Alaska State Legislature · Photo source · US government work
Jeremy Bynum
Representative · Alaska State House · District 11
50 articles · 20 transcripts
Affiliations
Fairbanks mayor's 2027 budget comes with a warning that revenue isn't keeping up
“I believe we can look up at Fairbanks as another place where we're looking at purely property tax. There's no sales tax to support the local entities.”
Alaska's 2026 races have drawn at least $210 million, mostly in the Senate race
Alaska's 2026 races have drawn at least $210 million. If turnout matches 2022, that's about $790 per voter. Three-quarters is in the Senate race.
Three lawmakers get paid for late travel claims, and one filed most of them
Three lawmakers will be repaid about $5,970 for late travel claims. One accounts for $4,990 of it, and colleagues' questions drew trip-specific answers.
House Finance advances Alaska LNG tax bill, curtailing North Slope's power to negotiate
House Finance advanced Alaska LNG tax bill Wednesday: 13 cents, no side deals, double the impact fund to $80m
Same committee, same day, two close votes on Alaska LNG ratepayer protection — and they didn't go the same way
House Finance can't quite decide how much to protect Alaska ratepayers from LNG cost overruns — Tuesday's two votes split, with the same person providing the swing both times.
Alaska's filing deadline turned the 2026 election from rumor into a real race
So many candidates, so little time left
ENSTAR says it locked in a price for Alaska LNG
ENSTAR locked in $16 per thousand cubic feet for North Slope pipeline gas, undercutting LNG imports at $20 to $23 but raising costs 48% above current Cook Inlet supply before adding $4.50 to $6 in distribution and storage charges.
Ketchikan House race pits utility incumbent against borough assembly challenger
Ketchikan has a race on its hand with a last minute filing
Alaska minimum wage rises to $14 in July, $15 in 2027
“will put additional burden on retailers, small businesses across the state”
North Slope, Kenai mayors negotiate gas line property tax as House Finance delays bill deadline
North Slope Borough Mayor Patkotak and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Micciche negotiated property tax terms for the Alaska LNG project as the House Finance Committee delayed its amendment deadline to allow talks to continue.
Alaska House examines $4 billion LNG equity option, Fairbanks spur-line tax break
Alaska House Finance Committee examined a plan letting the state buy 5 to 25 percent equity stakes in Alaska LNG for up to $4 billion total, while conditioning a tax break for the pipeline on building a 30-mile spur line to Fairbanks.
Energy consultant tells House Finance that property tax makes Alaska LNG unfinanceable
Energy consultant says property tax costs $600 million yearly, making Alaska LNG unfinanceable.
Alaska House passes corporate income tax bill for digital-era businesses
Alaska House approved a bill updating corporate income tax rules for digital businesses, passing 28-11. The measure lets Alaska collect revenue from out-of-state companies that operate without physical locations in the state.
House votes to eliminate tax filing discounts worth $500,000 annually
Alaska House voted to eliminate four tax discounts worth $500,000 yearly, including a cigarette stamp break that persisted two decades after the equipment it subsidized was paid off.
Alaska House passes bill creating Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission
Alaska House voted 38-0 Wednesday to pass HB 278, creating a nine-member Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission to support economic and cultural ties between the two regions.
Alaska Passes Age of Consent Bill After Weeks-Long Senate Delay
Alaska raised age of consent from 16 to 18 after Senate delay sparked public outcry. • Omnibus crime bill also criminalizes AI-generated child abuse images and requires sex offender registration. • New rules make sexual assault by healthcare workers a standalone crime and expand parole board. • Lawmakers worried about compressed timeline but voted yes anyway.
Alaska House passes tobacco age increase, vape tax, cigar lounge exemption
Alaska House passed bill raising tobacco and vape purchase age from 19 to 21, matching federal law. • New statewide tax on vaping products will fund smoking education programs. • Bill includes exemption for premium cigar lounges meeting strict requirements. • Penalties for underage possession lowered to $100 with no court appearance required.
Alaska Legislature fails to override veto of pension bill
Alaska Legislature fell seven votes short of overriding the governor's veto of a bill that would have restored pension options for public employees and teachers, voting 33-27 when 40 votes were needed.
House Passes Civics Education Bill After Decade-Long Push
Alaska House passed a civics education bill 37-3 Tuesday, requiring high school students to take a social studies course and pass a civics exam to graduate.
House Finance Committee advances PFD restoration for wrongfully convicted
House Finance Committee advanced a bill to restore Permanent Fund Dividends to Alaskans whose convictions were wrongfully vacated, with a two-year deadline to apply after exoneration.
