Politics & Government
RSSPolitics & Government in Alaska is the activity of state and local elections, lawmaking and public administration. It covers campaigns, ballot measures, ethics and campaign finance, legislative and executive action, and municipal and borough council decisions across Alaska communities.
Inside Politics & Government
Places and organizations in this news
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story about Politics & Government? Send a tip
Thursday, May 21
Alaska House passes bill repealing inactive state funds
Alaska House passed Senate Bill 163 unanimously Wednesday, repealing three inactive and empty state funds including the Public Access Fund and the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games Reserve Fund.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska House passes bill removing tax-remittance deductions
Alaska House passed a bill removing tax-collection deductions for motor fuel, tobacco, and tire fees, expected to raise nearly $500,000 yearly.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readAlaska EMS Compact Folded Into Omnibus Bill, Passes Senate 13-7
Alaska Senate passed SB 256 on May 20, joining an interstate compact that lets EMTs and paramedics work across state lines without separate licenses in each state, while Alaska keeps full authority over discipline and scope of practice.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readHouse Republicans examine $24.8M in federal attorney fees to environmental groups
House Republicans examined $24.8M in federal attorney fee awards to environmental nonprofits from 2019 to 2024. • Critics say uncapped fee-shifting laws let nonprofits bill at rates far above market rates, sometimes 700 percent markups. • Alaska mining, oil, and timber projects have faced years of litigation delays funded partly by taxpayer attorney fee awards.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
House moves to close property tax overpayment loophole
Alaska House voted to end a loophole that let taxpayers deliberately overpay property taxes to collect 8 percent interest refunds, passing House Bill 13 by 32-7.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
FBI steps up Alaska security task force, adds agents to state
FBI expands Alaska task force to fight drug trafficking from Canada and crimes on tribal lands. • DEA intercepted 10 kilos of fentanyl and 5 kilos of methamphetamine bound for Alaska in April. • Sen. Murkowski raised crisis of missing and murdered Alaska Native women, 75% of cases. • FBI piloting Starlink communications on tribal lands for investigations.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Wednesday, May 20
Alaska Senate passes special education funding and Palmer judge bills
Alaska Senate unanimously passed bill raising special education funding by 16 percent per student. • Senate also unanimously approved adding a fifth Superior Court judge in Palmer to cut case backlogs from 680 to 540 cases per judge.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
House votes to eliminate tax filing discounts worth $500,000 annually
Alaska House voted to eliminate four tax discounts worth $500,000 yearly, including a cigarette stamp break that persisted two decades after the equipment it subsidized was paid off.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
More from Politics & Government
Alaska AG voids contested Area M salmon regulations after ethics challenge
Alaska attorney general voided five salmon regulations after board members failed to disclose conflicts of interest. • Fishing groups won relief through ethics enforcement instead of court. • Regulations would have restricted fishing time and added chinook catch closures. • Board must restart the process to readopt any rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska House passes campaign contribution limits that could take effect during 2026 election
Alaska House passed a bill to restore campaign donation limits of 2,000 dollars per donor per candidate. • The bill takes effect 90 days after the governor acts, likely before November 2026 election. • Governor can sign, veto, or do nothing. Inaction lets the bill become law. • Opponents say it restricts speech and will likely face lawsuit.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska raises wildfire alert as dry grass fuels 63 early-season fires
Alaska raised wildfire alert to Level 2 as 63 early-season fires burn 368 acres in dry grass. • Most fires are human-caused in Interior Alaska where snow melted but plants haven't greened. • Smokeyjumpers deployed to Sawmill Creek Fire near Delta Junction after campfire start. • Agency urges caution and debris clearing as fire season starts earlier due to climate change.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
School district property insurance costs to double, equivalent to four teaching positions
Juneau School District property insurance costs will more than double to over $800,000 next year, forcing the district to cut the equivalent of four teaching positions since state law caps school funding and insurance falls under that cap.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Alaska Energy Conference Highlights Gas Pipeline Progress Amid Legislative Tax Debate
Alaska LNG pipeline signed contracts, targets 2029 delivery, but governor and legislature split on tax framework. • Southcentral consumers could pay $22.96 per thousand cubic feet if exports fail, double current rates. • Federal officials highlighted critical minerals and $1 billion in funding, but permitting takes 15 to 18 years. • Rural Alaska pays $6.63 per gallon with no pipeline relief in sight.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
Alaska Senate Passes Education Bill With 4% Property Tax Cap
Senate passed education bill with 4% cap on required local contribution growth, limiting property value increases that shift school funding from state to local governments. • Bill includes energy grants for schools and teacher loan repayment up to $5,000 yearly for STEM and special education teachers. • Cap could cost state $41.6 million by 2035 but prevents districts from losing millions in revenue.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Tuesday, May 19
Murkowski presses federal law enforcement on Alaska trafficking, missing Indigenous people
Murkowski pressed FBI on Alaska's missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis, 229 missing with 75 percent Alaska Native. • FBI launching tribal lands operation with Starlink communications for investigations. • DEA opening two Canada offices, intercepted 10 kilos of fentanyl bound for Alaska. • Murkowski raised Alaska's need for federal detention facility, Marshals director agreed to review.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago3 min readAbout Politics & Government
Politics and government in Alaska takes in state and local elections, lawmaking and public administration. It covers campaigns, ballot measures, campaign finance, legislative and executive action, and decisions by municipal assemblies and borough and city councils.
