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.
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Saturday, May 16
Senate 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 readAlaska 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 readMore from Politics & Government
Alaska 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
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 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
House 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
House panel hears gas line tax bill with 15-cent volumetric fee
House panel heard a bill replacing property taxes on the Alaska LNG pipeline with a 15-cent volumetric tax, projected to generate $10 million for the state in 2029.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 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 readAlaska limits disability employment training to 50 care coordinators
Alaska is offering a free online disability employment training course to the first 50 care coordinators who register, with a June 30 deadline to complete it for six continuing education hours.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 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
House rejects Galena school funding swap after dramatic rescind vote
The Alaska House rejected a plan to strip $5 million in school funding from Galena and redirect it to projects in Anchorage, the Mat-Su, and Fairbanks, voting 20-19 after a dramatic rescind sequence.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska 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
Stone Soup Group finale teaches families IEP advocacy for disabled youth
Stone Soup Group hosts a free workshop May 30 in Anchorage teaching families how to advocate for disabled students at IEP meetings and navigate state and federal policies.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSitka 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
Bering Strait School District holds second budget meeting in nine days
Bering Strait School District holds its second budget meeting in nine days on May 13, with no public agenda posted and decisions that could affect 1,800 students across 15 rural schools.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readSitka cemetery caretaker Bob Sam honored after decades of quiet service
Bob Sam, who spent over 30 years maintaining Sitka's cemeteries and working on Alaska Native repatriation, received the 2026 First Lady's Volunteer Award on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readCordova 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 Launches New Online Form for Vulnerable Adult Abuse Reports
Alaska launched a new online form May 8 for reporting suspected abuse of vulnerable adults, combining four separate systems into one to speed up required 24-hour reporting.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readAlaska Conference Committee Advances 23 of 25 Supplemental Budget Items
Alaska's conference committee approved 23 of 25 items in the $14 billion fiscal 2026 supplemental budget on May 12, mostly accepting Senate versions and leaving two items for further talks.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska 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
House Finance Advances Paid Parental Leave Bill
House Finance advanced a paid parental leave bill creating a new payroll tax, with benefits starting in 2029. • Small businesses with fewer than 25 workers would be exempt from providing benefits but employees would still pay in. • Committee raised concerns about long-term funding past 2040 and potential equal protection issues.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
