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Ice flows are delaying Miles Lake sonar equipment, pushing the Chitina dipnet season opening to a tentative June 10 noon start pending sonar data on salmon passage.
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Alaska Senate raised the state's maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $470 by amending an insurance bill, after rejecting a higher $525 proposal over cost concerns.

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Alaska House votes to recess two weeks during special session on gas line taxation, allowing members to leave for Memorial Day weekend. • Opponents warn the break could delay the gas line bill, which they call the state's most urgent issue. • House also approves carrying over two companion bills on natural gas pipeline property taxes into the special session.

Petersburg anglers must carry rockfish release devices on all marine vessels and return unharvested rockfish to capture depth or 100 feet. • Residents can keep one demersal rockfish daily year-round. Nonresidents only July 1 through August 25. • King salmon season opened May 15 in Wrangell Narrows and Blind Slough Terminal Harvest Area.
Alaska House voted 28-10 to let two natural gas tax bills continue into special session alongside the governor's competing bill, overriding objections that lawmakers should focus only on the governor's proposal.

Senate approved 3.37 acre land transfer to Southcentral Foundation to expand mental health services for Alaska Native people. • Committee advanced eight tribal land bills nationwide for housing and wildfire management. • Administration proposed major cuts to tribal services including 32 percent reduction to Indian Education bureau.

Alaska House approved telehealth bill requiring insurers to pay same rates for remote visits as in-person care. • Bill removes geographic limits on telehealth use statewide. • Repeal of two state medical assistance programs included. • Measure now goes to governor.

Alaska House passed a bill allowing employers to offer pay cards as an alternative to paychecks, with protections against merchant fees and free cash withdrawals. A provision to stop credit card companies from charging fees on restaurant tips and taxes was removed during committee review.

Governor Dunleavy vetoed a statewide transit bill and called a special legislative session to address natural gas pipeline taxation, with Senate Finance Committee hearings beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Alaska House approved a bill updating corporate income tax rules for digital businesses, passing 28-11. The measure lets Alaska collect revenue from out-of-state companies that operate without physical locations in the state.

Alaska Senate rejected a bill allowing out-of-state healthcare providers to practice through interstate compacts, voting 11-9 against it. Opponents worried providers would lack experience with Indigenous populations and Alaska's specific healthcare needs.

Alaska Senate approved $13.9B budget with $200 energy relief per person added to Permanent Fund Dividend. • Budget passed 17-3 and includes $11M for heating assistance and $29.1M in school fuel grants. • Operating budget maintains $44M surplus and now goes to House for final vote.

Alaska Senate unanimously passed bill increasing special education funding by 16 percent per student. • Senate also approved adding a fifth Superior Court judge in Palmer to reduce case backlog from 680 to 540 cases per judge.

Alaska Senate rejected a health care licensing bill that would have let out-of-state providers practice in Alaska, voting 9-11 on concerns they lack Alaska-specific training and knowledge of Indigenous communities.

Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday requiring schools to better identify and support deaf and hard of hearing students, with no new state funding attached.

Alaska Legislature passed a bill renaming physician assistants to physician associates and expanding pharmacist services like opioid overdose drug prescriptions without doctor referrals.

Alaska House passed Senate Bill 163 unanimously Wednesday, repealing three inactive and empty state funds including the Public Access Fund and the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games Reserve Fund.

Alaska House passed a bill 26-13 to stop software vendors from forcing state and local governments into specific cloud platforms or locking them into expensive contracts.
Alaska House passed a bill removing tax-collection deductions for motor fuel, tobacco, and tire fees, expected to raise nearly $500,000 yearly.
Alaska Senate passed SB 256 on May 20, joining an interstate compact that lets EMTs and paramedics work across state lines without separate licenses in each state, while Alaska keeps full authority over discipline and scope of practice.
VA requests $488 billion budget, shifting $17 billion toward private care while holding VA facility funding flat, affecting 60,000 Alaska veterans. • VA lost 50,000 employees in 2025 and 2026, raising concerns about workforce and direct care. • Budget cuts appeals processing and oversight despite rising caseloads. • Includes $10.4 billion for infrastructure and health records modernization.

Alaska got 272 million dollars to fix rural health care through hiring, technology, and access. • 1,800 groups applied in round one across five health focus areas. • Money must be spent by September 2027 with strict cost limits. • Year two applications open late summer 2026.

