The Alaska State Legislature is the bicameral legislative body that makes state law and sets the budget for Alaska. Its Senate and House of Representatives meet in Juneau to decide the state budget, oil and gas policy, school funding and the Permanent Fund Dividend.
Photo by Bernt Rostad, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
akleg.gov ↗120 4th St, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
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Week of Apr 13
Alaska House Approves $2M for Talkeetna Trooper Post Using ANWR Funds
Alaska House approved $2 million from Arctic refuge revenues to restore a trooper post in Talkeetna, citing a 113-mile law enforcement gap and fentanyl trafficking on the Parks Highway.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min readAlaska OT Law Limits Patient Recovery, Licensing Board Says
Alaska's occupational therapy law limits therapists to helping patients cope with disabilities rather than recover function, a gap House Bill 110 would close to match federal standards.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readWeek of Apr 6
Alaska House Panel Advances Bill to Speed Up State Contract Payments
Alaska House panel voted to require state agencies to pay contractors as fast as private companies do, adding seven state jobs at over $1 million in costs but delaying implementation until 2027.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readHouse Finance passes Mount Edgecombe funding bill, advances mail theft measure
House Finance passed a revised bill to fund Mount Edgecombe High School through rural education funds, and advanced a measure making mail theft a Class C felony with up to five years in prison.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse committee advances special education funding resolution, CTE mobility bill
House Education Committee unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to fully fund special education, which currently covers only 10 to 15 percent of costs in Alaska. • Committee advanced a bill allowing rural school districts to share career and technical education programs like welding and healthcare training. • Special Education Service Agency reported its first-ever waitlist, with nine students across seven districts waiting for services.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse panel backs Alaska Native 8A program support resolution
House Resources Committee approved a resolution backing Alaska Native corporations' continued access to a federal small business program that generated $13.5 billion in revenue for the state in 2022.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate panel weighs restrictions on vacuum-sealed homemade food sales
Alaska Senate panel discussed a bill that would ban vacuum-sealed and heat-processed jar packaging for homemade foods sold online, citing botulism risk from improper sealing.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readSenate panel considers tougher penalties for fatal hit-and-run crashes
Alaska Senate panel heard testimony on a bill that would increase prison time for fatal hit-and-run crashes, citing 15 fatal hit-and-runs in Anchorage in 2024.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readAlaska House committee reviews $759K in agency requests to fix payment delays
Alaska House committee heard requests for $759,200 to fix chronic late payments, as contractors report business closures from state agencies paying 30 to 65 days behind schedule.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska Native Groups Push for Fishing Permit Reform After $7.5B Exodus
Alaska Federation of Natives told legislators that non-resident permit holders took $7.5 billion in salmon earnings since 1975, leaving rural villages with fishing participation down to 12%.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse committee advances bill recognizing dispatchers as first responders
House committee advanced a bill to classify emergency dispatchers as first responders, unlocking federal grants for rural Alaska centers.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska House committee advances bill to expand early intervention eligibility
A House bill would lower Alaska's early intervention eligibility threshold to match federal standards, potentially saving $34.9 million annually in special education costs.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska House committee advances plan for state immigrant welcoming office
Alaska House committee heard testimony on a bill to create a state immigrant welcoming office by 2027, when the state must take over refugee services from a nonprofit.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Panel Hears Bill to Waive ID Fees for Homeless Young Adults
House panel heard a bill to waive state ID and birth certificate fees for homeless people aged 18-25, removing a barrier to employment and housing.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska House panel advances free school meals for reduced-price students
Alaska House panel advanced a bill to provide free school meals to 3,326 students who qualify for reduced-price programs, at an estimated cost of $200,000 to $430,000 annually.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readHouse Finance committee debates pharmacist prescribing bill amid abortion concerns
House Finance Committee debated a bill Tuesday that would let pharmacists prescribe for minor ailments, but lawmakers split over whether it could permit abortion medication prescribing.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readAbout Alaska State Legislature
Photo by Bernt Rostad, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
akleg.gov ↗120 4th St, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
The Alaska State Legislature is the bicameral body that makes state law and sets the budget for Alaska. Its Senate and House of Representatives meet in Juneau, with much of the work done in committees such as House Finance and Senate Finance and in the Legislative Council.
The Legislature decides the operating and capital budgets, school funding, the Permanent Fund Dividend and oil and gas policy. Recurring questions include taxes on oil and gas, the terms of the proposed Alaska LNG gas line, how much the state pays toward school construction debt, and election and voting law. It also meets in special sessions called outside the regular calendar.
The Legislature works with and against the governor, who proposes bills and can veto spending, and with state agencies that ask lawmakers to change the laws they enforce. Its legislative audit office reviews how state agencies and boards spend money and follow the law.
