Dunleavy vetoes six bills, including invasive species and polystyrene measures

Dunleavy vetoes six bills, including invasive species and polystyrene measures

Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed six bills on June 24, blocking measures that would have banned polystyrene food containers statewide and created a coordinated invasive species response, among other initiatives.

The polystyrene ban, House Bill 25, would have applied to restaurants, school cafeterias, hospitals, and state agencies beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The bill included a provision allowing restaurants to continue using stockpiled polystyrene containers until supplies were depleted. It passed the House 25-15, cleared the Senate 13-7, and the House concurred 26-14 with Senate changes. Municipalities including Bethel, Cordova, and Seward already have local polystyrene bans in place.

In his veto message, Dunleavy said the measure would have created an "unrealistic implementation timeline for businesses," particularly in rural Alaska. "A rapid transition away from customary packing could increase costs for businesses and consumers without giving affected businesses enough time to adapt," he said, according to prior coverage by the Alaska Beacon published June 24.

Senate Bill 174 would have created an invasive species management council, a response fund (though the fund was not charged), and a five-year strategic plan to coordinate state and federal agencies. Rep. Sara Hannan said during House floor debate in May that the state Department of Natural Resources had one person working on invasive plants statewide without authority to make statewide recommendations, and the Department of Fish and Game had one invasive species coordinator. The council, she said, would let disparate agencies align on priorities and bring a unified budget request to the legislature. Rep. Dan Saddler argued in opposition that state agencies already hold the authority to manage Alaska's resources and that outside groups, including those from other states, should not be brought into state policy under the council's structure.

The remaining four vetoes covered House Bill 96, which would have established a home care employment standards advisory board; House Bill 79, creating the Vic Fisher Marine Park Research Program; House Bill 133 on payment of contracts; and House Bill 278 creating an Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission.

Separately, Dunleavy allowed nine bills to become law without signature on June 22, citing Article 2, Section 17 of the Alaska Constitution. Those measures covered municipal property tax exemptions, foster children psychiatric treatment homes, education for the deaf and hard of hearing, health care licensure compacts, legislative ethics proceedings, snow classics, the Big Game Commercial Services Board and Board of Dental Examiners, the Fisheries Production Development Tax Credit, and municipal service areas and farm and agricultural land.