Government
RSSGovernment in Alaska is the network of state agencies, the legislature and municipal councils and assemblies that set public policy. It covers boards, commissions, ordinances, appointments and budget decisions in cities and boroughs across the state.
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Sunday, May 17
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Saturday, May 16
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readHouse committee advances LGBTQ anti-discrimination bill on 4-3 vote
Alaska House committee advanced a bill adding sexual orientation and gender identity protections to state civil rights law in employment, housing, and public accommodations, voting 4-3 Thursday.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readSenate approves mental health education bill after six-year push
Senate approved a bill requiring schools to develop mental health education guidelines, with parental opt-out rights, after six years of pushing back against Alaska's youth suicide crisis.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate panel advances civil rights commission bill with new settlement tool
Alaska Senate Finance Committee advanced a bill that renames the human rights commission to civil rights commission, expands it to cover roughly 40,000 nonprofit employees, and adds a settlement tool.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
House panel withdraws AI personhood amendment after legal questions arise
Alaska House Judiciary Committee withdrew an amendment that would have blocked AI systems from being recognized as legal persons after lawmakers worried it could create gaps in criminal law.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel advances telehealth pay parity bill with wage protections
A House committee advanced a bill requiring equal pay for telehealth and in-person care. It includes protections against moving Alaska healthcare jobs to lower-wage states.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readMore from Government
Alaska House expands pharmacist prescribing powers in 32-8 vote
Alaska House voted 32-8 to let pharmacists prescribe for minor ailments and chronic conditions, unlocking $272 million in federal rural health funding that requires the law by December 2027.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readSenate panel advances judicial nominee who sued judges over abortion questions
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Mike Miller to the Alaska Judicial Council despite his past lawsuit over judicial abortion views.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Leaks, mold, cold plague Anchorage apartments after California takeover
Anchorage tenants face leaks, mold, cold, and sewage problems after a California landlord took over their apartment buildings.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readAlaska House passes mental health education bill after emotional debate
Alaska House passed a bill requiring the state to develop mental health curriculum guidelines for schools, responding to the nation's highest youth suicide rate among teenagers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAutonomous vehicle bill advances despite state warnings on outdated standards
A bill requiring human drivers in autonomous vehicles stalled in the Alaska Senate after state officials warned it uses outdated standards and could block innovation.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel advances retirement savings program for private workers
Alaska House panel advanced a bill to create a state-run retirement savings program for private workers at small businesses, with automatic enrollment at 5 percent of pay and no cost to employers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readHouse Finance advances fire station grant program after rejecting rural aid amendments
House Finance rejected amendments that would have eased the cost burden on small rural communities seeking fire station grants, keeping the 50 percent local match requirement in place.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House panel advances bill to expand early intervention for delayed infants
House committee advanced a bill to let more Alaska infants access early intervention services by lowering the eligibility threshold from 50% to 25% developmental delay.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Coming up
Denali Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting & Elections
Cantwell School library, 2nd Avenue, Cantwell, AK 99729 and Over Zoom
Meeting
Middle Yukon River Fish & Game Advisory Committee: Middle Yukon River Fish & Game Advisory Committee Special Meeting Sunday November 15th, 2026 at 1:00 pm
Meeting
Mobile DMV Services – Aleknagik
Community event
Elected Officials Management Course in Anchorage
Class
Kodiak Island Borough School District: Board of Education Special Meeting
Meeting
About Government
Government in Alaska takes in the state agencies, the Legislature and the city councils, borough assemblies and school boards that set public policy. It reaches from the governor's office and statewide departments to the boards and commissions of single towns.
Its work includes ordinances and resolutions, appointments to boards and commissions, agency rulemaking and the review of permits and licenses. State departments such as Environmental Conservation and Education propose, revise and repeal regulations, while local bodies handle liquor and marijuana license renewals, plan review rules and the naming of public buildings.