More from Alaska State Legislature
Alaska Senate considers tougher penalties for hit-and-run deaths
Alaska Senate committee heard testimony on a bill making fleeing a fatal accident a Class A felony with 7 to 11 years prison time, instead of treating it the same as injury hit-and-runs.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readAlaska parole board grants 85% of recent applications, reversing trend
Alaska's parole board approved 85% of recent discretionary parole applications, reversing years of declining approval rates as prisoner programming improved after COVID disruptions.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate panel considers banning synthetic food dyes from school meals
Alaska Senate panel heard testimony on a bill to ban six synthetic food dyes from school meals, citing links to behavioral disorders and allergies and minimal cost to districts.
by Alaska News7mo ago2 min readWeek of Mar 30
House Panel Considers Bills to Ease Alaska's Liquor Liability Insurance Crisis
Alaska lawmakers are considering bills to address a liquor liability insurance crisis that has tripled premiums and forced five carriers out of the market.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readSenate Committee Hears Testimony on Nurse Licensure Compact Bill
State officials want to join a nursing compact to fill 1,100 vacancies and save $272 million in federal funding. The nurses union opposes the bill over concerns about workplace conditions.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readConference Committee Approves Supplemental Budget with CBR Safeguards
Alaska lawmakers approved a supplemental budget Monday with new limits on drawing from the constitutional budget reserve and cut contingency funding from $30 million to $20 million.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Passes Barbers Board Reform, Honors NICU Lifesaving Work
Alaska House unanimously passed a bill streamlining barber and aesthetics licensing by letting the state handle paperwork while the board keeps oversight.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago1 min readHouse Education Committee Advances Bill to Boost Residential School Funding
House Education Committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill to raise funding for Alaska's nine residential schools for the first time since 2015, adding $2.3 million annually to cover inflation.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readMayors Oppose Alaska LNG Tax Bill, Cite Revenue Concerns
Five Alaska borough mayors told lawmakers the proposed Alaska LNG tax bill would slash municipal revenues by up to 90 percent, prompting the Senate to delay it for further review.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska Special Education Crisis: 200 Teaching Positions Unfilled Statewide
Alaska school districts cannot fill 200 special education teaching positions, forcing some schools to operate without a resident special education teacher.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago1 min readHouse Finance weighs bill to standardize state payment timelines
House Finance examined a bill requiring Alaska to pay nonprofits and tribal groups within 30 days, matching private contractor timelines, with interest penalties for delays.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readSenate Panel Questions DNR Commissioner Nominee on Gas Development
Senate committee pressed DNR nominee John Crowther on Cook Inlet gas supply and oil royalty disputes as he seeks confirmation to lead Alaska's resource department.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readSenate Committee Advances Bill to Raise Alaska's Age of Consent Amid Sexual Violence Crisis
Alaska Senate advances bill to raise age of consent from 16 to 18, addressing the state's crisis of sexual violence against young people.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Committee Extends Deadline for AI Personhood Amendment
Alaska House committee delayed a vote on whether to add language to the state constitution denying personhood rights to AI systems, pushing the deadline to April 7 to allow more legal review.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Judiciary Confirms Four Governor Appointees to State Boards
House Judiciary Committee confirmed four of Gov. Dunleavy's appointees to state boards overseeing judges, crime victims, law enforcement, and violent crime compensation.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Faces Russian Seafood Ban, Spending Limits, and Healthcare Access Bills
House advanced bills to keep Russian seafood out of U.S. markets, require a supermajority vote for large state savings withdrawals, and expand rural healthcare access through telehealth reimbursement and physician assistant authority. • Representative Stutes recognized Juneau advocate Katie Boats for a decade of work on sexual assault law reform.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readHouse Advances Corporate Tax Bill, Rejects AI and Nuclear Amendments
Alaska House advanced a corporate tax bill targeting multi-state and digital businesses, rejecting amendments to tax AI companies and restrict AI from nuclear systems.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate Passes Russian Seafood Import Ban Extension Resolution
Alaska Senate unanimously backed extending the federal ban on Russian seafood imports to protect the state's 44,000 fishing workers from subsidized foreign competition.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readWildlife refuge bill faces pushback over jet ski ban, firearm restrictions
House Bill 321 would simplify wildlife refuge designations and add 688 acres to Creamer's Field. • Alaska Department of Fish and Game opposes a jet ski ban in Kachemak Bay, but public testimony supports it. • Legislators want more time to review the complex 80-plus page bill with 20-plus maps.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min readConference Committee Forms to Resolve HB 289 Budget Differences
A six-member conference committee started resolving differences in Alaska's fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget, with power to set disputed items between zero and the higher chamber amount.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate Panel Weighs Naturopathic Doctors' Prescription Authority
Alaska Senate panel heard arguments for and against letting naturopathic doctors prescribe non-controlled drugs under physician supervision, with medical groups citing training gaps as a safety risk.
by Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min read