Legislature(2025 - 2026)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/23/2025 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB103 | |
| SB49 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 49 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 103 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 49-WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PROTECTIVE ORDERS
[CSSB 49(STA) was before the committee.]
2:20:25 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK reconvened the meeting and SENATE BILL NO. 49
"An Act relating to workplace violence protective orders;
relating to the crime of violating a protective order; relating
to the powers of district judges and magistrates; amending Rules
4 and 65, Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure, and Rule 9, Alaska
Rules of Administration; and providing for an effective date."
2:20:52 PM
BREANNA KAKARUK, Staff, Senator Matt Claman, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced SB 49 on behalf of the
sponsor:
[Original punctuation provided.]
A few years ago, a member of the legal community
contacted our office about a situation where a former
employee made a credible threat that he intended to go
into the employer's worksite and shoot as many people
as he could. When the attorney representing the
employer tried to obtain a restraining order, she
realized that to protect the employer, she would need
to file a civil lawsuit and ask for a temporary
restraining order. That process takes several days to
complete and often costs thousands of dollars. In
contrast, people seeking a domestic violence
protective order can usually get the court order
within one day.
Senate Bill 49, modeled after Alaska's domestic
violence protective order process, allows an employer
to file a petition for a protective order against an
individual under two circumstances: first, an
individual has committed an act of violence against an
employer or employee at the workplace and second, an
individual made a threat of violence against the
employer or employee that may be carried out at the
workplace. A violation of the provisions of the
protective order would be the crime of violating a
protective order, which is a class A misdemeanor.
Senate Bill 49 will prohibit attorney fee awards
against the petitioner in domestic violence
restraining order proceedings, stalking and sexual
assault protective orders, and ex parte protective
orders.
We worked closely with the Alaska Network on Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault on our legislation last
year that is now Senate Bill 49 to ensure that this
legislation provides employers with a more effective
way to protect their workplace without reaching into
the personal lives of their employees.
Eleven states have laws providing for the issuance of
protective or restraining orders that are specific to
workplace violence. Utah is the most recent addition
to this list, which passed a workplace violence
protective order law in 2023.
2:23:05 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK announced invited testimony on SB 49.
2:23:21 PM
BREDNA STANFILL, Executive Director, Alaska Network on Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), Juneau, Alaska, testified
by invitation on SB 49. She stated ANDVSA represents 24
statewide member organizations, including 19 in rural Alaska and
16 off the road systems; these networks provide direct support
to survivors. She highlighted that shelters often face safety
threats along with the victims. She said SB 49 would allow
organizations to seek protection when credible threats arise,
without disclosing if someone is being sheltered. She shared an
example from Emmonak Women's shelter, where staff were harassed
from just outside the property linelegal action wasn't
possible, but SB 49 would offer needed options.
2:26:20 PM
EILEEN ARNOLD, Executive Director, Tundra Women's Coalition
(TWC), Bethel, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB 49. She
stated that workplaces like TWC, which shelter victims from
abusers, are sometimes directly threatened. Tools like SB 49 are
needed to protect both staff and residents. She said that in her
10 years as director, there have been a few unforgettable times
when she put staff on high alert. She gave an example of a
situation when TWC was threatened by an abuser of a victim
staying at TWC. Many victims don't get protective orders for
reasons such as distrust of law enforcement, fear it will not
help, past orders not being served, and concern the protective
order might reveal their location. She stated that programs like
TWC need tools to set boundaries with people who use violenceto
send a clear message that it's not acceptable and to protect
those living and working in our women shelters.
2:30:29 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK held SB 49 in committee.