House panel advances tribal victim advocate confidentiality bill

The House Tribal Affairs Committee voted unanimously Thursday to advance legislation closing a legal gap that leaves tribal domestic violence advocates without the same confidentiality protections afforded to counselors working for private nonprofits, military programs, and local governments.

House Bill 384 adds two words to Alaska Statute 18.66.250: "or tribal." The change extends victim advocate privilege to tribal government agencies. It protects confidential communications between survivors and tribal advocates from being subpoenaed in court proceedings, matching protections already in place for other victim service providers.

"It adds two words to statute: or tribal," Representative Andrew Gray said. "And what this means is that someone seeking assistance from a domestic violence shelter that is run by a tribal entity would get the same confidentiality protections that that person would get if they sought the same care through a nonprofit or a state-run or a military-run facility."

Gray introduced the bill before the April 23, 2026 committee hearing. The statute was originally written about 30 years ago and amended 15 years ago to include military organizations after a similar loophole was discovered.

Tribal advocates testified that without legal protection, survivors' safety plans, abuse details, and strategies can be subpoenaed by abusers' attorneys. They described this as a chilling effect that discourages survivors from seeking help.

The bill passed out of committee with a Do Pass recommendation from all six members present: Representatives Schwanke, Freer, Ruffridge, Underwood, Carrick, and Story. It carries a zero fiscal note from the Department of Public Safety and requires no new funding. Letters of support were submitted by the Rape Crisis and Prevention Center, the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and the Alaska Native Women's Resource Center.

"I was shocked that this is a loophole in current law," Representative Rebecca Schwanke said. "So I thank him and the advocates for finding it, and I'm glad we can close it."

Representative Justin Ruffridge praised the bill's approach before removing his objection to the motion.

"I appreciate what seems to be a very elegant solution, and I cannot believe that Representative Gray did this on his own," Ruffridge said. "You had to have it. It's very eloquent. Two words and it does a whole lot."

The bill now moves to the House Judiciary Committee.

The legislation recognizes tribal governments as sovereign entities deserving equal legal standing as local governments under Alaska law. It does not create new programs or impose new costs. It simply extends existing protections to tribal victim counseling centers that meet the same training and service requirements already in statute.