City councils, assemblies, state legislature, legislation, and public policy
The Anchorage Women's Commission voted Tuesday to formally invite Mayor Suzanne LaFrance to attend a commission meeting, targeting September to allow for scheduling and the commission's summer break.
Glenfarn Alaska LNG told House Finance that the 15-cent volumetric tax in the Resources Committee version would delay the project's final investment decision and threaten the 2029 completion timeline, calling the rate economically unworkable.
Senator Cathy Tilton's bill to regulate cryptocurrency kiosks passed the Alaska Senate unanimously after her mother was scammed out of thousands of dollars, part of $26 million Alaskans lost to online fraud in 2024.
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 21, which would create Alaska Work and Save, an automatic IRA program for employees whose employers do not offer retirement plans.
The House Finance Committee advanced a bill expanding pharmacist prescribing authority Thursday after voting down an amendment to add Alaska to a 40-state nurse licensure compact, despite warnings the compact is required for federal healthcare funding.
The House Finance Committee announced Friday that a scheduled hearing on gas line legislation may be canceled pending a Rules Committee decision, prompting the panel to reorganize its agenda around a vehicle and boat transfer-on-death title bill.
The Alaska Legislature has passed HB 1, which recognizes gold and silver as legal tender and exempts precious metal transactions from local sales taxes, with the bill now awaiting Governor Dunleavy's signature.
The Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation raising the bulk fuel loan cap from $750,000 to $1.5 million for communities under 2,000 people, responding to soaring fuel costs driven by overseas conflict and the coldest Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta winter in 15 years.
A legislative conference committee must reconcile more than $40 million in disputed funding for senior and disability services before the Alaska Legislature adjourns on May 20, with the House and Senate deeply divided on nearly every line item.
The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee advanced legislation Wednesday that would reduce paid sick leave for seasonal seafood processing workers from 56 to 48 hours annually and cap monthly usage at 12 hours.
The Alaska Senate voted 20-0 Tuesday to pass legislation requiring licensing, transaction limits, and fraud protections for cryptocurrency kiosks after Alaskans lost over $26 million to online fraud in 2024.
The Anchorage Assembly unanimously approved appropriating $64.86 million in voter-approved bond proceeds for public safety, transit, fire protection, roads, parks and other municipal improvements.
The Alaska Legislature failed to override Governor Dunleavy's veto of Senate Bill 64, a comprehensive elections reform bill, falling two votes short of the required 40-vote supermajority in a 38-22 vote during a joint session Monday.
The Alaska House of Representatives voted 40-0 Thursday to recognize gold and silver specie as legal tender and exempt such transactions from borough and city sales taxes.
The Alaska House passed HB 261, a major education funding reform using multi-year enrollment averaging, but narrowly rejected amendments requiring public meetings and website posting of mental health curriculum.
The Alaska Senate Transportation Committee advanced a bill Tuesday requiring human safety operators in commercial autonomous vehicles over 10,000 pounds, drawing opposition from tech companies who warned Alaska would become the only state to effectively ban the technology.
Alaska House Finance Committee approved amendments restricting pharmacists from prescribing high-risk drugs including opioids and abortion medications, while requiring naloxone prescriptions alongside opioid prescriptions over three days.
The Alaska Senate voted 15-5 Monday to require manufacturers to provide repair access for consumer electronics, advancing legislation that supporters say will keep money in Alaska and reduce electronic waste.
The Alaska Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday to expand access to developmental services for infants and toddlers by lowering the eligibility threshold, a change supporters say could save the state $38.9 million annually.
The Alaska House narrowly defeated an amendment that would have allowed school districts to join the state's AlaskaCare healthcare system, potentially saving major districts millions annually.
The Alaska Senate Finance Committee heard testimony Tuesday on legislation requiring agencies to spend 80 percent of Medicaid rates on direct caregiver wages by 2030, with provider groups warning the mandate could force rural agency closures while worker advocates argued built-in safeguards would prevent disruption.
The Senate Health and Social Services Committee forwarded nine gubernatorial appointees to professional licensing boards after confirmation hearings addressing rural healthcare access, scope of practice, and COVID-era business practices.
The Alaska Senate advanced legislation requiring manufacturers to provide repair tools and documentation for consumer electronics after narrowing the bill's scope and pushing back its effective date.
The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved legislation to add a faculty representative to the University of Alaska Board of Regents, updating implementation dates to 2027 with a 2033 sunset clause.
The Alaska Senate Finance Committee heard testimony Monday on a three-year pilot program that would repay up to $5,000 annually in student loans for teachers in high-need fields, part of a broader education funding package addressing the state's severe teacher shortage.
The Wrangell Borough Assembly amended its May 12, 2026 meeting agenda on May 11 to add Item 13i without disclosing its content, giving residents less than 24 hours' notice before the meeting.
The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony Monday on Senate Bill 252, which would update Alaska's Uniform Commercial Code to govern transactions involving cryptocurrency, NFTs, and electronic promissory notes.
The Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously advanced legislation Tuesday that would prohibit convicted felons from serving on school boards statewide and allow board members to substitute teach.
The Alaska House Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 Friday to advance HB 367, which would give Alaskans new rights over their personal data and require companies to act in consumers' best interests.
The Alaska Board of Fisheries unanimously approved fish-friendly fish wheel specifications and delisting criteria for Yukon River king and fall chum salmon stocks of concern, establishing the first codified recovery plans despite concerns about treaty complications and duplicative regulations.
The Alaska House unanimously rejected the Senate's operating budget Friday, which cut the dividend from $1,500 to $1,000 and reduced education funding, sending both chambers toward conference committee negotiations.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced House Bill 298 after adopting amendments that allow subjects of ethics complaints to request public disclosure.
Industry representatives testified against a bill to establish tolls on a two-mile stretch of the Dalton Highway near Deadhorse, warning the measure could jeopardize federal funding and create unfair taxation on oil and gas operations.
Alaska officials testified that water quality monitoring shows no pollution from British Columbia mines crossing the border, but fishing groups, tribes, and conservation organizations argued the state is not doing enough to protect Southeast Alaska's salmon rivers from upstream mining risks.
The Anchorage Assembly reviewed proposed changes to vehicle-for-hire rules that would require all taxi dispatchers to use GPS-based smart meters and raise the maximum fare cap from $3 to $6 per mile.
The Senate Transportation Committee moved forward Thursday with legislation to update Alaska's travel insurance laws, aligning the state with 42 others that have adopted similar reforms.
The Alaska Senate approved a $247.7 million capital budget emphasizing deferred maintenance for schools, university facilities, and courthouses.
The Senate Judiciary Committee forwarded Veronica Lambertson's appointment to the Alaska Police Standards Council to a joint session despite concerns about her residency qualifications and social media posts.
The House Labor and Commerce Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 181, which allows the University of Alaska to access employment data for seafood industry research.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on House Bill 298, which strengthens Alaska's legislative ethics oversight and passed the House 37-3, with discussion focusing on potential amendments to campaign-period complaint procedures.