SB117

What it does

• Changes the official name from the State Commission for Human Rights to the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights.
• Allows the governor to remove commissioners for cause, which includes incompetence, neglect of duty, misconduct in office, or public statements and actions that undermine the commission's work or violate civil rights laws.
• Requires a public hearing with at least 10 days' notice before removing a commissioner and mandates filing charges with the lieutenant governor if removal happens.
• Updates reporting rules so the commission reviews data on civil rights problems annually, produces an electronic report by November 15, and notifies the governor and legislature that it is available instead of sending physical copies to legislators.
• Adds a defense for religious corporations, associations, educational institutions, or societies that hire employees of a particular religion to perform work connected with their activities if the job involves ecclesiastical, spiritual, or religious duties.
• Changes the legal definition of 'employer' to exclude organizations that are exclusively social, fraternal, charitable, educational, or religious and are not organized for private profit.