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State of Alaska

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.

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Week of Apr 20

Senate panel adopts changes to health care compact bill

Alaska Senate panel approved changes to join four interstate medical licensing compacts aimed at recruiting rural health providers, adding background check requirements for medical professionals.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min readFrom
Juneau
Cover image for article: Senate panel adopts changes to health care compact bill

House panel debates $113M education funding formula shift

House panel heard testimony on a bill that would shift school funding to a three-year enrollment average, costing $113 million annually but giving districts budget certainty earlier in the year.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago6 min read
Cover image for article: House panel debates $113M education funding formula shift

Senate Education Committee Advances Opioid Awareness Bill, Hears Tribal School Compact Proposal

Senate Education Committee advanced a bill requiring opioid prevention curriculum in grades 6-12. • Committee heard first presentation on allowing tribes to operate public schools through state-tribal compacts, with second hearing scheduled Monday.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
downtown Juneau
Cover image for article: Senate Education Committee Advances Opioid Awareness Bill, Hears Tribal School Compact Proposal

3-Year-Old Dies After Falling Through Ice in Goodnews Bay

A 3-year-old boy died Thursday after falling through thin ice on the Goodnews River in Goodnews Bay, a remote village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta about 400 miles west of Anchorage.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Trooper Uses Surfboard to Rescue Teen from Island Lake Ice

A Kodiak trooper used a surfboard to rescue a hypothermic teenager from Island Lake ice on April 25, paddling across thin ice while a sergeant towed them to shore.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read

House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders

A House committee heard testimony on a bill to let emergency dispatchers retire after 20 years instead of 30 and classify them as first responders.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House
Cover image for article: House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders

Alaska Sustainable Energy Corporation reports progress on green financing

Alaska's new green financing nonprofit secured $4.7 million and plans residential energy efficiency loans by mid-2027, but operates with just two staff and faces questions about its scale.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Juneau
Cover image for article: Alaska Sustainable Energy Corporation reports progress on green financing

Alaska lawmakers hear testimony on four ballot initiatives

Alaska lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on three November ballot initiatives covering citizenship voting requirements, campaign finance limits, and ranked choice voting repeal, with no votes taken.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska lawmakers hear testimony on four ballot initiatives

House Resources Committee debates LNG equity stakes, rejects wildlife refuge amendments

Alaska House Resources Committee heard testimony on state equity stakes in the Alaska LNG project and rejected five wildlife refuge bill amendments on 5-4 party-line votes Friday.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago7 min read
Cover image for article: House Resources Committee debates LNG equity stakes, rejects wildlife refuge amendments

Senate panel examines regulatory questions on gas pipeline tax plan

Senate panel debated tax breaks and regulatory oversight for a proposed natural gas pipeline, with municipalities seeking clearer cost projections and more local control.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Cover image for article: Senate panel examines regulatory questions on gas pipeline tax plan

Senate panel hears setnet cooperative bill, sets aside land transfer

Senate panel advanced a bill allowing setnet fishermen to work cooperatively, addressing enforcement conflicts, while postponing a land transfer proposal pending more details.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago7 min read
Cover image for article: Senate panel hears setnet cooperative bill, sets aside land transfer

Senate panel hears refuse utility rate reform bill

A Senate panel heard a bill that would let trash haulers use faster rate-setting procedures, cutting delays from three years to months and reducing the large rate increases customers now face.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Senate panel hears refuse utility rate reform bill

Alaska Advances Mental Health Education Guidelines Without Mandates

The House Finance Committee advanced a bill to create voluntary mental health guidelines for schools to address Alaska high youth suicide rates.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House Finance

Senate Finance hears tax modernization bill, sets aside for further review

Senate Finance heard testimony on House Bill 280, which would shift corporate income tax to market-based sourcing and generate roughly $15 million annually, but deferred a vote.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min readFrom
Senate
Cover image for article: Senate Finance hears tax modernization bill, sets aside for further review

Senate cuts House domestic violence funding additions in half

Alaska Senate cut domestic violence funding additions in half Tuesday, reducing House support for survivors by $1.45 million total and setting up a budget fight before final passage.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Senate cuts House domestic violence funding additions in half

Senate panel advances $349 million administration budget

Senate panel approved a $349.4 million budget for the Department of Administration but blocked the governor's plan to decentralize payroll services, citing risks to employee pay.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Senate panel advances $349 million administration budget

About State of Alaska

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

Senate panel approves $485 million Department of Revenue budget

Senate Finance Subcommittee approved a $485.1 million Department of Revenue budget for fiscal year 2027, rejecting a proposal to consolidate Permanent Fund Corporation spending into a single account.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Senate panel approves $485 million Department of Revenue budget

Senate Resources advances three bills on agriculture, evacuations, invasive species

Senate Resources advanced three bills Friday: one speeds up agricultural land leases for farmers, one standardizes evacuation color codes statewide, and one creates an invasive species council to coordinate control efforts. • All three passed without objection.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Senate Resources
Cover image for article: Senate Resources advances three bills on agriculture, evacuations, invasive species

