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Week of May 18
Alaska House passes five healthcare licensure compacts in single bill
Alaska House unanimously approved five healthcare licensure compacts for physicians, physician assistants, EMS personnel, psychologists, and social workers to help the state compete for federal rural health funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
House Republicans examine $24.8M in federal attorney fees to environmental groups
House Republicans examined $24.8M in federal attorney fee awards to environmental nonprofits from 2019 to 2024. • Critics say uncapped fee-shifting laws let nonprofits bill at rates far above market rates, sometimes 700 percent markups. • Alaska mining, oil, and timber projects have faced years of litigation delays funded partly by taxpayer attorney fee awards.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
House advances complex care homes for behavioral health patients
Alaska House unanimously approved HB 73 to create new residential homes for people with behavioral health conditions like schizophrenia. • New license category takes effect July 1, 2027, giving the Department of Health time to set service standards and payment rates. • Bill addresses people who cannot access existing group homes or assisted living facilities.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
House moves to close property tax overpayment loophole
Alaska House voted to end a loophole that let taxpayers deliberately overpay property taxes to collect 8 percent interest refunds, passing House Bill 13 by 32-7.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
House votes to eliminate tax filing discounts worth $500,000 annually
Alaska House voted to eliminate four tax discounts worth $500,000 yearly, including a cigarette stamp break that persisted two decades after the equipment it subsidized was paid off.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska House passes bill creating Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission
Alaska House voted 38-0 Wednesday to pass HB 278, creating a nine-member Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission to support economic and cultural ties between the two regions.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska House passes education package with teacher loan repayment, energy relief
Alaska House passed education bill with teacher loan repayment up to $5,000 yearly for hard-to-fill roles like special education and STEM. • School districts get energy cost reimbursement based on three-year heating and fuel averages. • Local school contribution growth capped at 4% annually to ease property tax pressure. • Bill heads to governor after final Senate approval on last day of session.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska Passes Age of Consent Bill After Weeks-Long Senate Delay
Alaska raised age of consent from 16 to 18 after Senate delay sparked public outcry. • Omnibus crime bill also criminalizes AI-generated child abuse images and requires sex offender registration. • New rules make sexual assault by healthcare workers a standalone crime and expand parole board. • Lawmakers worried about compressed timeline but voted yes anyway.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
More from Southeast
School district property insurance costs to double, equivalent to four teaching positions
Juneau School District property insurance costs will more than double to over $800,000 next year, forcing the district to cut the equivalent of four teaching positions since state law caps school funding and insurance falls under that cap.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Alaska LNG project secures financing proposals, targets 2027 construction start
Alaska LNG received private financing proposals to build 800-mile pipeline from North Slope to Cook Inlet, targeting 2027 construction start and 2029 gas delivery. Needs tax stabilization law and utility regulator approval to proceed. Export facility would sell 20 million tonnes of LNG yearly, mostly to Asia. Project addresses Cook Inlet gas shortage and aims to lower Alaska energy costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska Energy Conference Highlights Gas Pipeline Progress Amid Legislative Tax Debate
Alaska LNG pipeline signed contracts, targets 2029 delivery, but governor and legislature split on tax framework. • Southcentral consumers could pay $22.96 per thousand cubic feet if exports fail, double current rates. • Federal officials highlighted critical minerals and $1 billion in funding, but permitting takes 15 to 18 years. • Rural Alaska pays $6.63 per gallon with no pipeline relief in sight.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
Yukon Premier Warns of Near-Blackouts, Scales Back Electric Vehicle Push
Yukon nearly faced blackouts during extreme cold, forcing premier to drop EV mandates and subsidies to ease grid strain. • Territory will add 15 megawatts of diesel or LNG this summer, then 45 more over five years. • Isolated 150-megawatt grid relies on three aging dams and cannot tap neighboring regions for power. • Electrification paused as near-term priority until capacity expands.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska hydropower projects to receive millions in federal funding