Recurring questions include how campaigns are funded and who pays for outside spending and political messages, which candidates qualify for the ballot, and how state agencies write and repeal regulations. Local governments such as the Anchorage Assembly and the Ketchikan assembly weigh spending on roads, water systems and police programs.
The subject reaches across the Legislature, state agencies and municipal governments. Advisory boards and councils that take public comment on matters such as state parks and disability policy are part of it as well.
More from Politics & Government
Alaska Senate adopts final operating, mental health and capital budgets
Alaska Senate passed fiscal year 2027 operating budget on 17-3 vote, balanced at $75 per barrel oil without drawing from savings. • Mental health budget approved 20-0, adding $3.5 million for behavioral health treatment and $500,000 for crisis call center. • Capital budget concurred 18-2, including $32.5 million for University of Alaska deferred maintenance and school and port projects.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Legislature fails to override veto of pension bill
Alaska Legislature fell seven votes short of overriding the governor's veto of a bill that would have restored pension options for public employees and teachers, voting 33-27 when 40 votes were needed.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee votes 6-3 to end gondola project, repay Goldbelt
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee voted 6-3 to end the Eagle Crest gondola project and repay Goldbelt's $12 million loan after construction costs jumped from $7 million to $27 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
House Passes Civics Education Bill After Decade-Long Push
Alaska House passed a civics education bill 37-3 Tuesday, requiring high school students to take a social studies course and pass a civics exam to graduate.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Public Commenter Blames Management Turmoil for $12M Gondola Cost Surge
A Juneau resident told the Assembly that management failures and procurement delays have driven the Eagle Crest gondola project cost up by $12 million, warning taxpayers could face that shutdown bill.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska Senate advances sweeping public safety bill with AI child abuse provisions
Alaska Senate unanimously approved an 80-page public safety bill that criminalizes AI child abuse material and raises age of consent to 18. • The bill expands the parole board from five to seven members and creates new crimes including mail theft and airbag fraud. • It costs $413,400 in startup and ongoing funding and now returns to the House for final approval.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
Crews battle South Anchorage vegetation fire near 100th Avenue and C Street
Firefighters battled a 5-acre vegetation fire Tuesday afternoon near 100th Avenue and C Street in South Anchorage, with no evacuations ordered as of early afternoon.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
House Finance Committee advances PFD restoration for wrongfully convicted
House Finance Committee advanced a bill to restore Permanent Fund Dividends to Alaskans whose convictions were wrongfully vacated, with a two-year deadline to apply after exoneration.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readDunleavy vetoes public pension bill, leaving override as long shot
Governor Dunleavy vetoed legislation that would have reopened a defined benefit pension option for Alaska public employees and teachers, citing fiscal and legal concerns.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Thorne Bay certifies mayoral election with 47 percent turnout
Thorne Bay certified its May 12 mayoral election on May 18 with 235 ballots cast, a 47 percent turnout of 500 registered voters.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Alaska lawmakers review paid parental leave bill funded by payroll taxes
Alaska Senate Finance Committee heard testimony on House Bill 193, which would create 8 to 12 weeks of paid parental leave funded by payroll taxes, with benefits starting January 1, 2030.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Monday, May 18
House Finance advances tobacco age increase, e-cigarette tax on 7-4 vote
House Finance advanced a bill raising the tobacco purchase age to 21 and taxing e-cigarettes at retail, effective July 2026 and July 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min readHouse panel hears bill to restore PFDs for wrongfully convicted Alaskans
A House panel heard testimony on a bill allowing wrongfully convicted Alaskans to reclaim Permanent Fund dividends lost during incarceration, affecting roughly five known cases worth about $107,852.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Sunday, May 17
Alaska News Roundup: Gas pipeline tax fight, Point Thomson trade-off, and McNeil River access debate
Senate passed gas pipeline tax bill raising oil production tax floor to six percent, drawing industry criticism. • Point Thomson regulators warn blowdown for pipeline risks sixty-five million barrels of condensate. • Mount Edgecumbe enrollment dropped a quarter to three hundred eleven students amid facility and health concerns. • Fish and Game reviews wheeled plane landings at McNeil River bear sanctuary despite conservation objections.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska House passes fisheries tax credit expansion unanimously
Alaska House unanimously approved a bill extending a tax credit for seafood processors through 2037 and expanding it to all fish species, aiming to help the industry during poor market conditions.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readSenate 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
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
House panel cuts youth tobacco fines, advances Tobacco 21 bill
Alaska House panel advanced a Tobacco 21 bill Saturday, cutting fines for minors from $300 to $100 and eliminating mandatory court appearances for tobacco possession citations.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Saturday, May 16
Senate Finance advances public safety bill with parole board overhaul
Senate Finance advanced a public safety bill that shrinks Alaska's parole board to five members, adds tribal and addiction expertise requirements, and creates address protections for crime victims.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska 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 readSenate panel weighs municipal concerns over Alaska LNG tax structure
Alaska Senate panel revised the LNG tax bill to raise annual revenue to $625 million and added a 10-year sunset clause to address municipal concerns about setting a precedent for future tax breaks.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House Finance advances civics education bill after rejecting military exemption
Alaska House Finance advanced a civics education bill for high school graduation, rejecting a military exemption after finding existing law already protects military families.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel advances full funding for pre-K students statewide
Senate panel voted to count pre-K students as full-time in school funding, removing a $3 million cap and 2034 sunset date to boost aid to districts.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
House 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 read
