STATE COMMISSION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Enrolled HB 23
LAWS OF ALASKA

2026

Source Chapter No.
SCS CSHB 23(FIN)(edf add S) _______

AN ACT

Renaming the State Commission for Human Rights the Alaska State Commission for Civil
Rights; relating to investigations and conciliation by the Alaska State Commission for Civil
Rights; relating to removal of commissioners of the Alaska State Commission for Civil
Rights; relating to reports from the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights; relating to the
definition of "employer" for the purposes of the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights;
relating to local civil rights commissions; and providing for an effective date.

_______________

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:

THE ACT FOLLOWS ON PAGE 1

-1- Enrolled HB 23

AN ACT

Renaming the State Commission for Human Rights the Alaska State Commission for Civil 1
Rights; relating to investigations and conciliation by the Alaska State Commission for Civil 2
Rights; relating to removal of commissioners of the Alaska State Commission for Civil 3
Rights; relating to reports from the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights; relating to the 4
definition of "employer" for the purposes of the Alaska State Commission for Civil Rights; 5
relating to local civil rights commissions; and providing for an effective date. 6
_______________ 7
* Section 1. AS 18.80.010 is amended to read: 8
Sec. 18.80.010. Creation. There is created in the office of the governor an 9
Alaska [A] State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights. 10
* Sec. 2. AS 18.80.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 11
(b) The governor may remove a commissioner from office for cause. For 12

Enrolled HB 23 -2-
purposes of this subsection, cause includes incompetence, neglect of duty, and 1
misconduct in office and public statements and public or private actions that 2
undermine the commission's work or violate this chapter. To remove a commissioner 3
for cause, the governor shall provide a copy of the charges to the commissioner and 4
offer an opportunity for the commissioner to be publicly heard in person, or by 5
counsel, in the commissioner's defense, upon not less than 10 days' notice. If a 6
commissioner is removed for cause, the governor shall file with the lieutenant 7
governor a complete statement of all charges made against the commissioner and the 8
governor's findings based on the charges, together with a complete record of the 9
proceedings. 10
* Sec. 3. AS 18.80.110 is amended to read: 11
Sec. 18.80.110. Investigation and conciliation. The executive director or a 12
member of the commission's staff designated by the executive director shall 13
informally investigate the matters set out in a filed complaint, promptly and 14
impartially. If the complainant, executive director, and respondent agree to a 15
remedy before the investigator makes a determination on the complaint, the 16
agreement must be reduced to writing and signed by the complainant, executive 17
director, and respondent. If an agreement is not reached before the investigator 18
makes a determination and the investigator determines that there is substantial 19
evidence of an unlawful discriminatory practice under this chapter, the investigator 20
shall immediately try to eliminate or remedy the discriminatory practice through an 21
agreement reached by conference, conciliation, and persuasion. If an agreement is 22
reached, it must be reduced to writing and signed by the complainant, executive 23
director, and respondent. An [THE] agreement reached under this section before or 24
after the investigator makes a determination on the complaint is binding and 25
enforceable under this chapter as an order of the commission. An agreement reached 26
under this section may include the compromise of damages authorized under this 27
chapter. 28
* Sec. 4. AS 18.80.150 is amended to read: 29
Sec. 18.80.150. Annual report. Each year, the [THE] commission shall 30
review all data [REPORT ANNUALLY TO THE GOVERNOR] on civil rights 31

-3- Enrolled HB 23
problems the commission [IT] has encountered in the preceding year [,] and produce 1
a report by November 15 of each year on those problems. The report may include 2
recommendations for [RECOMMEND] legislative action. [THE COMMISSION 3
SHALL PROVIDE THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AGENCY WITH 40 COPIES 4
OF THE REPORT DURING THE WEEK PRECEDING THE CONVENING OF 5
THE ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR LIBRARY DISTRIBUTION.] The 6
commission shall make [COPIES OF] the report available to the public electronically 7
and notify the governor and the legislature that the report is available. 8
* Sec. 5. AS 18.80.220 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 9
(e) In an action brought under (a)(1) of this section, it is an affirmative defense 10
that 11
(1) the employer is a religious corporation, association, educational 12
institution, or society that hires employees of a particular religion to perform work 13
connected with carrying on the corporation, association, educational institution, or 14
society and its activities; and 15
(2) the employee is hired to engage in activities that are ecclesiastical, 16
spiritual, or religious and the employee's job responsibilities include furthering the 17
study or advancement of religion. 18
* Sec. 6. AS 18.80.290(a) is amended to read: 19
(a) The legislative body of a municipality may, by ordinance or resolution, 20
authorize the establishment of membership in and support of a local civil [HUMAN] 21
rights commission. The number and qualifications of the members of a local 22
commission and their terms and method of appointment or removal shall be as 23
determined by the legislative body, except that a member may not hold office in a 24
political party. 25
* Sec. 7. AS 18.80.300(2) is amended to read: 26
(2) "commission" means the Alaska State Commission for Civil 27
[HUMAN] Rights; 28
* Sec. 8. AS 18.80.300(5) is amended to read: 29
(5) "employer" means a person, including the state and a political 30
subdivision of the state, who has one or more employees in the state but does not 31

Enrolled HB 23 -4-
include an organization [A CLUB] that is exclusively social [,] or [A] fraternal and [, 1
CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, OR RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION OR 2
CORPORATION, IF THE CLUB, ASSOCIATION, OR CORPORATION] is not 3
organized for private profit; 4
* Sec. 9. AS 18.80.300(7) is amended to read: 5
(7) "executive director" means the executive director of the Alaska 6
State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights; 7
* Sec. 10. AS 24.60.039(b) is amended to read: 8
(b) If a person files a complaint with the committee under AS 24.60.170 9
alleging a violation of this section, the committee may refer the complainant to the 10
Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights and may defer its consideration 11
of the complaint until after the complainant establishes to the satisfaction of the 12
committee that the commission has completed its proceedings in the matter. 13
* Sec. 11. AS 39.50.200(b)(13) is amended to read: 14
(13) Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights 15
(AS 18.80.010); 16
* Sec. 12. AS 44.62.330(a)(42) is amended to read: 17
(42) Alaska State Commission for Civil [HUMAN] Rights, where 18
procedures are not otherwise expressly provided in AS 18.80; 19
* Sec. 13. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027. 20