House panel advances Local Boundary Commission expansion bill

The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee held its first hearing Thursday on legislation that would expand the Local Boundary Commission and guarantee representation from Alaska's unorganized borough.

Senate Bill 63 would add a sixth seat to the five-member commission and require at least one commissioner to live in the unorganized borough. The bill is a reintroduction of House Bill 279 from the last legislature, which passed the House unanimously but ran out of time before a final Senate vote.

Senator Mike Cronk, who represents District R, said multiple constituents from unorganized areas across the state brought the idea to him because they felt their perspective was missing when the commission considers boundary changes.

"There may not be a very fair representation of how people in rural in the unorganized areas live right now," Cronk said. "We were just trying to present this bill that gives somebody on the commission a voice in that perspective."

The unorganized borough covers most of Alaska's land mass but holds a fraction of the state's population. The Local Boundary Commission reviews proposals to create new boroughs, change existing boundaries, or incorporate cities.

Paul Menke, staff to Senator Cronk, said the bill reflects a principle that "government should be built from the people up and not imposed from the state down."

"There's a perspective coming from unorganized areas of the state that is not always graspable for people who haven't lived there," Menke said.

The bill would also extend commissioner terms from five years to six years, with one seat coming up for appointment each year. It would change how the commission chair is selected, allowing commissioners to elect the chair from among themselves rather than automatically designating the at-large member.

The legislation requires commissioners appointed from a judicial district or the unorganized borough to be domiciled and registered to vote in the area they represent.

Representative G. Nelson asked about the challenges constituents face without representation on the commission. Cronk said people across the state, not just in his district, want a voice before being incorporated into a borough.

"We really want to make sure that before people are forced into something, that they have a voice," Cronk said.

The committee heard no public testimony on the bill. Co-Chair Rebecca Himschoot set the bill aside and established an amendment deadline for 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 21. Written testimony can be submitted to [email protected].

The bill would take effect January 31, 2027. Current commissioners would serve out their existing terms.