Juneau School District property insurance costs will more than double to over $800,000 next year, forcing the district to cut the equivalent of four teaching positions since state law caps school funding and insurance falls under that cap.

Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage on May 21 due to a below-average Yukon River forecast, affecting the Chena, Goodpaster, and Salcha Rivers.

Alaska DOT limits truck weights on Northern Region roads starting May 21 due to spring thaw. • Restrictions range from 50 to 100 percent of legal axle load depending on road condition. • Major highways like Parks Highway stay at full weight, while rural roads drop to 50 percent. • Elliot and Dalton highways exempt from seasonal limits.
Aspect Holdings won eight Alaska lease blocks projecting $100 billion in state revenue. • One contested block near Teshekpuk Lake faces a lawsuit from a Native organization. • Seven uncontested blocks expected to be finalized soon. • Company estimates 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil remain on North Slope.

Indian Health Service proposes cutting sanitation funding by 93 million dollars in Alaska Native villages that still use honey buckets. • Over 2,000 water and sanitation projects remain unfunded across Indian Country. • Senator Murkowski challenged the cut, saying sanitation prevents illness. • Congress rejected similar cuts last year and plans to fight again.

Alaska Legislature unanimously proclaimed May 2026 as Myositis Awareness Month to highlight a rare autoimmune disease that causes muscle inflammation and weakness.

Alaska Senate unanimously backed relocation of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after Typhoon Halong devastated the coastal villages last September, calling for full state and federal support though the resolution itself does not fund the move.

Alaska LNG secured private financing to build 800-mile pipeline from North Slope to Cook Inlet, targeting 2027 construction start and 2029 gas delivery. • Needs tax stabilization law and utility regulator approval to proceed. • Export facility would sell 20 million tonnes of LNG yearly, mostly to Asia. • Project addresses Cook Inlet gas shortage and aims to lower Alaska energy costs.

Dunleavy and business author Wade say Alaska must cut regulations to compete for investment and jobs. • Wade argued over-regulation keeps poor nations poor, citing special economic zones as a model. • Dunleavy said a major energy project awaits legislature approval and could create thousands of jobs. • Wade told energy industry reliable, affordable power is essential to human flourishing.

Governor Dunleavy said the Alaska gas pipeline project has momentum now that the Trump administration has reversed federal restrictions, and he called on Congress to streamline permitting and limit legal challenges to projects.

Alaska Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to set hiring goals for apprentices and veteran apprentices on U.S. Defense Department construction projects.

Senate Republicans warn Cook Inlet gas decline will raise rural power costs through state subsidy program. • Caucus calls energy shortage an existential crisis and pushes Legislature to build gasline instead of importing liquefied gas. • Three priorities set for special session: cut energy costs, create jobs from pipeline, manage resources for public benefit.

Rep. Nick Begich cited a record $163 million Alaska oil lease sale as evidence that federal policy certainty drives energy investment, and called for faster permitting to unlock Alaska's oil, gas, and geothermal resources for national security.

Alaska LNG needs $8.48 to $9.07 per thousand cubic feet to break even, but global prices are $8 to $9. • Governor's tax plan cuts state revenue from $29.7 billion to $22.5 billion over the project's life. • Capital cost overruns and producer gas prices pose bigger risks than tax relief can fix. • State could invest $4.4 billion for a 25 percent equity stake.

Governor's plan cuts municipal revenue by $13 billion, House Resources version cuts only $2 billion • Governor replaces property tax with volumetric tax statewide, House Resources keeps property tax on facilities • Both versions reduce state revenue, project remains economically challenged at current market prices

Alaska LNG delays exports, focuses first on supplying in-state gas from North Slope to Cook Inlet. • Lawmakers debate tying tax breaks to a required gas line serving Fairbanks. • Company warns narrow financial window and limited pipeline capacity pose challenges. • Governor says tax breaks are needed to compete with cheaper energy projects elsewhere.

Alaska Senate opened special session to overhaul natural gas taxes through Senate Bill 2001. • New volumetric tax on gas throughput and revised municipal property tax calculations for schools. • Governor Dunleavy called session under May 19 proclamation limited to natural gas tax bills. • Senate coordinating with House and three state departments to avoid costly errors.

Glenfarne secured financing for Alaska LNG pipeline, targeting 2027 construction and 2029 delivery to Cook Inlet, pending tax legislation. • National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lease sale drew $163 million in bids for 1.3 million acres, though one block faces court challenge. • Dunleavy and economist Wade argued regulatory streamlining and energy access drive economic growth.

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