Alaska Legislature passes HCR 301 and HCR 302 unanimously

Both chambers of the Alaska State Legislature voted unanimously on June 20 to pass two concurrent resolutions — HCR 301 and HCR 302 — establishing procedural rules related to a potential special session. The votes occurred amid reports of friction between Governor Mike Dunleavy and the Senate over Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) tax legislation.

Resolutions and Vote Counts

The legislature passed both resolutions on June 20. HCR 301, sponsored by the House Rules Committee, suspends Uniform Rules 47 and 55, which govern how bills carry over into a special session. HCR 302 authorizes both chambers to recess for more than three days, a step required under the Alaska Constitution before the legislature can break and reconvene. Both resolutions passed 40-0 in the Alaska State House and 16-0 in the Alaska State Senate, with four of the Senate's 20 members excused. Both resolutions were awaiting transmittal to the governor as of June 22.

HCR 301 invokes Rule 54 of the Uniform Rules, which allows the legislature to suspend its own rules for a specific bill or action by concurrent resolution. The legislature used the same mechanism in 2012, when an earlier HCR 301 suspended Rules 47 and 55 to allow consideration of a specific bill during a special session of the 32nd Legislature.

Context

The procedural votes coincide with reports of a potential special session focused on Alaska LNG tax legislation following friction between Governor Mike Dunleavy and the Senate. The source material does not confirm whether a special session has been formally called or specify which legislation would be taken up.

The broader dispute involves Alaska LNG tax legislation. The source material does not detail the specific provisions under debate or confirm the current status of any related bills or conference committee proceedings at the time of publication.