Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
03/17/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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Audio | Topic |
---|---|
Start | |
HB86 | |
HB85 | |
HB99 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ | HB 91 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
+= | HB 85 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 63 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 99 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 86 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 87 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 99-DISCRIMINATION: GENDER ID.;SEXUAL ORIENT. 4:25:30 PM CHAIR SUMNER announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 99, "An Act relating to and prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression." 4:25:53 PM JENNIE ARMSTRONG, Alaska State Representative, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 99 and presented the PowerPoint titled "HB 99: LGBTQ+ Nondiscrimination" [hard copy included in committee packet]. Pointing to slide 2, she stated that Alaska currently allows discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity, and the bill would align the state with a previous Supreme Court decision ruling that discrimination based on these factors is inherently discrimination based on sex. She offered that religious organizations would not be affected by the change, and the Alaska Commission on Human Rights does not oversee schools or education. She said that this commission oversees employment, housing, financing, government practices, and public accommodation. 4:28:38 PM REPRESENTATIVE ARMSTRONG continued to slide 3 through slide 5 and expressed the opinion that discrimination is bad for business and the economy. She said that Alaska has seen 10 years of outmigration, and she argued preventing discrimination would make Alaska a better place to raise a family. She stated that the proposed legislation would place Alaska into alignment with major Alaskan employers and Fortune 500 companies. She stated that a statewide solution is required because not all communities have the legal authority to pass nondiscrimination ordinances. 4:31:27 PM REPRESENTATIVE ARMSTRONG continued to slide 6 through slide 9 and stated that Alaska ranks 25th for the number of same-sex couples per 1,000 households. She said that 73 percent of people surveyed in Anchorage have reported hiding their sexual orientation or gender identity. Nearly half of those surveyed reported workplace harassment due to these factors. She pointed out the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644 (2020), that these forms of discrimination are discrimination against sex as a whole. She continued to slide 10 and slide 11 and stated that sex is a protected class against discrimination under the Alaska Commission for Human Rights. She stated that HB 99 would codify these protections, aligning with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. She explained that the attorney general and Alaska Department of Law held that legislation would be necessary to enact those changes in Alaska. 4:36:22 PM TRISTAN WALSH, Staff, Representative Armstrong, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Armstrong, prime sponsor, co-presenting the PowerPoint, moved to slide 12. He stated that HB 99 would update the definition of "sex" [found] in AS 18.80.300 to include "sexual orientation, gender, [and] identity or gender expression." He explained that the proposed legislation would align the state with the U. S. Supreme Court's ruling. He also pointed out other similar cases and laws in the county. He explained how the definitions in the proposed legislation would be expanded, directing attention to the complications concerning sexual orientation and gender, as it is "innate and can't be changed." He stated that the proposed legislation also would make conforming changes to the definition of "blockbusting" in reference to real estate. [HB 99 was held over.]