Alaska State Legislature · Photo source · US government work
Jesse Bjorkman
Senator · Alaska State Senate · District D
50 articles · 20 transcripts
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Kenai Peninsula mayor proposes raising volunteer firefighter and EMS tax break to $50,000
A Kenai Peninsula volunteer firefighter's tax break could get five times bigger. In areawide borough tax alone, that's $192.50 a year, up from $38.50.
East side Cook Inlet setnetters must prove recent fishing to stay in the fishery
“Within this new administrative area, CFEC will have the power to effectively designate the number of set-net permits that participate in that fishery.”
Prince William Sound faces a winter without ferry service as the Aurora is overhauled
“they may have had one ferry call in the last 3 years or so”
Lawmakers press state on Safer Seward Highway project's size and funding as DOT reopens comment
“significant continued pushback on the Seaford Seward Highway project design, limitation of, of access to trailheads, mountains, other things”
Troopers arrest North Pole man found inside vacant Fairbanks apartment
“we do arrest people for burglary and trespassing all of the time for a similar situation that you just provided.”
Alaska's new judicial ethics code changes reporting of incapacity and misconduct
Alaska's revised judicial ethics code takes effect Oct. 15 and clarifies when assistance-program confidentiality yields to reporting duties.
Where Alaska's gas-line tax deal stands, and what's still stuck
Lawmakers have a working Alaska LNG tax deal — a $16 ratepayer price cap, a required Fairbanks spur line, and two unresolved fights over legality and Kenai's school costs.
Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law
“42 Other states have passed this model so far, and It's good, good policy.”
Alaska Senate passes S-corp LNG tax with 2028 effective date
Alaska Senate passed a tax on oil and gas pass-through entities, effective 2028, after rejecting an immediate start date. The state estimates the tax will recover more than $400 million annually once the LNG project reaches full production.
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.
Dunleavy vetoes rural transit planning bill
“would like to see DOT consider more non-motorized users of our rights-of-way as they are engaging in transportation from place to place”
Five candidates file for Alaska governor in 2026
Five candidates had filed APOC Letters of Intent for Alaska governor through May 29: Tom Begich, Edna DeVries, Dave Bronson, Henry Kroll, and Lesil McGuire. By Monday evening, the field had grown to 17 governor and lieutenant governor tickets on the Alaska Division of Elections list. The August 18 primary advances the top four tickets to a ranked-choice general election November 3.
Alaska Senate rejects healthcare compact bill in 11-9 vote
Alaska Senate rejected a bill allowing out-of-state healthcare providers to practice through interstate compacts, voting 11-9 against it. Opponents worried providers would lack experience with Indigenous populations and Alaska's specific healthcare needs.
Alaska Senate adds telehealth parity and disability coverage to benefits bill
Alaska Senate added telehealth pay parity to a welfare bill, requiring insurers to pay the same rate for remote care as in-person visits. • Disability benefits for injured troopers and firefighters increased from 40 percent to 75 percent of salary, with health insurance restored. • The amendments passed 19-1 and now return to the House for final approval.
Alaska Senate passes bill letting pharmacists treat minor illnesses without a doctor's call
Alaska Senate passed bill letting pharmacists treat strep throat, bladder infections, and manage diabetes without doctor approval first. • Pharmacists cannot prescribe opioids or high-risk drugs but can give naloxone. • Rural areas and emergencies benefit most, with pharmacist visits costing $277 less than clinic visits.
Stack Energy Plans Multi-Gigawatt Data Center Near Prudhoe Bay
Stack Energy plans $20 billion data center south of Prudhoe Bay with 10,000 construction jobs starting 2026. • Off-grid facility uses local natural gas, targets operations by late 2028. • Waste heat could power large-scale Alaska greenhouses. • Company pays state taxes and partners with Alaska Native groups on workforce training.
Alaska Senate Passes Education Bill With 4% Property Tax Cap
“when the check arrived at our local school districts and our superintendents and principals and teachers went to cash that check, it was actually less money than we had funded K-12 education before”
Alaska Senate Passes Statewide Styrofoam Ban for Restaurants
“This is an important issue, one that people might not think about as being extremely important as we consider other weighty issues. But I wanted to point out a provision in this bill that allows for a local option. If a community, municipality, local government wants to reverse the styrofoam ban, they can.”
Senate 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.
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.
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.
Alaska Senate committee hears nurse staffing bill amid safety concerns
“I know that having safe staffing levels in hospitals and having work environment where folks feel supported and, and, um, able to execute their job in a reasonable manner, especially when dealing with patients, is super important.”
Alaska Lawmakers Advance Electronic Pull-Tab Gaming Bill
“you have created some danger in allowing one manufacturer to completely control the market in Alaska by allowing that manufacturer a very significant level of price advantage for their product by owning a distributor”
Alaska 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.
