Gender Justice Bills to Watch

The first session of the 33rd Alaska State Legislature convened on Jan. 17, 2023

Written by David Clark, Gender Justice + Policy

As it stands right now, the House has organized into a Republican majority, with Rep. Cathy Tilton leading the body as House Speaker, with many freshman House members from across the political spectrum. Meanwhile, the Senate has organized into a strong bipartisan majority, and top Senators have shared that the main legislative priorities for this session are sustainable education funding, lowering the cost of energy and health care, and strengthening the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS).

With new leadership in the House and Senate, a significant amount of first-time legislators elected to office, as well as new party lines drawn in both bodies, it can take time before legislative activity can pick up steam — especially since legislators also need time to consider and pass the Governor’s proposed budget, which is introduced in December of every calendar year. However, a variety of factors can influence later outcomes, so it is still important to know what comes down the line, to understand what it means if it passes, and to advocate accordingly. Here's a list of Gender Justice-related bills we're monitoring this legislative session:

HB 14 (MONITORING)
If passed, this bill would include sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin as factors to be considered for sentencing someone for aggravated assault against another individual.

HB 17/SB 27 (SUPPORT)
If passed, this bill would require health insurance plans to cover contraceptives for up to 12 months.

HB 27 (OPPOSE)
If passed, this bill would legally require schools to designate gendered or "co-ed" sports teams based on biological sex, and creates mechanisms for legal action for perceived violations. This is part of an ongoing trend of attacking trans rights in state legislatures across the country.

HB 28 (SUPPORT)
If passed, this bill would restrict the release of conviction records related to low-level marijuana possession offenses.

HJR 1 (MONITORING)
If passed, this would create a ballot measure in the 2024 general election cycle that would ask voters whether they want to repeal Article 1, Section 25 of the Alaska State Constitution, which recognizes marriage as "between a man and a woman." If enough voters vote yes, this would legalize LGBTQ+ marriage at the state level. The Respect for Marriage Act, signed into law earlier this year, requires the federal government to recognize LGBTQ+ marriages if they were valid in the state that granted them--but if Obergefell v. Hodges is to be overturned by the Supreme Court, the decision over whether or not LGBTQ+ marriages are still valid would revert back to the states. In order to protect LGBTQ+ marriages in Alaska, we need those rights constitutionally protected-not banned.

SB 23 (SUPPORT)
If passed, this bill would strengthen various parts of police policy around the state, including creating standards for municipal police officers, creating standards around village public safety officer training programs, directing the Department of Public Safety and other public safety entities around the state to publish and keep track of use-of-force data, and more.

SB 32 (SUPPORT)
If passed, this bill would ban the use of chokeholds by police officers in situations where deadly force is not necessary.

SJR 2 (OPPOSE/MONITORING)
If passed, this would create a ballot measure in the 2024 general election cycle, asking residents whether or not abortion should remain legal in the state of Alaska. As it stands, abortion in Alaska is protected, even after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We can't risk this.