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Alaska Senate passed bill letting pharmacists treat strep throat, bladder infections, and manage diabetes without doctor approval first. • Pharmacists cannot prescribe opioids or high-risk drugs but can give naloxone. • Rural areas and emergencies benefit most, with pharmacist visits costing $277 less than clinic visits.

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Alaska House unanimously approved HB 73 to create new residential homes for people with behavioral health conditions like schizophrenia. • New license category takes effect July 1, 2027, giving the Department of Health time to set service standards and payment rates. • Bill addresses people who cannot access existing group homes or assisted living facilities.

Alaska House raised maximum weekly unemployment benefits from $370 to $470, first increase since 2009. • Expanded telehealth coverage and raised disability pay for firefighters and police from 40 percent to 75 percent. • Updated insurance laws to clarify rebates and ban misleading advertising.

Alaska House unanimously approved five healthcare licensure compacts for physicians, physician assistants, EMS personnel, psychologists, and social workers to help the state compete for federal rural health funding.

Alaska House voted to end a loophole that let taxpayers deliberately overpay property taxes to collect 8 percent interest refunds, passing House Bill 13 by 32-7.

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

Alaska House voted to eliminate four tax discounts worth $500,000 yearly, including a cigarette stamp break that persisted two decades after the equipment it subsidized was paid off.

Alaska attorney general voided five salmon regulations after board members failed to disclose conflicts of interest. • Fishing groups won relief through ethics enforcement instead of court. • Regulations would have restricted fishing time and added chinook catch closures. • Board must restart the process to readopt any rules.

Alaska House passed a bill to restore campaign donation limits of 2,000 dollars per donor per candidate. • The bill takes effect 90 days after the governor acts, likely before November 2026 election. • Governor can sign, veto, or do nothing. Inaction lets the bill become law. • Opponents say it restricts speech and will likely face lawsuit.

Alaska House voted 36-3 to accept Senate changes to HB 126, allowing involuntarily dissolved Native corporations to reinstate as the same legal entity rather than transfer assets to a new corporation.

Alaska House voted 38-0 Wednesday to pass HB 278, creating a nine-member Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission to support economic and cultural ties between the two regions.

Alaska House passed education bill with teacher loan repayment up to $5,000 yearly for hard-to-fill roles like special education and STEM. • School districts get energy cost reimbursement based on three-year heating and fuel averages. • Local school contribution growth capped at 4% annually to ease property tax pressure. • Bill heads to governor after final Senate approval on last day of session.

Alaska raised age of consent from 16 to 18 after Senate delay sparked public outcry. • Omnibus crime bill also criminalizes AI-generated child abuse images and requires sex offender registration. • New rules make sexual assault by healthcare workers a standalone crime and expand parole board. • Lawmakers worried about compressed timeline but voted yes anyway.

Senate passed education bill with 4% cap on required local contribution growth, limiting property value increases that shift school funding from state to local governments. • Bill includes energy grants for schools and teacher loan repayment up to $5,000 yearly for STEM and special education teachers. • Cap could cost state $41.6 million by 2035 but prevents districts from losing millions in revenue.

Alaska House passed bill raising tobacco and vape purchase age from 19 to 21, matching federal law. • New statewide tax on vaping products will fund smoking education programs. • Bill includes exemption for premium cigar lounges meeting strict requirements. • Penalties for underage possession lowered to $100 with no court appearance required.

Alaska House passed SB 252 unanimously Wednesday, updating state commercial law to cover digital assets like cryptocurrencies and NFTs with clearer rules on ownership and collateral.
Alaska Senate passed fiscal year 2027 operating budget on 17-3 vote, balanced at $75 per barrel oil without drawing from savings. • Mental health budget approved 20-0, adding $3.5 million for behavioral health treatment and $500,000 for crisis call center. • Capital budget concurred 18-2, including $32.5 million for University of Alaska deferred maintenance and school and port projects.

Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 96 on May 18, requiring home care agencies to allocate funding to Personal Care Assistants, with the Senate voting 19 to 1. The bill now goes to Governor Dunleavy.

Alaska passed SB 249 unanimously to regulate cryptocurrency kiosks after Senator Tilton's mother was scammed. The bill requires fraud warnings, licensing, transaction limits, fee caps, and refunds for proven fraud victims.

Alaska Legislature fell seven votes short of overriding the governor's veto of a bill that would have restored pension options for public employees and teachers, voting 33-27 when 40 votes were needed.

Juneau Assembly Finance Committee voted 6-3 to end the Eagle Crest gondola project and repay Goldbelt's $12 million loan after construction costs jumped from $7 million to $27 million.

Alaska House passed a civics education bill 37-3 Tuesday, requiring high school students to take a social studies course and pass a civics exam to graduate.

Alaska Senate unanimously approved an 80-page public safety bill that criminalizes AI child abuse material and raises age of consent to 18. • The bill expands the parole board from five to seven members and creates new crimes including mail theft and airbag fraud. • It costs $413,400 in startup and ongoing funding and now returns to the House for final approval.

House Finance Committee advanced a bill to restore Permanent Fund Dividends to Alaskans whose convictions were wrongfully vacated, with a two-year deadline to apply after exoneration.
Alaska House passed SB 9 on May 19 with a 35-to-5 vote, authorizing baby boxes at hospitals and fire stations where parents can anonymously surrender infants 21 days or younger without legal penalty.
Juneau's Joint Assembly-School District committee approved a $16 million school bond that includes $300,000 for flood mitigation at school properties, following the 2023 Mendenhall River flooding.

Governor Dunleavy vetoed legislation that would have reopened a defined benefit pension option for Alaska public employees and teachers, citing fiscal and legal concerns.

Thorne Bay certified its May 12 mayoral election on May 18 with 235 ballots cast, a 47 percent turnout of 500 registered voters.

House Finance added feral cat spay-neuter provisions to an invasive species bill in a 9-2 vote, delaying the cat management rules until 2028.

Alaska Senate Finance Committee advanced a bill providing energy cost relief to school districts and expanding teacher loan repayment programs.

Alaska Senate passed a statewide ban on polystyrene food containers at restaurants, effective January 1, 2027, citing health and environmental concerns.

Alaska House approved stricter hunting and fishing residency rules in a 24-16 vote, requiring 180 days per year in state instead of just maintaining a domicile, effective January 2028.
House Finance advanced a bill raising the tobacco purchase age to 21 and taxing e-cigarettes at retail, effective July 2026 and July 2027.
Alaska Senate passed a bill requiring the University of Alaska to send students itemized fee statements showing exactly what they pay for, heading to the governor.
Alaska House unanimously approved a bill extending a tax credit for seafood processors through 2037 and expanding it to all fish species, aiming to help the industry during poor market conditions.
Alaska Senate passed a bill requiring delivery app companies to provide insurance coverage for injured gig workers, closing a gap that left drivers with no protection after accidents.

House Finance Committee advanced a bill creating an automatic IRA program for Alaska workers at businesses without retirement plans, with employees able to opt out.

Alaska Legislature set the Permanent Fund Dividend at $1,000 and raised energy relief payments to $200 per person, with the energy increase costing $127.3 million.

Alaska Senate passed a gas pipeline bill raising the oil tax floor to six percent starting in 2027, even without the pipeline, over industry objections.

Alaska House passed the state's first paid parental leave program but exempted seasonal workers from a voter-approved paid sick leave mandate.
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Thu, Oct 22Alaska News Daily Brief9 min · 14 stories