Juneau — The House Labor and Commerce Committee held a first hearing Feb. 14 on House Bill 20, sponsored by Rep. Dan Sadler, which would prohibit businesses and insurers from charging customers additional fees for receiving paper invoices or statements.

Sadler introduced the bill as a consumer-protection measure aimed at preventing a shift to effectively penalize customers who do not use online billing. "The fees for this kind of service can range from a dollar to $10 a month or per statement," Sadler told the committee, and gave an example that multiple fees can add up to "about $300 a year." He said older Alaskans and residents with unreliable internet access are disproportionately affected.

Noah Wilkins, staff to Rep. Sadler, read the bill’s section-by-section analysis. According to Wilkins, the bill would add a new section to the insurance statutes (cited in the hearing as "AS 21 36") to prevent insurers from charging different rates for customers who choose paper statements. It would add a parallel provision to the commerce statute (cited as "AS 45 45") to bar businesses from charging extra for paper documents, and would define "business" by reference to AS 43 71 10. Wilkins also told the committee the bill would not prohibit charges for duplicate copies of documents already provided.

Representative Garrett asked whether any state departments currently charge for paper documents and whether the bill would apply to the state. Sadler replied the bill is narrowly focused on businesses as defined in statute and "would not cover" state agencies; he said a separate effort could examine state printing/mail costs.

Laurie Winghire, director of the Division of Insurance, was present for the hearing; no division position was read into the record during the Feb. 14 session. The committee did not vote on the bill; Wilkins’s reading served as the informational presentation and the hearing concluded without formal action.

Why it matters: proponents said the bill would protect customers—particularly older residents and those in areas with unreliable internet—from an added cost of doing business by mail. The statutory language read into the record seeks to make such a practice an unlawful business act under Title 45 and to add a parallel prohibition for insurers.

Next steps: the committee did not set a vote; members noted amendment deadlines for other bills scheduled at the next hearing but took no final action on HB 20 on Feb. 14.