Alaska state government's executive branch, headed by the Governor and 15 cabinet departments. Oversees education, public safety, transportation, health, commerce, and natural resource management for the 49th state.
Photo by Bernt Rostad, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
alaska.gov ↗Alaska
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Week of May 4
Alaska residential schools seek doubled stipends to cover rising costs
Senate Bill 257 would double state funding for Alaska residential schools to cover rising costs. The bill aims to fix a funding gap that has remained stagnant since 2014.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Chignik King Salmon Meets Escapement Goal After Six-Year Drought
Chignik River king salmon hit the escapement goal in 2025 for the first time since 2019, but the state is still weighing whether to ease the fishing restrictions that helped the recovery.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Week of Apr 27
Board restricts Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishery to protect coho salmon
Alaska's Board of Fisheries voted Friday to restrict Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishing to protect coho salmon, limiting the fleet to two 12-hour windows per week and a 2-mile buffer from shore.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Board Sets Fish Wheel Rules, Recovery Goals for Yukon Salmon
Alaska's Board of Fisheries set fish wheel standards and recovery goals for depleted Yukon River salmon, requiring five consecutive years of meeting escapement targets before stocks can be delisted.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Alaska House Weighs $113M Education Funding Overhaul
House committee heard testimony on a $113 million bill to give school districts budget certainty by July 1, but members questioned whether the state can accurately model the long-term cost.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska marks 50 years of regional education attendance areas
Alaska marked 50 years of Regional Education Attendance Areas, the system that brought local control to rural schools serving 15 percent of students across more than half the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Anchor Point Man Arrested After Assault, Vehicle Theft
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 45-year-old Anchor Point man April 28 after he allegedly assaulted someone and stole their vehicle on the Kenai Peninsula.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readBoard Chair Survives Ethics Challenge Over Village Corporation Ties
The Board of Fisheries voted 6-0 to let Chair Marit Carlson-Van Dort vote on Area M proposals despite questions about her corporate ties.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Big Lake Man Arrested Twice for DUI in Three Days
A Big Lake man was arrested for DUI twice in three days, first in Wasilla on April 27 and again in Big Lake on April 29, both times refusing chemical testing.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska Fishery Debates Reflect Broader Tensions Over Mixed-Stock Management
Alaska fishery managers debated how to protect struggling salmon stocks when healthy and depleted fish migrate together, with proposals ranging from gear restrictions to area closures.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Board Restricts Fishing Gear to Protect Chinook in Chignik, Area M
Alaska Board of Fisheries restricted seine net depth in Chignik to protect struggling Chinook salmon, effective 2027, after the local fleet voluntarily requested the limits.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Board Cuts Area M June Salmon Fishing Time 30% to Protect Yukon-Bound Chum
Alaska's Board of Fisheries voted 4-3 to cut June salmon fishing time in Area M by 30 to 39 percent, removing industry catch limits to protect chum and kings bound for Western Alaska rivers.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Board of Fisheries Opens Statewide Meeting With Stock Concern Action Plans
The Alaska Board of Fisheries met March 17 to weigh management plans for struggling Western Alaska salmon stocks.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Wasilla Man Arrested on Domestic Violence Assault Charge
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 33-year-old Wasilla man on domestic violence assault charges after a disturbance on April 28, with a child under 16 present in the home.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate panel advances gas pipeline tax overhaul with $610M revenue target
Alaska Senate panel voted to replace property tax on gas pipelines with a volumetric tax projected to generate $610 million annually once Alaska LNG reaches full capacity.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House panel hears bill to extend confidentiality to tribal victim advocates
House Bill 384 would grant tribal victim advocates the same legal confidentiality protections currently held by nonprofit and military counselors.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Coming up
State Bond Committee Meeting
Telephonic meeting, call-in (907) 202-7104, Conference ID: 633 711 677#
Meeting
Alaska LNG Project Right-of-Way Lease Conversion - In-Person Public Hearing
Hearing
Public Comment Deadline: State Underground Storage Rights Claim
Public notice
Local Government Protest Deadline: Eden Growth Group LLC Marijuana License Renewal
Public notice
Effective: Alaska; Wildlife, Harvest, and Access
Public notice
About State of Alaska
Photo by Bernt Rostad, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
alaska.gov ↗Alaska
The State of Alaska is the executive branch of Alaska state government, headed by the Governor and organized into cabinet departments. Those departments oversee education, public safety, transportation, health, commerce and natural resource management across the state.
State agencies issue permits, leases and land decisions, regulate liquor licenses and utilities, plan highway projects and rank school construction requests. Its stories return to public comment on state proposals, from roundabouts and gravel sites to water rights and the statewide transportation plan, and to the work of the Alaska State Troopers.
Boards and authorities attached to the state, such as the Board of Fisheries, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, make many of its decisions. The state also runs statewide elections and works with tribal organizations on village public safety.
