carrick, Fields,  and Hall voted                                                               
against it.   Therefore, Amendment [2] failed to be  adopted by a                                                               
vote of 2-4.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:25:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE indicated that  she would not be offering                                                               
Amendment [3].                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:25:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE moved  to adopt Amendment [4]  to HB 156,                                                               
labeled  34-LS0752\A.5,   A.  Radford,  5/7/25,  which   read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 7:                                                                                                            
          Delete "publishes"                                                                                                    
         Insert "recruits for a position by publishing"                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 4, following "violation":                                                                                     
          Insert   "of    AS 23.10.700(b),   23.10.705,   or                                                                    
     23.10.710"                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 5, following "commissioner.":                                                                                 
          Insert "Each recruitment for a position in                                                                            
     violation  of AS 23.10.700(a)  is  a single  violation,                                                                    
     regardless  of the  number of  notices, advertisements,                                                                    
     or  other  solicitations  for  the  position  that  are                                                                    
     published."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL objected.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE explained that  the amendment would apply                                                               
a penalty per position, not per advertisement under HB 156.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL maintained her objection.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
A  roll  call  vote  was taken.    Representatives  Coulombe  and                                                               
Saddler voted  in favor of the  motion to adopt Amendment  [4] to                                                               
HB 156.   Representatives Carrick, Burke, Fields,  and Hall voted                                                               
against it.   Therefore, Amendment [4] failed to be  adopted by a                                                               
vote of 2-4.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:26:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  BURKE moved  to adopt  Amendment [5]  to HB  156,                                                               
labeled  34-LS0752\A.6,   A.  Radford,  5/8/25,  which   read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 13, following "employment":                                                                                   
          Insert ";                                                                                                             
               (4)  requires an employer to disclose the                                                                        
        compensation of any individual employee, unless                                                                         
     otherwise required by law"                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BURKE  explained that  Amendment [5]  would "[add]                                                               
language  stating  that  nothing  in  this  section  requires  an                                                               
employer to disclose the compensation  of any individual employee                                                               
unless  otherwise required  by law."   She  noted that  it was  a                                                               
recommendation made during testimony.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS  removed his objection.   There being  no further                                                               
objection, Amendment [5] was adopted.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:27:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS moved  to  adopt  Amendment [6]  to  HB 156,  as                                                               
amended, labeled  34-LS0752\A.7, A.  Radford, 5/9/25,  which read                                                               
as follows:                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, lines 27 - 28:                                                                                                     
          Delete ", separate from and in addition to a fine                                                                     
     recoverable by the state under AS 23.10.725"                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 31, through page 3, line 8:                                                                                   
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 9:                                                                                                            
          Delete "23.10.730"                                                                                                  
          Insert "23.10.725"                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:27:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 4:27 p.m. to 4:29 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:29:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS explained  that  the  amendment would  eliminate                                                               
fines and  new positions  under HB  156, as  amended.   He stated                                                               
that  the  Department of  Labor  &  Workforce Development  (DLWD)                                                               
confirmed  that,  with this  amendment,  there  would be  no  new                                                               
position  control   numbers  (PCNs).    He   suggested  that  the                                                               
amendment would  allow for the  implementation of HB  156 without                                                               
costs.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE offered her support for the amendment.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:30:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GENEVIEVE  MINA,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  as                                                               
prime  sponsor,  offered  her  support  for  Amendment  6.    She                                                               
requested (DLWD) to  speak to how positions might  be impacted by                                                               
the proposed amendment.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:31:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JEREMY  APPLEGATE,  Chief  of  Wage &  Hour,  Division  of  Labor                                                               
Standards & Safety, Department of  Labor & Workforce Development,                                                               
confirmed that  with the removal  of the  investigative component                                                               
of  the  proposed  legislation,  there   would  be  no  need  for                                                               
investigators.    He  noted  that one  PCN  would  definitely  be                                                               
removed under Amendment [6].                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:32:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HALL  removed her  objection  to  the motion  to  adopt                                                               
Amendment [6]  to HB  156, as  amended.   There being  no further                                                               
objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:32:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS moved  to  report  HB 156,  as  amended, out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:32:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER objected.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
A  roll call  vote was  taken.   Representatives Burke,  Carrick,                                                               
Fields, and Hall  voted in favor of the motion  to report HB 156,                                                               
as  amended,  out of  committee.    Representatives Coulombe  and                                                               
Saddler voted against it.   Therefore, CSHB 156(L&C) was reported                                                               
out of the House Labor and  Commerce Standing Committee by a vote                                                               
of 4-2.