Four Alaska hydropower projects will share millions in federal funding for upgrades, with tax credits covering 30 to 50 percent of new construction costs through 2033.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
Alaska Senate adopts final operating, mental health and capital budgets
Alaska Senate passed fiscal year 2027 operating budget on 17-3 vote, balanced at $75 per barrel oil without drawing from savings. • Mental health budget approved 20-0, adding $3.5 million for behavioral health treatment and $500,000 for crisis call center. • Capital budget concurred 18-2, including $32.5 million for University of Alaska deferred maintenance and school and port projects.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Legislature fails to override veto of pension bill
Alaska Legislature fell seven votes short of overriding the governor's veto of a bill that would have restored pension options for public employees and teachers, voting 33-27 when 40 votes were needed.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee votes 6-3 to end gondola project, repay Goldbelt
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee voted 6-3 to end the Eagle Crest gondola project and repay Goldbelt's $12 million loan after construction costs jumped from $7 million to $27 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
Coming up
Alaska State Parks Southeast Region Citizen Advisory Board Meeting
Online only: Microsoft Teams (Meeting ID 252 102 001 646 565 7, passcode Xq3o7kf3) or phone +1 907-202-7104, conference ID 521 494 427#
Meeting
Energy in the North: Robert Venables on Southeast Conference Economic Development
Class
Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office Sealed Bid Deadline
Public notice
Southeast Alaska Geoduck Fishery Closure (Holiday Period 1)
Public notice
Directed Lingcod Fishery Season End
Public notice
About Southeast
Southeast Alaska is the panhandle region along the state's southern coast, an archipelago of islands and fjords that includes Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Its towns, among them Petersburg, Wrangell, Haines, Skagway and Hoonah, are linked by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system.
Its economy rests on commercial fishing, cruise tourism and the Tongass National Forest. Fish and Game manages dive fisheries for sea cucumbers and geoducks, salmon seine and gillnet fisheries, and rockfish openings across its inside and outer waters. Cruise docks, the decisions of city and borough assemblies, land use rules and heavy coastal weather are recurring local questions.
Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian communities are part of the region's life, and institutions such as Tlingit & Haida and Huna Totem run programs and businesses across it. Huna Totem ventures have built or sought to run cruise docks in Juneau and Haines.
More from Southeast
Public Commenter Blames Management Turmoil for $12M Gondola Cost Surge
A Juneau resident told the Assembly that management failures and procurement delays have driven the Eagle Crest gondola project cost up by $12 million, warning taxpayers could face that shutdown bill.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska LNG Project Targets 2029 Gas Delivery as Developer Reports Major Contract Awards
Alaska LNG project targets 2029 gas delivery after awarding major construction contracts, but needs legislative approval of a 6 cent per MCF tax rate within three weeks to reach final financing.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Joint committee forwards $16M school bond with flood mitigation funds
Juneau's Joint Assembly-School District committee approved a $16 million school bond that includes $300,000 for flood mitigation at school properties, following the 2023 Mendenhall River flooding.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Thorne Bay certifies mayoral election with 47 percent turnout
Thorne Bay certified its May 12 mayoral election on May 18 with 235 ballots cast, a 47 percent turnout of 500 registered voters.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Craig, Klawock Anglers Face New Ban on Filleting Fish at Sea
Anglers returning to Craig and Klawock must keep lingcod, rockfish, and king or coho salmon whole until docking, a new rule aimed at helping state biologists collect better data on fish populations.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readAlaska Senate Passes Statewide Styrofoam Ban for Restaurants
Alaska Senate passed a statewide ban on polystyrene food containers at restaurants, effective January 1, 2027, citing health and environmental concerns.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
State Signs Deal to Develop Geothermal Energy at Mount Augustine Volcano
