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Saturday, May 16
Senate approves mental health education bill after six-year push
Senate approved a bill requiring schools to develop mental health education guidelines, with parental opt-out rights, after six years of pushing back against Alaska's youth suicide crisis.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate cuts community impact fees for gas pipeline by half
Alaska Senate cut community impact fees for the Alaska LNG pipeline to $500,000 per mile, halving projected municipal payments from $740 million to $370 million during construction.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Railbelt grid operator holds five subcommittee meetings in eight days
The Railbelt Transmission Organization held five subcommittee meetings in eight days this month to work on grid standards, rates, and transmission planning across Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Fairbanks.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readDNR receives 24 placer mining applications for Interior Alaska gold districts
Alaska's Department of Natural Resources is reviewing 24 placer mining applications for Interior gold districts, part of the typical 100 to 200 statewide applications the agency processes each year.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readSenate panel advances civil rights commission bill with new settlement tool
Alaska Senate Finance Committee advanced a bill that renames the human rights commission to civil rights commission, expands it to cover roughly 40,000 nonprofit employees, and adds a settlement tool.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate committee hears nurse staffing bill amid safety concerns
Alaska Senate committee heard testimony on a bill requiring hospitals to set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, with nurses reporting unsafe conditions and citing Oregon's successful 2023 law.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel withdraws AI personhood amendment after legal questions arise
Alaska House Judiciary Committee withdrew an amendment that would have blocked AI systems from being recognized as legal persons after lawmakers worried it could create gaps in criminal law.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House panel hears testimony on statewide spay-neuter program, no vote taken
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on a statewide spay and neuter program to address rural animal overpopulation.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
More from Alaska
House panel advances telehealth pay parity bill with wage protections
A House committee advanced a bill requiring equal pay for telehealth and in-person care. It includes protections against moving Alaska healthcare jobs to lower-wage states.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska House expands pharmacist prescribing powers in 32-8 vote
Alaska House voted 32-8 to let pharmacists prescribe for minor ailments and chronic conditions, unlocking $272 million in federal rural health funding that requires the law by December 2027.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readSenate panel advances judicial nominee who sued judges over abortion questions
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Mike Miller to the Alaska Judicial Council despite his past lawsuit over judicial abortion views.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Downtown library to be named for Anchorage's original townsite
Anchorage's naming commission scheduled a June 10 hearing to name the new downtown library after the city's original townsite, honoring a $12.5 million gift from Janet Goetz's estate.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Leaks, mold, cold plague Anchorage apartments after California takeover
Anchorage tenants face leaks, mold, cold, and sewage problems after a California landlord took over their apartment buildings.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readSenate panel cuts oil production tax rate from 35% to 17%
Alaska's Senate Finance Committee cut the oil production tax rate in half, from 35 percent to 17 percent, and will hear industry testimony Monday.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min read
Alaska House passes mental health education bill after emotional debate
Alaska House passed a bill requiring the state to develop mental health curriculum guidelines for schools, responding to the nation's highest youth suicide rate among teenagers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAutonomous vehicle bill advances despite state warnings on outdated standards
A bill requiring human drivers in autonomous vehicles stalled in the Alaska Senate after state officials warned it uses outdated standards and could block innovation.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Coming up
Interior Department and Marine Minerals Administration Regional Tribal Meeting
Alaska
Meeting
Alaska LNG ROW Lease Conversion Public Hearing (Virtual)
Hearing
2027 Statewide Summer Reading Program Registration Deadline
Public notice
GMU 2 Wolf Trapping Season Opens
Public notice
Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office Sealed Bid Deadline
Public notice
About Alaska
Alaska is a United States state spanning Arctic, subarctic and coastal regions. Its communities range from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau to Kodiak, the North Slope and villages such as McGrath and Adak that sit off the road system.
The Legislature, the governor's office and state agencies set policy on oil and gas, fisheries, transportation and public lands, and state boards such as the Board of Fisheries and the AIDEA board decide on catch rules, loans and investments. Cities and boroughs keep their own budgets, taxes, liquor licenses and planning decisions.
Questions that recur across the state include local budgets and tax rates, fishery catch limits, air service and ports for remote communities, and decisions on state land. Federal agencies and courts also shape life in Alaska, from air service contracts for rural towns to the certification of statewide election results.
