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Will Stapp
Representative · Alaska State House · District 32
50 articles · 20 transcripts · 5 clips
Will Stapp is a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives representing House District 32, having assumed office on January 17, 2023. He has lived in Alaska for 17 years in several communities including Fort Wainwright, Fort Richardson, and Anchorage.
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Alaska school leaders tell education task force to raise funding and fix buildings
School leaders praised the education funding task force's draft, then asked for $254.6 million, pensions and roofs. Comments run until Dec. 8.
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.
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
“I think the RCA already has, you know, enough due diligence and power to be able to ensure that they're not going to basically sign off on a gas contract that's, say, exorbitant to Alaskans.”
House Finance writes a $16 gas-price cap into Alaska LNG bill — even if Enstar's contract isn't signed
“this amendment basically mirrors what we know to be the contract that Instar already has with the developer based on Instar's testimony”
House Finance amendment lets pipeline-route municipalities bill Alaska LNG directly — skipping the state appropriation step
House Finance approved an amendment allowing pipeline-route municipalities to bill the Alaska LNG operator directly for their tax share instead of waiting for state appropriation.
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.
Stapp draws same-party challenge in East Fairbanks House district
Republican Rep. Will Stapp faces a same-party challenge from Seth Church in House District 32, which covers East Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright and Badger. Stapp won the seat in 2024 with 67 percent of the vote.
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.
AGDC tells House Finance that Alaska property tax is 10 times higher than competing LNG projects
More conversations about the Governor's plan to make the AK LNG project more profitable to investors.
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 raises unemployment benefits, expands telehealth coverage
Alaska House raised maximum weekly unemployment benefits from $370 to $470, first increase since 2009. • Expanded telehealth coverage and raised disability pay for firefighters and police from 40 percent to 75 percent. • Updated insurance laws to clarify rebates and ban misleading advertising.
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
“the fundamental difference between the T21 federal law and this bill is the state, if you pass this, is now actively going to punish people who are 20 and 19 years old. Mr. Speaker, those kids are going to go to war someday, okay? That's why they joined the Army.”
Alaska Legislature fails to override veto of pension bill
“Better benefits cost more money, Mr. President. And this bill is probably a better benefit than the current 401 for a lot of employees, but just know the reason it is is because it's going to cost more money.”
Alaska Legislature approves $1,000 PFD, $200 energy relief payment
Alaska Legislature set the Permanent Fund Dividend at $1,000 and raised energy relief payments to $200 per person, with the energy increase costing $127.3 million.
House panel cuts youth tobacco fines, advances Tobacco 21 bill
“if you go on Fort Wainwright or JBear or Eielson or Elmendorf, you will find hundreds of people that are not age 21 that are actively using tobacco products.”
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.
Alaska House panel hears testimony on statewide spay-neuter program, no vote taken
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on a statewide spay and neuter program to address rural animal overpopulation.
House Finance approves pharmacist prescription bill after rejecting nurse compact
“My only reservation— I have two reservations here. Number one, I don't want to do anything that effectively kills the underlying bill.”
House panel hears gas line tax bill with 15-cent volumetric fee
“when I talked to the Glenfarm folks, they were here and testified Committee, obviously they have a rub at this 15 cents. They prefer 6 cents. I basically wanted the material difference between 6 and 15.”
House Finance advances fire station grant program after rejecting rural aid amendments
“if you go to 75% or 60%, I know we flipped the numbers backwards in the conceptual amendment. You are just going to have this program, if you do allocate money, it is just going to soak it all up to those ones.”
Alaska budget fight leaves $40M in senior, disability care hanging
A six-member legislative committee decides by May 20 whether to fund $40 million in senior and disability care that the House backs but the Senate opposes.
House Finance Advances Paid Parental Leave Bill
“if we do this and we enact this in law and we know that we're going to burn through all these funds, and jack that employer contribution rate to the UI fund and all this back up, but we're going to run out of benefit anyways. What do we tell people that maybe they had one kid in 2029 and then— or 2030— and then in 2040 they're going to have another kid and we say, oh, by the way, we don't have that program anymore.”
Home care worker pay mandate divides Alaska lawmakers over rural access
House Bill 96 would require home care agencies to spend 80 percent of Medicaid rates on worker pay over four years. • Rural providers warn the mandate could cut service access; worker advocates say it protects caregivers bearing travel costs. • Lawmakers divided as Alaska's elderly population is projected to surge 500 percent in 25 to 30 years.
Alaska Legislature Forms Conference Committee on $14B Operating Budget
Alaska lawmakers formed a conference committee Monday to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of the $14 billion fiscal year 2027 operating budget and mental health funding bill.
House Finance advances pharmacist prescribing bill with drug restrictions
“I was under the impression with the adoption of Amendment 3, we basically took care of that issue with the RU486, mifepristone, misoprostol kind of banning from prescribing prescriptions to assign them”
Alaska House Panel Hears Push to Raise Tobacco Age to 21
A House panel is considering raising the tobacco age to 21. The change would align state law with federal standards and unlock millions in prevention funding.
House Finance Advances Education Funding Bill Despite Fiscal Concerns
“It basically defines administrative expense is strictly narrow to administrative employee salaries, administrative employee benefits, professional and technical services, supplies, communication, travels, dues and fees, and school board stipends.”
House advances expanded disability benefits for all public workers
Alaska House advanced a bill raising occupational disability benefits to 75 percent of salary and adding healthcare coverage for all public employees and teachers.
House Finance advances education fund amendment, rejects gas pipeline revenue tie
“I can tell you that it is incredibly clear that the fathers of Alaska's constitution repeatedly rejected constitutional earmarks.”
House Finance cuts West Susitna road funding from capital budget
“This deletes a sizable chunk of that over and beyond what's necessary in the STIP. It's $94 million. And also, like, the West Zoo Access Project is one of the few things that we have in Alaska that is going toward positive steps for resource development.”
Veterans sentencing bill advances despite concerns over court authority
House Bill 299 would let judges override prosecutors to place veterans in misdemeanor treatment courts, but prosecutors and court officials warned of separation of powers litigation.
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.
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 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
“the framers of the Constitution were very pro-education advocates. And the real question is, why did they decide not to include a dedicated fund for education when they drafted the state's constitution when we had one basically in territorial times.”
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.
Senate adds $156M to capital budget, prioritizes deferred maintenance
Alaska Senate added $156 million to the capital budget for deferred maintenance at schools, universities, and state facilities after oil prices rose beyond the governor's projections.
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
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 committee debates pharmacist prescribing bill amid abortion concerns
House Finance Committee debated a bill Tuesday that would let pharmacists prescribe for minor ailments, but lawmakers split over whether it could permit abortion medication prescribing.
House Advances Corporate Tax Bill, Rejects AI and Nuclear Amendments
Alaska House advanced a corporate tax bill targeting multi-state and digital businesses, rejecting amendments to tax AI companies and restrict AI from nuclear systems.
House Finance weighs bill to standardize state payment timelines
House Finance examined a bill requiring Alaska to pay nonprofits and tribal groups within 30 days, matching private contractor timelines, with interest penalties for delays.
Conference Committee Forms to Resolve HB 289 Budget Differences
A six-member conference committee started resolving differences in Alaska's fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget, with power to set disputed items between zero and the higher chamber amount.