Recurring questions concern how vacant seats on elected bodies are filled, whether members are elected by district or at large, and which rules agencies keep or drop. Government overlaps closely with elections, public budgets, personnel decisions and the courts.
More from Government
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFriday, May 15
Alaska Senate advances university regents reform bill with 2027 start date
Alaska Senate advanced a bill to restructure the University of Alaska Board of Regents, setting it to take effect Feb. 1, 2027, with a sunset review date six years later.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readAlaska 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.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readHouse panel rejects gaming price caps after industry debate
Alaska House committee rejected tighter price caps on electronic pull-tab makers, keeping the manufacturer limit at 35 percent of revenue instead of lowering it to 25 or 30 percent.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Legislature rejects governor's attorney general nominee
Alaska Legislature rejected Stephen Cox as Attorney General, 29-31, over his focus on national legal battles instead of Alaska interests.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min readHouse 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.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Lawmakers Advance Electronic Pull-Tab Gaming Bill
Alaska House committee advanced a bill allowing pull-tab games on tablets, but capped manufacturer costs in ways the sponsor warns could give one company a market edge.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Sitka voters to decide charter change on initiative and referendum power
Sitka voters will decide in October whether to change how the city handles citizen initiatives and referendums, after the Assembly advanced the charter amendment on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readWasilla Senator's Mother Scammed, Sparks Crypto Kiosk Crackdown
Alaska Senate unanimously approved regulations for cryptocurrency kiosks, requiring licenses and fraud warnings, after scammers stole from seniors including a lawmaker's mother.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readThursday, May 14
Unorganized Borough Gains First Seat on Boundary Commission
Alaska Legislature passed a bill giving the Unorganized Borough its first seat on the commission that decides municipal boundaries and incorporations.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFrom Wednesday, May 13
Gas Line Developer Warns Tax Hike Would Delay Project, Jeopardize 2029 Deadline
The Alaska gas pipeline developer warned that a proposed 15-cent tax would delay the project's final investment decision and jeopardize the 2029 completion target.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel advances bill cutting sick leave for seafood workers
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill cutting paid sick leave for seasonal seafood workers from 56 to 48 hours annually, citing end-of-season workforce shortages at processing plants.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska House doubles bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million
Alaska House unanimously raised the bulk fuel loan cap for rural communities from $750,000 to $1.5 million, responding to soaring energy costs and supply shortages in remote villages.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Senate passes cryptocurrency kiosk consumer protection bill unanimously
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill requiring cryptocurrency kiosk operators to verify identity and limit transactions to $1,500 daily, after Alaskans lost $26 million to online fraud last year.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Cordova Seeks Rock Extraction Deal to Fund New Public Safety Building
Cordova is seeking contractors to extract rock from city land and prepare it for a new Public Safety Building to replace the current facility in the tsunami zone. Proposals due June 8.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readAlaska House panel advances penny-rounding bill to standardize cash transactions
Alaska House panel advanced a bill requiring retailers to round cash transactions symmetrically to the nearest five cents, standardizing rules as the U.S. stops making pennies.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAssembly Approves $64.8M Bond Appropriation for Capital Projects
Anchorage Assembly unanimously approved $64.86 million in bond funds for roads, fire protection, parks, transit and other city projects on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min read
Tuesday, May 12
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Legislature Passes Bill Recognizing Gold, Silver as Legal Tender
Alaska Legislature passed a bill recognizing gold and silver as legal tender and exempting those transactions from local sales taxes, sending it to Governor Dunleavy for signature.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate panel advances autonomous vehicle restrictions despite industry opposition
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill requiring human operators in commercial autonomous vehicles, making Alaska the first state with such a restriction despite industry warnings.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Senate Passes Right to Repair Bill for Consumer Electronics
Alaska Senate passed a right to repair bill May 11 requiring manufacturers to provide parts and tools so consumers can fix electronics instead of replacing them.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readHome 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.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