House Finance advances tobacco age increase, e-cigarette tax on 7-4 vote
House Finance advanced a bill raising the tobacco purchase age to 21 and taxing e-cigarettes at retail, effective July 2026 and July 2027.
House panel hears bill to restore PFDs for wrongfully convicted Alaskans
A House panel heard testimony on a bill allowing wrongfully convicted Alaskans to reclaim Permanent Fund dividends lost during incarceration, affecting roughly five known cases worth about $107,852.
House Finance Committee advances auto-IRA bill for Alaska workers
“Co-chair Foster, I move SB 2134-LS0254/T out of committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal notes. House Finance Committee authorizes legislative legal to make any technical and conforming changes as necessary.”
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.
Alaska 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.
House 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.
House panel hears gas line tax bill with 15-cent volumetric fee
“when I think about Phase 1 of this project, the biggest part of Phase 1 is to make sure we're delivering gas to Alaskans, whether it's in Fairbanks or Southcentral, um, Kenai. Ultimately, we are trying to create a system to deliver energy, and that's for homes but industry as well.”
House Finance advances fire station grant program after rejecting rural aid amendments
“there are other programs out there to help our rural communities with things like this that they can use as their match to then go compete for the fire station money.”
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.
House Finance Advances Paid Parental Leave Bill
“I think that when we're putting together this type of a program where we're creating a paid parental leave benefit, we want to do so while protecting the viability of small employers seasonal employers, rural businesses, and employers with limited payroll capacity.”
Alaska House passes education funding reform despite split votes on transparency
“this bill doesn't really take care of the problem of treating our teachers like ad hoc employees on these year after year, single year contracts. I hope that at some point in the future we'll be able to solve that problem.”
Alaska House Finance Rejects Cemetery, School, Energy Amendments
Alaska House Finance rejected five capital budget amendments Friday, citing limited revenue. • Denied $850,000 for Eagle River cemetery and full funding for Galena school renovations. • Also rejected Arctic Winter Games support, West Susitna road authority, and $5 million hydroelectric study.
House Finance Advances Education Funding Bill Despite Fiscal Concerns
“This includes not just their regular ADM students, but it also includes the intensive needs students as part of that 3-year averaging.”
Alaska House panel considers doubling bulk fuel loan cap amid price crisis
Alaska House panel is considering doubling the maximum bulk fuel loan for rural communities to $1.5 million as fuel prices surge up to 100 percent and western Alaska faces potential supply shortages.
House Finance advances education fund amendment, rejects gas pipeline revenue tie
“I saw that the projections on the gas line is somewhere in the realm of $700 million of revenue that would be forecasted for the line on a year-after basis.”
House Finance cuts West Susitna road funding from capital budget
House Finance cut $95 million for the West Susitna Access Road from the capital budget. Lawmakers fear the project will drain federal funds from other state needs.
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.
Housing agency buys 600+ acres statewide to spur development
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation bought 600+ acres statewide with $12.5 million to spur single-family housing development, with developer proposals due in June and construction expected summer 2027.
Senate Finance advances $2.8B operating budget to Rules Committee
Alaska Senate Finance advanced the $2.8 billion operating budget to the Rules Committee on Thursday, moving it closer to final passage after a contentious House debate marked by close votes.
House advances bills on autonomous vehicles, nurse training, interior design
Alaska House advanced bills regulating commercial autonomous vehicles, requiring dementia care training for nurse aides, and adding interior designers to the state's professional licensing board.
House Finance advances mail theft bill despite competing governor's version
House Finance advanced a bill making mail theft a class C felony, though the governor's competing version treats it as a misdemeanor and may be merged before final passage.
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.
House panel questions education fund proposal with no guaranteed revenue
House Finance Committee questioned whether a proposed constitutional education fund guarantees school money, since it requires no dedicated revenue and lets future legislatures spend it down to zero.
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.
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 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.
House Finance Advances Mental Health Education Guidelines for Schools
House Finance advanced a bill requiring schools to develop mental health education guidelines, as Alaska faces the nation's highest youth suicide rate.
Alaska House panel hears bill to overhaul school funding timelines
“I see the fiscal note, I read the fiscal note, it's It looks like it is an additional $113 million. I know we have declining enrollment, so when I see an equivalent of about a $450 BSA increase, it makes me wonder exactly how that modeling is actually being done.”
House Passes Polystyrene Ban for Restaurants Despite Business Concerns
Alaska House passed a statewide ban on polystyrene foam food containers in restaurants, taking effect in over two years, despite business groups warning of higher costs.
House Finance hears respiratory therapist licensing bill, Alaska's last-state gap
“in the bill, we are specifically relying on the department to set the standards and criteria, and we just— I don't want to use the word vaguely, but we just say nationally recognized organization, and to me that's pretty vague.”