More from State of Alaska
Fairbanks father's testimony drives push for faster body cam release
The House State Affairs Committee advanced a bill requiring police to release body camera footage within 30 days of serious incidents.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Alaska House panel hears bill to overhaul school funding timelines
House Bill 261 would let Alaska school districts budget using enrollment numbers from July instead of October, letting them offer teacher contracts months earlier when more candidates are available.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Senate unveils gas pipeline bill with $600M property tax, consumer protections
Alaska Senate rewrote the governor's gas pipeline bill to raise property taxes from $74 million to $600 million at full production and ban passing cost overruns to consumers.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Energy consultant: Alaska LNG tax bill could cut delivered cost by 20 cents
A tax overhaul for Alaska LNG could cut delivered gas costs to Asia by 20 cents per unit, an energy consultant told lawmakers, but the Senate is pushing for higher taxes that could change the math.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Oil industry opposes tax provisions in Alaska gas pipeline bill
Alaska's oil and gas industry opposes tax provisions in SB 280, warning they could make some wells uneconomic and create antitrust risks, even if the gas pipeline project never happens.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Alaska House Revives Defined Benefit Pensions in Narrow 21-19 Vote
Alaska House voted 21-19 to restore defined benefit pensions for public employees, citing a 30 percent teacher turnover rate and $140 million in annual overtime costs.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Board considers trawl gear restrictions in Aleutian Islands state waters
The Alaska Board of Fisheries delayed a decision on banning large trawlers from Aleutian state waters to weigh habitat concerns against a potential 7 million dollar processing deal.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min readAlaska Universities Report 73% Jump in Teacher Pipeline Enrollment
University of Alaska teacher pipeline enrollment jumped 73 percent, with the university awarding over $1 million in scholarships to 109 candidates as the state works to fill 324 teacher vacancies.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Board of Fish Defers Trawl Gear Restrictions, Opts for Federal Coordination
Alaska Board of Fisheries unanimously deferred trawl restrictions, opting to coordinate with federal managers on gear standards instead.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Board Rejects 25% Hatchery Production Cut After Heated Debate
Alaska Board of Fisheries rejected a 25% hatchery production cut, voting 6-1 against the measure after debate over wild salmon impacts and coastal fishing jobs.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Commission Approves Explosives Storage Site for Avalanche Control
Anchorage Planning Commission unanimously approved an explosives storage facility near Girdwood for avalanche control, pending Assembly rezone vote May 12.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Willow Woman Charged After 25 Sled Dogs Found Dead on Property
A Willow woman was arrested after 25 sled dogs starved to death on her property, with the borough investigating why animal control ignored months of neighbor complaints.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska LNG Tax Bill Walks Tightrope Between Project Viability and Local Needs
House committee approved a three-part tax on Alaska LNG with a six-year break, but Senate wants rates up to 55 cents per thousand cubic feet. • The bill requires community benefit agreements and revenue sharing with municipalities, but lacks enforcement details. • North Slope and Kenai Peninsula boroughs could take equity stakes instead of tax payments, a structure unlike other major LNG projects.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel advances two nominees to Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board
Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee advanced two nominees to the Violent Crimes Compensation Board, which processes about 1,000 payment requests yearly for crime victims' funerals and medical care.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska's tribal school compact bill navigates sovereignty and public education law
Senate Bill 66 would authorize up to five Alaska tribes to operate public schools under compact agreements, with a seven-year pilot costing $19.2 million in the first year.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska LNG tax bill could swing state revenue by hundreds of millions
Alaska's proposed LNG tax bill could swing state revenue by hundreds of millions depending on how regulators interpret rules for separating oil and gas costs, the Department of Revenue warned Monday.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House Finance considers multi-year school funding averaging bill
House Bill 261 would let Alaska school districts know enrollment by July 1 instead of October, using three-year averaging to give them budget certainty and time to hire teachers earlier.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska moves to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide
Alaska is moving to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide using a three-tier Ready, Set, Go system after confusion during the 2022 Clear Fire left residents uncertain about danger zones.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House Finance hears $8.4M in governor's budget amendments
House Finance heard $8.4 million in budget amendments, including salary increases for public safety workers and a reversal of pay raises for newly unionized University of Alaska employees.
by Alaska News6mo ago8 min read
Senate Finance Advances Agricultural Leasing Reform After Farmer Cites $9,000 Annual Fee
Senate Finance advanced a bill to let farmers lease state land at agricultural rates instead of development prices, after a Homer farmer's annual fee jumped from $1,000 to $9,000.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Week of Apr 20
House panel hears bill requiring disclosure of out-of-state campaign funding
A House bill would require political groups funded mostly by out-of-state donors to disclose that fact in campaign ads, closing a transparency gap that lets outside money influence Alaska elections.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel hears bill to strengthen campaign finance disclosure
House panel heard a bill requiring groups that spend money on Alaska elections to disclose if most of their funding comes from outside the state and to maintain an Alaska address or agent.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
House Labor Committee Advances Travel Insurance Bill, Hears Disaster Pet Plan
House Labor Committee advanced HB 302 updating travel insurance rules to take effect January 1, 2027. • Committee heard HB 335 requiring state disaster plans for pets and service animals after October 2026 typhoon response gaps. • Committee heard SB 180 to repeal 2024 language that created confusion over the Regulatory Commission of Alaska's authority over natural gas import facilities.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Task Force Hears Federal Assessment Rules, NAEP Context, and AKSTAR Demo
Task force learned federal law sets testing minimums but states choose how to assess and support schools. • NAEP proficiency scores are aspirational targets, not typical performance, and poverty matters more than school reforms alone. • Alaska's AKSTAR combines interim and spring tests to predict student achievement within 24 to 72 hours.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago8 min read