More from Alaska
Senate panel advances gas pipeline bill with reduced community payments
Alaska Senate panel cut community payments for a major gas pipeline from $800 million to $200 million and added the governor's plan to raise oil taxes, advancing the merged bill toward a vote.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readHouse panel advances retirement savings program for private workers
Alaska House panel advanced a bill to create a state-run retirement savings program for private workers at small businesses, with automatic enrollment at 5 percent of pay and no cost to employers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readHouse Finance advances fire station grant program after rejecting rural aid amendments
House Finance rejected amendments that would have eased the cost burden on small rural communities seeking fire station grants, keeping the 50 percent local match requirement in place.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House panel advances bill to expand early intervention for delayed infants
House committee advanced a bill to let more Alaska infants access early intervention services by lowering the eligibility threshold from 50% to 25% developmental delay.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Senate panel advances gas pipeline bill with oil tax floor increase
Alaska Senate panel advanced a gas pipeline bill raising the minimum oil production tax from 4 percent to 6 percent starting January 2027, whether or not the pipeline gets built.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readOil industry opposes gas pipeline tax bill over bundled oil tax increases
Oil industry opposes gas pipeline tax bill over bundled oil tax increases it says lack economic analysis and could deter future investment.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House panel backs call for federal help relocating storm-destroyed villages
Alaska House committee voted to urge federal help relocating two Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages destroyed by last October's typhoon, since no current federal law covers storm-driven community moves.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readHouse Resources passes agricultural land lease bill unanimously
House Resources Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 208, which expands access to state agricultural land leases with 10-year terms, below-market fees, and a path to purchase after seven years.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Anchorage zoning board approves deck variance despite staff concerns
Anchorage zoning board unanimously approved a deck variance 3 feet from a property line instead of the required 5 feet, overriding staff concerns about the homeowner's self-imposed hardship.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House Finance reschedules gas line hearing, shifts to vehicle title bill
House Finance Committee is likely postponing a gas line hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon to take up a vehicle title bill instead, depending on a rules meeting decision.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFriday, May 15
Alaska Senate advances university regents reform bill with 2027 start date
Alaska Senate advanced a bill to restructure the University of Alaska Board of Regents, setting it to take effect Feb. 1, 2027, with a sunset review date six years later.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readAlaska budget fight leaves $40M in senior, disability care hanging
A six-member legislative committee decides by May 20 whether to fund $40 million in senior and disability care that the House backs but the Senate opposes.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readHouse panel rejects gaming price caps after industry debate
Alaska House committee rejected tighter price caps on electronic pull-tab manufacturers, voting down a 30 percent cap proposal and keeping the limit at 35 percent of ideal net revenue.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Urban Design Commission splits on apartment buffer variance
Anchorage commissioners denied a landscaping variance for a West Dimond apartment project to protect neighbors from drainage issues.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel hears gas line tax bill with 15-cent volumetric fee
House panel heard a bill replacing property taxes on the Alaska LNG pipeline with a 15-cent volumetric tax, projected to generate $10 million for the state in 2029.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate Finance reviews bill to double bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5M
Senate Finance heard a bill to double the bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million for rural Alaska communities facing higher seasonal fuel costs.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Legislature rejects governor's attorney general nominee
Alaska Legislature rejected Stephen Cox as Attorney General, 29-31, over his focus on national legal battles instead of Alaska interests.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min readFairbanks council blocks mayor's cabin deal, demands open bidding
Fairbanks City Council rejected Mayor O'Neall's cabin lease deal on May 13 and ordered open bidding instead, likely delaying the downtown riverfront space's opening through summer tourism season.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska pauses behavioral health grant overhaul after provider pushback
Alaska paused a behavioral health grant overhaul for two years after providers said they weren't ready, keeping current addiction and mental health funding in place through 2028.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska limits disability employment training to 50 care coordinators
Alaska is offering a free online disability employment training course to the first 50 care coordinators who register, with a June 30 deadline to complete it for six continuing education hours.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readHouse Finance approves pharmacist prescription bill after rejecting nurse compact
House Finance approved a bill letting pharmacists prescribe basic antibiotics directly, rejecting an amendment to add Alaska to a national nurse licensing compact.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House Committee Advances Cryptocurrency Kiosk Regulations After Scam Victims Lose Millions
Alaska House advanced a bill requiring cryptocurrency kiosk licenses and $1,000 daily limits after Alaskans lost $26 million to online scams in 2024.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House rejects Galena school funding swap after dramatic rescind vote
The Alaska House rejected a plan to strip $5 million in school funding from Galena and redirect it to projects in Anchorage, the Mat-Su, and Fairbanks, voting 20-19 after a dramatic rescind sequence.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska House panel expands farm tax breaks to flowers, hay
Alaska House panel voted to restore farm tax breaks for flowers and hay production, reversing a 2024 limit that cut non-food crops from the program.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
