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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Friday, May 15
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 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
Alaska Lawmakers Advance Electronic Pull-Tab Gaming Bill
Alaska House committee advanced a bill allowing pull-tab games on tablets, but capped manufacturer costs in ways the sponsor warns could give one company a market edge.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Wasilla Senator's Mother Scammed, Sparks Crypto Kiosk Crackdown
Alaska Senate unanimously approved regulations for cryptocurrency kiosks, requiring licenses and fraud warnings, after scammers stole from seniors including a lawmaker's mother.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readHouse panel advances domestic violence protective order extensions
House panel advanced a bill letting judges extend domestic violence protective orders to five years instead of one, sparing victims from annual court renewals.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Point Thomson Gas Blowdown Could Cost Alaska 65M Barrels of Condensate
Switching Point Thomson from gas cycling to blowdown for the proposed gas pipeline would sacrifice roughly 65 million barrels of condensate, state regulators told lawmakers Wednesday.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Thursday, May 14
Donlin Gold targets 2027 investment decision on $10B Alaska mine
Donlin Gold plans to decide by mid-2027 whether to build a $10 billion gold mine near Crooked Creek, with construction running 2028-2031 and creating 2,000 to 3,000 jobs.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Unorganized 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 Wednesday, May 13
Gas Line Developer Warns Tax Hike Would Delay Project, Jeopardize 2029 Deadline
The Alaska gas pipeline developer warned that a proposed 15-cent tax would delay the project's final investment decision and jeopardize the 2029 completion target.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel advances bill cutting sick leave for seafood workers
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill cutting paid sick leave for seasonal seafood workers from 56 to 48 hours annually, citing end-of-season workforce shortages at processing plants.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska House doubles bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million
Alaska House unanimously raised the bulk fuel loan cap for rural communities from $750,000 to $1.5 million, responding to soaring energy costs and supply shortages in remote villages.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
About 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 passes cryptocurrency kiosk consumer protection bill unanimously
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill requiring cryptocurrency kiosk operators to verify identity and limit transactions to $1,500 daily, after Alaskans lost $26 million to online fraud last year.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate passes bill to expand early intervention for delayed children
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill lowering early intervention eligibility for young children from 50 percent to 25 percent developmental delay, potentially saving $38.9 million annually.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Conference Committee Advances 23 of 25 Supplemental Budget Items
Alaska's conference committee approved 23 of 25 items in the $14 billion fiscal 2026 supplemental budget on May 12, mostly accepting Senate versions and leaving two items for further talks.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
House panel sets amendment deadline for civics education bill
House Finance Committee set Friday's amendment deadline for a bill requiring Alaska high school civics education and a diploma seal, with $58,000 in first-year costs.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Senate Panel Advances Bill Tying Hunting Rights to 180-Day Residency
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill tying resident hunting licenses to a 180-day residency standard, matching Permanent Fund Dividend rules to stop non-residents from claiming cheaper resident tags.
by Alaska News6mo ago6 min read
Senate panel advances Whittier land transfer bill without objection
Alaska Senate committee unanimously advanced a bill to transfer railroad land to Whittier for harbor expansion, housing, and business development.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska House panel advances penny-rounding bill to standardize cash transactions
Alaska House panel advanced a bill requiring retailers to round cash transactions symmetrically to the nearest five cents, standardizing rules as the U.S. stops making pennies.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 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
Tuesday, May 12
House Finance Advances Paid Parental Leave Bill
House Finance advanced a paid parental leave bill creating a new payroll tax, with benefits starting in 2029. • Small businesses with fewer than 25 workers would be exempt from providing benefits but employees would still pay in. • Committee raised concerns about long-term funding past 2040 and potential equal protection issues.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 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
Senate panel advances bill barring felons from school boards
Alaska Senate panel unanimously advanced a bill Tuesday that would ban convicted felons from school boards statewide, prompted by a 2022 Tok election that left students concerned about safety.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House passes education funding reform despite split votes on transparency
House passed education funding reform using three-year enrollment averaging to stabilize school budgets and reduce teacher layoffs, 31-9. • House split 20-20 on requiring public review of mental health curriculum, defeating both transparency amendments.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Legislature Passes Bill Recognizing Gold, Silver as Legal Tender
Alaska Legislature passed a bill recognizing gold and silver as legal tender and exempting those transactions from local sales taxes, sending it to Governor Dunleavy for signature.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate panel advances autonomous vehicle restrictions despite industry opposition
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill requiring human operators in commercial autonomous vehicles, making Alaska the first state with such a restriction despite industry warnings.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate Finance exempts emergency management from contract payment rules
Senate Finance approved a bill exempting Alaska's emergency management division from new contract payment rules to speed disaster response.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate Passes Right to Repair Bill for Consumer Electronics
Alaska Senate passed a right to repair bill May 11 requiring manufacturers to provide parts and tools so consumers can fix electronics instead of replacing them.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska lawmakers debate farm tax break for horses, flowers
Alaska House committee narrowed a farm tax bill Tuesday, removing horses and flowers from eligibility and angering the bill's sponsor.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Home care worker pay mandate divides Alaska lawmakers over rural access
House Bill 96 would require home care agencies to spend 80 percent of Medicaid rates on worker pay over four years. • Rural providers warn the mandate could cut service access; worker advocates say it protects caregivers bearing travel costs. • Lawmakers divided as Alaska's elderly population is projected to surge 500 percent in 25 to 30 years.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Monday, May 11
Senate Finance hears omnibus crime bill targeting AI child porn, raising age of consent
Alaska Senate Finance heard an omnibus crime bill that would criminalize AI-generated child sexual abuse material and raise the age of consent for sex crimes to 18.
by Alaska News6mo ago6 min read
Senate panel advances Native corporation reporting exemption despite concerns
Senate panel advanced a bill exempting 37 Alaska Native village corporations from state reporting, rejecting an amendment that would have kept the requirement for the largest ones.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readHouse 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
Alaska House Passes Required Local Contribution Cap for Schools
Alaska House voted 24-16 to cap annual growth in required local school funding at 2%, shifting roughly $29 million in education costs from municipalities to the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Senate panel debates gas pipeline tax structure in 26th hearing
Senate panel debated tax rates for Alaska LNG Monday, with focus on where gas gets taxed and how the state collects revenue under a proposed volumetric system.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska House panel hears push to raise tobacco age to 21, tax vapes at 25%
The House Finance Committee is considering a bill to raise the tobacco age to 21 and add a 25 percent tax on vaping products.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read