House Education Committee advances CPR training bill with rural flexibility

House Education Committee advanced a CPR training bill Monday with amendments letting rural schools skip hands-on practice and delaying the requirement to July 2027 to pursue grant funding.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Juneau, Alaska
Cover image for article: House Education Committee advances CPR training bill with rural flexibility

House Resources Committee Rejects Wildlife Refuge Amendments

Alaska House Resources Committee advanced a wildlife refuge reorganization bill 5-3 Friday, rejecting amendments that would have loosened habitat protections or expanded hunting and fishing access.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Cover image for article: House Resources Committee Rejects Wildlife Refuge Amendments

House Resources advances Vogler nomination to Regulatory Commission

House Resources Committee advanced Julie Vogler's nomination to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to the full legislature for confirmation.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
House Resources
Cover image for article: House Resources advances Vogler nomination to Regulatory Commission

Senate panel advances fishing cooperative bill with electronic monitoring

Alaska Senate panel unanimously advanced a bill legalizing fishing cooperatives for set gillnet permit holders, with a five-permit cap and electronic monitoring for trawl vessels.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Senate panel advances fishing cooperative bill with electronic monitoring

State regulators extend review periods for Railbelt utility tariffs

Alaska regulators extended review timelines for rate changes from Chugach Electric and Enstar Natural Gas serving Southcentral Alaska.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska

Alaska mines release toxic metals into rivers, state data shows

Alaska's mines released over 450,000 pounds of mercury in 2018, the most in the nation, contaminating rivers that villages depend on for drinking water and subsistence fishing.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read

Rural Alaska Electricity Costs Run Three to Five Times Urban Rates

Rural Alaskans pay three to five times more for electricity than urban residents because remote villages rely on expensive diesel microgrids, despite state renewable energy plans.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Rural Alaska Electricity Costs Run Three to Five Times Urban Rates

Week of Apr 13

Alaska Fishermen Report Salmon Declines Amid Bycatch, Management Concerns

Alaska fishermen and subsistence harvesters report salmon declines they blame on bottom trawler bycatch, though federal managers say bycatch stays within sustainable limits.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska

Interior hunters report early black bear harvests as spring season begins

Interior hunters are reporting early black bear harvests as spring season opens, with the state tracking kills to manage predator populations and protect moose herds.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Interior

Alaska residents share bear and moose encounters as spring wildlife season begins

Alaskans are posting spring bear and moose sightings on social media as animals emerge from winter across the Kenai Peninsula and Interior, following typical seasonal patterns.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read

Remote Alaska villages pay $6.63 per gallon as fuel costs strain budgets

Remote Alaska villages paid an average of $6.63 per gallon for gasoline this winter, straining household budgets as barge transport and small order volumes drive costs far above road-connected areas.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Remote Alaska villages

Two Skiers Rescued After Avalanche Near Turnagain Pass

Two skiers were rescued by helicopter Thursday after an avalanche at Falls Creek Trail near Turnagain Pass, with both sustaining injuries requiring hospital transport.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Falls Creek Trail near mile 106 of the Seward Highway

Alaska Lawmakers Propose Legislative Oversight of $80B Permanent Fund Board

Alaska lawmakers proposed legislative confirmation of Permanent Fund Corporation board members for the first time since 1982, as the $80 billion fund now covers over 60 percent of state spending.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News7mo ago3 min read

Alaska Overhauls School Construction Funding to Help Rural Districts Compete

Alaska is changing school construction funding to prioritize building safety over age. The new rules start for fiscal year 2028.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago4 min read
House Finance

Alaska School Funding System Favors Wealthy Districts, Senators Say

Alaska senators say the state's school construction funding system favors wealthy districts that can afford architects and engineers, leaving poorer communities waiting years for basic repairs.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago4 min read
Senate

Alaska Senate Panel Weighs Tougher Hit-and-Run Penalties

The Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee is considering House Bill 239 to set four to seven year prison terms for fatal hit and run crashes.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min read
Juneau, AK, USA

Alaska Senate Shelves Homemade Food Safety Bill After Complex Debate

Alaska Senate shelved a bill banning homemade foods in vacuum-sealed jars after lawmakers found the botulism-safety rules too complex to define clearly.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min read

Alaska House Rejects 30% Cut to Regional Jail Funding Despite Low Use

Alaska House rejected a proposal to cut a 30% regional jail funding increase, voting 16-24 against the amendment despite data showing many facilities operate at near-zero capacity.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min read

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.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago3 min read
Alaska, USA

Week of Apr 6

Are You Kitten Me? Alaska’s Fish “Waste” Just Found Its Second Life

Alaska fish processors are turning salmon skins and other byproducts into pet food, converting waste that once cost money to dispose of into a new revenue stream.

CamilleSutherlandby CamilleSutherland7mo ago2 min read
11
Cover image for article: Are You Kitten Me? Alaska’s Fish “Waste” Just Found Its Second Life

Alaska 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.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min read
House Finance

Alaska 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.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min read
House