Legislature(2025 - 2026)BARNES 124
05/07/2025 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB138 | |
| HB156 | |
| HB178 | |
| HB110 | |
| SB54 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 156 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 138 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 110 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 54 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 178 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 156-DISCLOSURE OF WAGE INFORMATION
[Contains discussions of SB 78.]
3:58:11 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS 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."
3:58:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GENEVIEVE MINA, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, gave an overview of HB 156. She explained that
Alaska was facing a labor shortage, and she wanted to ensure
that the hiring processes were fair and efficient. She asserted
that HB 156 would improve the economy and labor market by
requiring wage and salary disclosures in job postings,
prohibiting employers from asking about a prospective employees
salary history, and codifying the National Labor Relations Act
(NLRA), which allows employees to openly discuss wages. She
asserted that HB 156 benefits both employees and employers.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS noted that the committee would next go to
invited testimony for HB 156.
4:00:01 PM
JARRETT CARSON, representing self, began his invited testimony
by stating that he was providing testimony from the standpoint
of a human resources (HR) practitioner. He asserted that HB 156
would be a step forward in creating a more transparent,
equitable, and competitive job market in Alaska. He stated that
HB 156 would require employers to disclose the wage range for a
position early in the hiring process and providing employee
protection related to wage transparency. He asserted that HB
156 would benefit smaller businesses by clearly stating
compensation expectations upfront to attract qualified
candidates aligned with the business rather than losing
employees to larger organizations that can afford "costly
negotiations." He asserted that HB 156 would particularly help
employers in rural and underserved regions of Alaska. He stated
that HB 156 would additionally protect prospective jobseekers
from "being anchored to prior wages" which may reflect inequity
or unrelated industries. He asserted that HB 156 would ensure
that job candidates are evaluated with a basis on skills,
compatibility, and experience, not on compensation history. He
asserted that HB 156 was a critical step in promoting fair
hiring practices and addressing wage disparities, particularly
for underrepresented and marginalized groups. He noted that the
proposed legislation additionally protects the right to discuss
wages in the workplace without the fear of retaliation. He
stated that open conversations about compensation ensure that
workers have the information to advocate for themselves.
MR. CARSON made some recommendations for amendments to HB 156.
He proposed the clarification of the scope of wage discussion
and protection, noting that, as written, HB 156 could be
unintentionally applied to individuals in confidential or
fiduciary roles, such as HR professionals, supervisors, or
accounting staff who may have access to salary data of other
employees. He argued that protections under HB 156 should be
limited to an individuals own compensation or general equity
concerns, not the unauthorized disclosure of confidential
information. He also recommended the inclusion of clear
definitions of company size to avoid disproportionate financial
impact on smaller employers. He made recommendations for
company size classifications for small, medium, and large
employers.
MR. CARSON concluded by asserting that HB 156 would "foster
fairness, support for small businesses, competitiveness,
improved candidate experience, builds public trust in hiring
practices and strengthens worker protections."
4:04:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked Mr. Carson to define fair wage and
equity with respect to the workplace.
MR. CARSON noted that an employee could potentially receive a
lower salary based on their salary history. He provided an
anecdote about how his company provides fair wages with salary
scales to ensure that employees are competitive with their
peers.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER commented that HB 156 substitutes
"statistics and normalization to direct benefit that an employee
might bring to an employer." He stated that he was
philosophically opposed to the approach.
4:08:02 PM
MICHAEL WALSH, PhD, Vice President of Public Policy, The Foraker
Group, gave invited testimony on HB 156. He said that the
Foraker Group additionally supported SB 78, the Senate companion
bill to HB 156. He stated that the Foraker Groups' interest in
HB 156 was related to data on gender pay equity, which was of
great interest to the Foraker Group. He explained that the
Foraker Group provided resources for non-profits that can be
translated into policy action to improve the lives of Alaska
residents. He further explained that the Foraker Group has
conducted research for decades on the economic impact of non-
profits on Alaska's economy. He asserted that pay transparency
is a critical tool in addressing gender pay inequity, noting
that the Foraker Group was close to releasing its most recent
reports on the persistent gender pay gap in Alaska. He stated
that HB 156 would help recruit and retain workers in all sectors
of the economy, including the non-profit workforce. He asserted
that the Foraker Group has been committed to advancing pay
transparency for more than a decade, noting that that its free
job board requires jobs to be posted with a pay range. He
stated there is considerable research showing that pay
transparency laws support all workers in their job searches. He
stated that job seeking is time consuming, and maximizing both
the employees and employers time was in everyone's best
interest. He concluded by stating that Alaska would not be the
first state to pass legislation such as HB 156 and thanked the
committee members for their time.
4:12:11 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS opened public testimony on HB 156. After
ascertaining that there was no one who wished to testify, closed
public testimony on HB 156.
4:13:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE referred to the fiscal note and
requested an explanation for three new positions under HB 156.
4:13:53 PM
JEREMY APPLEGATE, Chief of Wage & Hour, Division of Labor
Standards & Safety, Department of Labor & Workforce Development
(DOLWD), answered questions during the hearing on HB 156. He
replied that HB 156 would create a new type of investigation
that would require a new hearing process and new collection
mechanism, which necessitates new positions.
4:15:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether an employer was obligated
to pay a wage that fell within the required salary range. He
further asked what might prevent an employer from created a very
large salary range.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA replied that it was not the legislature's
job to decide the correct wage and range for a job; rather, the
proposed legislation was requiring transparency.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether an employer was obligated
to pay a wage that fell within the salary range.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA replied that the expectation was that the
job posting would be tied to the actual job salary. She further
stated that she would get back to the committee on whether it
was enforced under HB 156.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER opined that it should not be a
requirement under HB 156.
4:17:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON offered his appreciation for the intent of
HB 156. He opined that having a wide salary range would remove
the impetus of the proposed bill, commenting that a company
providing a salary range from $20,000 to $2 million was not
clarifying to any prospective employee. He further noted that
the federal government already protected the right to discuss
wages in the workplace.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA stated that HB 156 was about wage and salary
transparency. She argued that it was better to have information
about a job rather than no information at all. She suggested
that if the salary range was too broad, a prospective employee
could decide not to pursue that particular position.
Additionally, she stated that there were enforcement mechanisms
under HB 156.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON argued that an employer could circumvent
punishment by providing a wide salary range. He stated that he
did not see the point of the proposed legislation.
4:20:30 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS said that other jurisdictions have passed wage
transparency laws around the world and have significantly
reduced the gender pay gap, proving its effectiveness.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON replied that other countries have required
that posted salaries accurately reflect the job salaries. He
offered appreciation for the intent of HB 156, but argued that
there were no provisions to ensure that posted salaries were not
"wide open."
4:21:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK referred to the fiscal note, quoting
"Wage and Hour anticipates three (3) full-time positions will be
needed to handle the influx of calls, questions, and complaints
and fines to fulfill the statutory obligations of this
[proposed] legislation". She commented that she would like to
see a fiscal note that offers an estimation of how much might be
collected in fines and if that might offset the cost of the
legislation. She queried what other states have done.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA stated that she was unsure and would look
into it.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK requested a fiscal note that reflected
how much the State of Alaska would collect in fines under HB
156.
4:23:00 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS set an amendment deadline for HB 156.
[HB 156 was held over.]