House panel rejects gaming price caps after industry debate
“Setting a cap at 30% would essentially risk creating deadweight loss in the economy, meaning that smaller manufacturers who do not have the assets and resources to compete in the market would essentially be priced out of the market because they could not compete.”
House 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.
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.
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.
Alaska 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.
Senate panel advances Native corporation reporting exemption despite concerns
“based on the research that my office have done, exempt— these three things together would exempt the vast majority of Alaska Native corporations from reporting. And so, it goes a long way to achieving the same thing as Section 2. But for some of the very largest corporations, they would still— the ones that sort of for which this reporting isn't really a burden or isn't as much of a burden, they would still have to do the reporting.”
House panel hears electronic pull-tab bill with 35% manufacturer cap
“Currently, there is no cap on what a manufacturer can take as a cost of their contract to provide paper pull tabs. There's none at all. Zero. Unlimited.”
Alaska House panel debates insurance gaps for gig delivery drivers
“What's happening is the Property and Casualty Insurance Trade Group and kind of their national standard is that when a courier is driving around and they have their app open, that they essentially are working and using their car for commercial purposes. At that point in time, then people's personal insurance, they don't cover the driver.”
Alaska Senate Advances Right-to-Repair Bill for Consumer Electronics
“most simply, the bill was narrowed to— from a broad swath of electronic things to only consumer electronics.”
Alaska Senate committee advances sports betting bill with tax revenue promise
Alaska Senate committee heard a bill Friday that would legalize mobile sports betting, tax operator revenue at 20 percent, and potentially generate up to $17 million annually for the state.
Senate Committee Advances Healthcare Licensing Compact Bill
Alaska Senate committee advanced a bill letting doctors, physician assistants, psychologists, social workers, and paramedics licensed in other states practice in Alaska without separate licenses.
House Committee Hears Divided Testimony on Electronic Pull-Tab Bill
HB 386 would allow electronic pull-tabs on tablets for charitable gaming. • Operators warned the bill's costs could cut charity proceeds in half, especially in rural areas. • Manufacturers and veterans groups backed the change for revenue growth and accountability.
Alaska bill would require human operators in autonomous freight trucks
“It seems to me that an autonomous vehicle that was not under kind of the structure plan and protection of a company that was specializing in autonomous vehicles would be more of a safety risk than one that was. So why is there a carve-out for autonomous vehicles for, for private use?”
Alaska Legislature Falls Two Votes Short of Overriding Elections Bill Veto
Alaska Legislature fell two votes short of overriding Gov. Dunleavy's veto of a bill that would have let voters track ballots online and fix envelope errors before rejection.
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.
Senate panel debates $1B tax break for Alaska LNG amid cost secrecy
Alaska Senate panel split on tax breaks for $46 billion LNG project, with one lawmaker refusing to vote without cost details and warning the state could lose $1 billion annually in taxes.
Senate panel advances resolution urging federal reclassification of 911 dispatchers
Alaska Senate panel unanimously backed a resolution urging Congress to reclassify 911 dispatchers as protective service workers, giving them access to federal training and wellness benefits.
Alaska Senate panel hears proposal for immigrant integration office
Alaska Senate panel heard testimony on a bill to create a Welcoming Alaska Office to help immigrants and foreign-born teachers settle in state communities and schools.
Senate advances farm tax bill, carves out Anchorage exemption
Alaska Senate advanced a farm tax bill Monday that restores property tax breaks for S corporation farms, but exempts Anchorage from having to offer the deferral.
Alaska House Committee Advances Five Bills in Single Session
House Labor and Commerce Committee advanced a tax bill raising $500,000 annually and passed hemp regulation amendments protecting existing producers. • Committee set May 6 deadline for a resolution supporting visa programs that employ 183 teachers in Alaska schools. • Insurance bill for delivery drivers stalled over coverage gaps and cost concerns, while charitable gaming modernization continued without final action.
Alaska Senate Panel Advances Social Media Ban for Minors Under 16
“We've had some significant incidents in my school district, and I know many school districts around the state, with students having some very, very negative interactions that have spilled over into school because of things that have started on social media. Sometimes violent altercations and interactions that have led to threats of pretty, pretty intense violence at school, and then sometimes violence gets carried out.”
Alaska Senate passes bill to ease classic car import registration
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday letting collectors register legally imported classic cars 25 years or older, aligning state law with federal rules.
House panel advances statewide evacuation alert system
House panel unanimously advanced a bill that would lock in Alaska's three-level color-coded evacuation alert system, green for ready, yellow for nearby danger, red for get out now.
Senate panel advances property tax assessment cap bill
“It simply is a smoothing over time by which assessed values are allowed to rise so that they are consistent and expected by property owners and so that their property tax bill are something that is not a shock when it increases by thousands of dollars from year to year.”
Senate advances pension bill without updated actuarial analysis
Alaska Senate advanced a major pension overhaul allowing public employees to choose between retirement plan types, but without an updated actuarial analysis of the final bill version.
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.
