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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Week of Apr 27
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Board Sets Fish Wheel Rules, Recovery Goals for Yukon Salmon
Alaska's Board of Fisheries set fish wheel standards and recovery goals for depleted Yukon River salmon, requiring five consecutive years of meeting escapement targets before stocks can be delisted.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Rural Alaska fuel prices could hit $25/gallon, lawmaker warns
Rural Alaska fuel prices could reach $20 to $25 per gallon this year, potentially costing western Alaska up to $500 million in additional costs, state Sen. Lyman Hoffman warned Friday.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate Panel Advances Social Media Ban for Minors Under 16
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill banning social media for under-16s despite court challenges blocking similar laws nationwide.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate passes bill restoring defined benefit pensions for public workers
Alaska Senate passed a bill Wednesday allowing public workers to choose defined benefit pensions starting July 2027, the first such measure to clear both chambers in 20 years.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House panel advances penny rounding bill amid federal mint halt
Alaska House panel advanced a bill Thursday requiring businesses to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel, responding to the federal government's halt of penny production in 2025.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
More from Government
Senate panel advances health care compacts bill despite sovereignty concerns
Senate panel voted 3-2 to advance a bill expanding interstate health care compacts, adding genetic counselors and respiratory therapists to licensed professions despite sovereignty concerns.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Urban Design Commission to sunset after May meeting
Anchorage Assembly voted to eliminate the Urban Design Commission, which will hold its final meeting in May before design reviews shift to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Urban Design Commission votes to recommend its own dissolution
Anchorage Urban Design Commission voted to recommend its own dissolution, merging its duties into the Planning and Zoning Commission to save $28,000 annually and fill board vacancies.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
House advances bill requiring 30-day state payments after heated debate
Alaska House advanced a bill requiring the state to pay contractors and nonprofits within 30 days, adopting a one-year phase-in after removing language that risked federal Rural Health funds.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
House panel advances income tax on large pass-through businesses
Alaska House panel advanced a bill imposing a 9.4% income tax on pass-through businesses earning over $25 million annually, with the tax taking effect in 2028.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Senate panel holds Alaska state seal redesign resolution
Alaska Senate panel heard testimony on a proposal to create a commission that would redesign the state seal, unchanged since 1913, to better represent Alaska Native people and modern values.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel advances 10 health board nominees to full Legislature
Alaska Senate committee advanced 10 health board nominees to the full Legislature for confirmation, including reappointments to nursing, pharmacy, and optometry boards.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate Passes Alaska Work and Save Retirement Program 15-4
The Alaska Senate passed a bill creating an automatic retirement savings program for employees at small businesses. It now heads to the House.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 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 passes bill requiring transparency at psychiatric hospitals for minors
The House passed a bill requiring psychiatric hospitals to conduct surprise inspections and allow minors weekly private calls with parents.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House advances bills on autonomous vehicles, nurse training, interior design
Alaska House advanced bills regulating commercial autonomous vehicles, requiring dementia care training for nurse aides, and adding interior designers to the state's professional licensing board.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House Revives Defined Benefit Pensions in Narrow 21-19 Vote
Alaska House voted 21-19 to restore defined benefit pensions for public employees, citing a 30 percent teacher turnover rate and $140 million in annual overtime costs.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel advances property tax assessment cap bill
Senate panel advanced a bill letting cities cap annual property tax increases on owner-occupied homes, despite assessors warning it creates unfair burdens between longtime and new homeowners.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Week of Apr 20
House Labor Committee Advances Travel Insurance Bill, Hears Disaster Pet Plan
House Labor Committee advanced HB 302 updating travel insurance rules to take effect January 1, 2027. • Committee heard HB 335 requiring state disaster plans for pets and service animals after October 2026 typhoon response gaps. • Committee heard SB 180 to repeal 2024 language that created confusion over the Regulatory Commission of Alaska's authority over natural gas import facilities.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Task Force Hears Federal Assessment Rules, NAEP Context, and AKSTAR Demo
Task force learned federal law sets testing minimums but states choose how to assess and support schools. • NAEP proficiency scores are aspirational targets, not typical performance, and poverty matters more than school reforms alone. • Alaska's AKSTAR combines interim and spring tests to predict student achievement within 24 to 72 hours.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago8 min read
House Finance advances bill extending professional licensing board
House Finance advanced a bill extending Alaska's professional licensing board and adding registered interior designers, after revising language that prompted a gubernatorial veto last year.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
State employee per diem frozen since 2010 despite 40% inflation
House Bill 300 would raise state employee per diem rates frozen since 2010 from $60 to $82 per day, with automatic adjustments every three years starting in 2029.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House panel hears Fairbanks road service area reform proposal
House panel heard a bill to let second-class boroughs reshape road service areas without two concurrent elections, a process that has failed 60 percent of the time.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska expands background checks to all medical professionals
Alaska Senate Health Committee voted to require criminal background checks for all medical professionals licensed by the state, expanding a requirement that previously applied only to doctors.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readFrom 
House Judiciary rejects consumer data privacy bill after 3-3 vote
The House Judiciary Committee deadlocked 3-3 on the Alaska Data Privacy Act. The bill would have let Alaskans control how companies collect and sell their personal data.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House panel cuts cryptocurrency kiosk limits to protect seniors from scams
House panel cut cryptocurrency kiosk limits to $500 daily and $1,500 monthly to protect seniors from scams, which attorney general reports say account for 93 to 98 percent of kiosk transactions.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House Extends West Coast Disaster Declaration After Heated Debate
Alaska House extended the West Coast disaster declaration 30 days with a $63.83 million funding plan, but Republicans argued lawmakers should pass a bill instead to ensure proper oversight.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Alaska Senate passes wildfire evacuation color-code system
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill establishing a statewide color-coded wildfire evacuation system, green for ready, yellow for set, red for go, to replace confusing local variations.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
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.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Legislative Council approves $70,200 Bethel office lease renewal
Alaska Legislative Council voted unanimously Tuesday to renew the Bethel office lease for one year at $70,200, with four more one-year options available through 2031.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Alaska right-to-repair bill draws fire over broad scope and safety concerns
Alaska lawmakers raised safety concerns Thursday about a right-to-repair bill that would let consumers fix everything from iPhones to aircraft, warning it could endanger remote communities.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
House panel advances Local Boundary Commission expansion bill
A House committee advanced a bill to add a sixth seat to the Local Boundary Commission. The new seat would represent the unorganized borough in future boundary and incorporation decisions.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Alaska lawmakers hear testimony on four ballot initiatives
Alaska lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on three November ballot initiatives covering citizenship voting requirements, campaign finance limits, and ranked choice voting repeal, with no votes taken.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Brain science experts brief legislators on early childhood development
Brain experts told lawmakers that early childhood programs save $227,000 per child, as the state weighs restoring $5.72 million in cuts to the Infant Learning Program.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Senate passes capital budget focused on school maintenance
Alaska Senate passed a capital budget prioritizing school maintenance over new construction, targeting roughly 15 projects from a $401 million statewide list.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel hears refuse utility rate reform bill
A Senate panel heard a bill that would let trash haulers use faster rate-setting procedures, cutting delays from three years to months and reducing the large rate increases customers now face.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate Finance hears bill to add faculty regent to University board
House Bill 10 would add a tenured faculty member to the University of Alaska Board of Regents, expanding it from 11 to 12 members with full voting powers.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
