Alaska ethics overhaul becomes law without governor's signature

Alaska's rewritten Legislative Ethics Act became law June 24 when Gov. Dunleavy let the deadline pass without signing it, according to committee member Joyce Anderson, who reported the development at the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics meeting Friday.

"The governor did not sign it," Anderson told the committee. "So it became effective on the day, the last day that he didn't, that he would have had to sign it, which was on Wednesday, June 24th. Section 28 of the bill says this act takes effect immediately."

Among the changes committee staff identified as priorities for immediate communication to covered employees is a new hard statutory requirement that anyone accepting a gift of travel and hospitality for legislative purposes must submit a written agenda documenting why the trip served a legislative purpose. That requirement had existed as committee policy, but staff explained at the meeting that it carried no statutory weight at the time. The new law changes that.

Anderson described a recent case in which a legislator and a legislative employee declined to submit an adequate agenda after attending the Arctic Winter Games on a travel gift. Staff followed up multiple times but lacked statutory authority to compel more. Committee members discussed whether the prior disclosure should be treated as incomplete and whether reimbursement might be sought. Anderson said the logic of the new requirement is clear: "If they can't provide it was a legislative purpose, then they need to reimburse the money."

Rep. Kevin McCabe said the committee should frame the requirement as helpful rather than adversarial. "If we put something out that says it's helpful in determining whether or not this meets our ethics statute, if you could provide the legislative purpose more than just your travel itinerary," he said.

Anderson said she plans to review the new law and work with staff on a newsletter to all covered employees highlighting the changes. She identified the agenda mandate and new rules on the use of legislative titles as priority items to communicate. The Rules of Procedure Subcommittee is expected to develop guidelines on what constitutes an adequate agenda under the new statute, Anderson said, noting that the subcommittee would reconvene in connection with the bill's passage.