AK HB161

Adds protection for state employees in the classified, partially exempt, and exempt services to communicate with members and employees of the legislature without prohibition or retaliation from their supervisors.

Violation of the communication protection constitutes just cause for dismissal or other appropriate disciplinary action against the supervisor prohibiting or retaliating against the employee.

Requires department heads' internal management regulations to be approved by the personnel board and prohibits those regulations from restricting employee rights to communicate with the legislature.

Extends the same communication protections to public officers under the ethics statute, preventing them from prohibiting or retaliating against executive branch employees for legislative communications.

Makes technical amendments to state personnel and ethics statutes to clarify that communication protections apply to classified, partially exempt, and exempt service employees.