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
Inside Alaska State Legislature
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Sunday, May 17
Alaska House passes fisheries tax credit expansion unanimously
Alaska House unanimously approved a bill extending a tax credit for seafood processors through 2037 and expanding it to all fish species, aiming to help the industry during poor market conditions.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readSenate Passes Insurance Gap Fix for Gig Economy Drivers
Alaska Senate passed a bill requiring delivery app companies to provide insurance coverage for injured gig workers, closing a gap that left drivers with no protection after accidents.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
House Finance Committee advances auto-IRA bill for Alaska workers
House Finance Committee advanced a bill creating an automatic IRA program for Alaska workers at businesses without retirement plans, with employees able to opt out.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska Legislature approves $1,000 PFD, $200 energy relief payment
Alaska Legislature set the Permanent Fund Dividend at $1,000 and raised energy relief payments to $200 per person, with the energy increase costing $127.3 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
House panel cuts youth tobacco fines, advances Tobacco 21 bill
Alaska House panel advanced a Tobacco 21 bill Saturday, cutting fines for minors from $300 to $100 and eliminating mandatory court appearances for tobacco possession citations.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Saturday, May 16
Senate Finance advances public safety bill with parole board overhaul
Senate Finance advanced a public safety bill that shrinks Alaska's parole board to five members, adds tribal and addiction expertise requirements, and creates address protections for crime victims.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska House Passes Paid Parental Leave, Exempts Seasonal Workers from Sick Leave
Alaska House passed the state's first paid parental leave program but exempted seasonal workers from a voter-approved paid sick leave mandate.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readSenate panel weighs municipal concerns over Alaska LNG tax structure
Alaska Senate panel revised the LNG tax bill to raise annual revenue to $625 million and added a 10-year sunset clause to address municipal concerns about setting a precedent for future tax breaks.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel advances bill requiring humans in autonomous commercial vehicles
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill requiring human operators in autonomous commercial vehicles, despite industry warnings it would halt testing in the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House Finance advances civics education bill after rejecting military exemption
Alaska House Finance advanced a civics education bill for high school graduation, rejecting a military exemption after finding existing law already protects military families.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Senate tightens hunting residency rules to match PFD standards
Alaska Senate voted to require hunters and anglers to spend at least 180 days in state per year to qualify for cheaper resident licenses, using the same residency test as the Permanent Fund Dividend.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel advances full funding for pre-K students statewide
Senate panel voted to count pre-K students as full-time in school funding, removing a $3 million cap and 2034 sunset date to boost aid to districts.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
8-Year Boundary Error in Jonesville PUA Finally Corrected
Alaska lawmakers unanimously approved a bill to fix an 8-year-old boundary error in the Jonesville Public Use Area, clearing the way for the state to finish writing rules for the land.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readHouse committee advances LGBTQ anti-discrimination bill on 4-3 vote
Alaska House committee advanced a bill adding sexual orientation and gender identity protections to state civil rights law in employment, housing, and public accommodations, voting 4-3 Thursday.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readSenate panel advances bill to stabilize Alaska school funding with enrollment averaging
Senate panel advanced a bill letting school districts use three-year enrollment averages for budgets, aiming to let them make staffing decisions earlier and reduce teacher turnover.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
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 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
Senate 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
Senate 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
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
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
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
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 makers, keeping the manufacturer limit at 35 percent of revenue instead of lowering it to 25 or 30 percent.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read