Alaska and South Korean company POSCO International signed a two-year exploratory deal on May 18 to study geothermal energy and green methanol at Mount Augustine volcano. • The agreement also covers five other projects: a sustainable aviation fuel refinery, rare earth element mining on Prince of Wales Island, port expansion, and the Knik Arm Crossing.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
House Finance advances tobacco age increase, e-cigarette tax on 7-4 vote
House Finance advanced a bill raising the tobacco purchase age to 21 and taxing e-cigarettes at retail, effective July 2026 and July 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min readMat-Su Job Center Offers Free Digital Literacy Help Twice Weekly
Free one-on-one digital literacy tutoring is available Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Mat-Su Job Center in Wasilla, covering email, job searching, and basic computer skills.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readWeek of May 11
Alaska News Roundup: Gas pipeline tax fight, Point Thomson trade-off, and McNeil River access debate
Senate passed gas pipeline tax bill raising oil production tax floor to six percent, drawing industry criticism. • Point Thomson regulators warn blowdown for pipeline risks sixty-five million barrels of condensate. • Mount Edgecumbe enrollment dropped a quarter to three hundred eleven students amid facility and health concerns. • Fish and Game reviews wheeled plane landings at McNeil River bear sanctuary despite conservation objections.
by Walter AlaskaNews6mo ago3 min read
Alaska 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 readSitka voters to decide charter change on initiative and referendum power
Sitka voters will decide in October whether to change how the city handles citizen initiatives and referendums, after the Assembly advanced the charter amendment on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska Opens First Mountain Lion Hunting Season in Southeast
Alaska opens its first mountain lion hunting season in Southeast starting Aug. 1, allowing one kill per hunter and letting them keep the animal after sealing it with the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min read52 Alaska districts join safety consortium using federal grant model
Hydaburg City School District is leading 52 Alaska districts in a safety symposium to build customized school safety plans using a federal grant model.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readNew Forensic Methods May Help Alaska Museums Identify Ancestors
Alaska museums host a May 19 virtual meeting on new genetic methods to identify ancestral remains and connect them to tribes for repatriation.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readUnorganized Borough Gains First Seat on Boundary Commission
Alaska Legislature passed a bill giving the Unorganized Borough its first seat on the commission that decides municipal boundaries and incorporations.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFrom Upper Copper River king salmon fishery requires new permit in 2026
King salmon anglers in the Upper Copper River must get a free individual permit this season and report any fish 20 inches or longer by August 31.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSitka cemetery caretaker Bob Sam honored after decades of quiet service
Bob Sam, who spent over 30 years maintaining Sitka's cemeteries and working on Alaska Native repatriation, received the 2026 First Lady's Volunteer Award on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readState partners with Skagway startup to sell Alaska-made goods online
Alaska's Made in Alaska program launches a free online marketplace with Skagway startup Voyij on June 1, giving permit holders access to 10 million cruise and airline customers at no upfront cost.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readKetchikan charter operators to discuss new fishing rules May 21
Alaska Department of Fish and Game meets with Ketchikan charter operators May 21 at 6 p.m. to discuss new sport fishing rules for 2026.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readCity Creek king salmon site permanently closed near Petersburg
Alaska Department of Fish and Game permanently closed the City Creek king salmon hatchery site near Petersburg, ending a program halted in 2022 due to funding and wild stock concerns.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readHouse panel adopts fiscal note for Alaska Native languages task force bill
Alaska House Education Committee approved funding details for a bill creating a task force to assess how the state supports its 23 Alaska Native languages.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Gas tax hike could net Alaska $590M over pipeline life, analysis shows
Raising Alaska's gas production tax by 1 percentage point could generate $590 million over 30 years once the Alaska LNG project exports begin in 2033, without raising in-state gas prices.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House panel hears electronic pull-tab bill with 35% manufacturer cap
House panel heard testimony on a bill capping electronic pull-tab manufacturer fees at 35 percent, which operators say is too high compared to Minnesota's 20 percent.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
