Alaska State Legislature · Photo source · US government work
Rebecca Schwanke
Representative · Alaska State House · District 29
23 articles · 14 transcripts · 6 clips
Affiliations
Homeschool parents object to a task force line on correspondence programs
A legislative task force floated folding homeschool correspondence programs into "a broader brick-and-mortar framework." Homeschool parents lined up to say no.
Late food aid applications drive Alaska's costly SNAP error rate, official says
“I find that absolutely unacceptable”
About 775 noncitizens lose full Alaska Medicaid, and just over half are children
About 775 refugees, asylees and other noncitizens lost full Alaska Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1 under a new federal law. Just over 400 are children.
Three governor candidates lay out rural energy and subsistence plans at Tanana Chiefs forum
Three governor candidates pitched rural energy and subsistence fixes at a Tanana Chiefs forum. • Kreiss-Tomkins vowed to protect PCE funding and drop federal subsistence lawsuits. • Taylor pushed a constitutional amendment for state fish and game control. • Bronson proposed river roads like Fairbanks to Galena to cut costs.
House District 36 candidates back trawling limits at Tanana Chiefs forum
“I helped support the bulk fuel loan program cap increase last year.”
Alaska House passes Native corporation reinstatement bill after Senate changes
Alaska House voted 36-3 to accept Senate changes to HB 126, allowing involuntarily dissolved Native corporations to reinstate as the same legal entity rather than transfer assets to a new corporation.
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 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.
House rejects Senate's $1,000 PFD budget, sets up conference talks
House rejected Senate's $1,000 PFD, sending budget to conference committee before May 20 deadline to resolve $477 million gap.
House panel advances Alaska Native languages task force bill after rejecting university, state agency seats
House panel advanced a bill creating a legislative task force to review Alaska Native language programs, rejecting proposals to add university and state education officials.
Alaska Legislature Falls Two Votes Short of Overriding Elections Bill Veto
“the statewide ballot Curing process as written with a 10-day rule simply does not work for the majority of our hardest-to-reach, most distant rural communities. I cannot agree, uh, with the bill as written. This does not provide an equitable opportunity for all of our voters.”
House panel advances Alaska Native language task force bill
“I would love to hear from the university on what resources and policies have been implemented by the university over the last several years to try to expand these courses to individuals that live across the state?”
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.
House passes bill shifting prepaid legal plans from insurance to consumer protection
Alaska House passed a bill moving prepaid legal plans from insurance rules to consumer protection, aiming to expand affordable legal access for Alaskans who cannot afford traditional attorney fees.
Alaska House passes dementia training bill for nursing aides
Alaska House unanimously passed a bill requiring nursing aides to receive dementia and behavioral health training as the state's senior population grows rapidly.
Galena School District Shows Early Learning Drives Math, Reading Gains
Galena School District's early learning programs show students performing above national math and reading norms, but most programs depend on grants that may not be sustainable long-term.
House committee advances Local Boundary Commission expansion bill
House committee advanced a bill to add one seat to Alaska's Local Boundary Commission and guarantee representation from the unorganized borough.
House committee advances bill adding unorganized borough seat to boundary panel
House committee advanced a bill to add an unorganized borough seat to Alaska's Local Boundary Commission, giving 74,448 residents a voice in decisions about city and borough incorporation.
House panel advances tribal victim advocate confidentiality bill
“I was shocked that this is a loophole in current law. So I thank him and the advocates for for finding it, and I'm glad we can close it.”
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.
House Passes Polystyrene Ban for Restaurants Despite Business Concerns
“I found an alternative that actually looked better, felt better, and it was cheaper. But only because I decided personally as a business owner to go down that path.”
Alaska's Right-to-Repair Bill Navigates National Debate on Consumer Access
Alaska House committee advanced a right-to-repair bill requiring manufacturers to provide repair parts and documentation, pushing the effective date to 2029.
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.
