HOUSE BILL NO. 23 "An Act relating to the definition of 'employer' for the purposes of the State Commission for Human Rights." 1:37:23 PM Co-Chair Josephson briefly reviewed HB 23. He noted that the bill had a prior hearing in committee on March 27, 2025. He communicated that in current law the Alaska State Commission on Human Rights (ASCHR) employee protection did not extend to employees of Alaska's many nonprofit organizations and under the legislation nonprofits would be subject to the jurisdiction of the commission. The bill could impact the lives of 40,000 Alaskans. The bill also renamed the commission to the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights, requiring that commissioners can only be removed for just cause, and changed the date and method of delivery for the commission's annual report. He responded to a prior question by Representative Bynum who offered a hypothetical scenario about an all-boys school and whether they would be required to employ women on the staff. He related that he sought a legal opinion from the ASCHR (copy on file) that cited the existence of a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ). He explained that it was a body of law from 1965 that exempted employment discrimination on the basis of sex, "when the reasonable demands of the position do not require distinction on the basis of? sex" as stated in the statute. He noted that the memo exemplified jobs such as; prison guards, orderlies, nurses, etc. He encouraged members to read the memo. There were instances where there could be lawful discrimination based on the "essence of the employment." 1:40:29 PM Co-Chair Foster moved to hearing public testimony. [Secretary Note: Although not explicitly stated, public testimony was opened.] DORENE LORENZE, CHAIRMAN, ALASKA STATE COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS, provided public testimony. She explained that the desire to change the commission's name from civil rights to human rights was due to confusion over what the commission was empowered to act on. She spoke to the date change of the annual report to November instead of January each year and the change to electronic transmission, which was due to expediency and cost effectiveness. She noted that changing to the word employer covered non-profits offering more employees protection under the commission. She agreed with the BFOQ exclusion. She addressed the cause for the termination change. She relayed that everyone on the commission had been appointed by the same governor. She believed that it was fair for an appointee who was removed from the position to have the opportunity to inquire about the reason for the dismissal. She relayed a story from personal experience relating to being a journalist in Pakistan. She determined that a newly elected governor could dismiss everyone on the commission and reappoint their political cronies to go after perceived political enemies or find favoritism for their political friends. In the ensuing time that it took the legislature to approve the new appointees determining who would remain or leave the committee, "there could be a lot of havoc," which should be avoided. She highlighted that the changes did not cost anything, and it would allow ASCHR to bring in more federal contracts for the non-profit status resulting in increased revenue and decreased financial dependence on the state. 1:44:19 PM Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony. He indicated that amendments for HB 23 were due April 15, 2025, at 5:00pm. HB 23 was HEARD and HELD in committee for future consideration. 1:45:16 PM