HJR 33 is a resolution passed by the Alaska State Legislature urging the U.S. Congress to address historical inequities affecting five Southeast Alaskan communities - Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Tenakee - that were excluded from the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). These "landless" communities have faced long-standing disparities in economic opportunity and community development due to their exclusion from land entitlements under ANCSA, which was intended to resolve aboriginal land claims. The resolution calls for federal legislation that would provide these communities with land entitlements and corporate formation rights consistent with ANCSA's original intent. It also encourages Alaska's congressional delegation to collaborate directly with affected communities and stakeholders to achieve a fair resolution.
HB 264 is a state budget bill allocating $272.5 million for water infrastructure projects through the Department of Environmental Conservation, including $18 million for village water systems and $628,100 for Clean Water grants. It also funds $825,000 for salmon programs (Alaska Marine Salmon Program) under the Department of Fish and Game and $5 million for military infrastructure through the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. The bill directs specific funding to existing state programs like port electrification, salmon habitat restoration, and drinking water capital projects without creating new policies. This appropriations measure directly affects state agencies and their ongoing infrastructure projects across Alaska.
This bill extends a disaster emergency declaration originally issued by the Alaska governor on October 9, 2025, following the 2025 West Coast Storm. The resolution authorizes the emergency to continue until April 7, 2026, with the extension applying retroactively to March 8, 2026, the date the previous extension expired. This legislative action allows state agencies to maintain emergency response efforts and access related resources needed to address ongoing storm damage and infrastructure repairs. The measure is required by state law because disaster emergency proclamations cannot remain in effect beyond 30 days without legislative approval.
HB 242 amends Alaska's criminal statutes to clarify and strengthen definitions of sexual assault. It updates first-degree sexual assault (Section 1) to explicitly include offenses involving victims who are mentally incapable, incapacitated, or unaware of the act - particularly when the victim is under the offender's care (e.g., in licensed facilities) or when a health care worker exploits a patient during treatment. Second-degree sexual assault (Section 2) similarly expands definitions to cover assaults involving mentally incapable victims in care settings, incapacitation, or health care worker misconduct. The bill directly affects vulnerable individuals in care environments and health care settings by tightening legal standards for prosecuting these specific offenses. The bill is currently pending in the Health & Social Services committee and has not yet been enacted.
SB 78 requires Alaska employers to include salary ranges in all job postings and prohibits them from banning employees or applicants from discussing or asking about wages. It also bans employers from requesting previous salary information during hiring. The bill protects workers from retaliation for discussing pay or filing complaints, with penalties including fines up to $2,000 per violation for non-compliance. This law directly affects all employers (including state entities), employees, and job applicants in Alaska by increasing pay transparency and preventing wage suppression.
This Alaska legislative resolution (HJR 22) requests two specific actions from the U.S. Congress: (1) to propose a constitutional amendment limiting U.S. House and Senate members to a set number of terms, and (2) to call a constitutional convention to draft such an amendment. It asks Congress to act on this request, or else states will independently pursue a convention under Article V of the Constitution. The resolution formally applies for a convention focused solely on term limits, seeking to aggregate Alaska’s application with those of other states that have similar requests. As a procedural resolution, it does not change law but aims to advance a constitutional amendment process.
HB 91 establishes regulatory rules for Alaska's legal marijuana industry. It requires all retail stores and cultivation facilities to register with the state, mandates inventory tracking numbers for marijuana crops (not individual plants), and mandates background checks every five years for business owners. The bill also authorizes local governments to set annual application and registration fees, while clarifying that registered businesses may legally purchase, sell, and transport marijuana products under specific conditions. This directly affects licensed marijuana businesses, local governments setting fees, and the Department of Revenue managing tax and registration systems.
SB 62 amends Alaska's parole board structure to require seven members with specific expertise: a healthcare professional, a crime victim advocate, an addiction recovery specialist, and a tribal representative. It mandates an annual public report detailing parole hearing outcomes, including demographic data, reasons for denials, and individual board members' voting records. The report must be submitted to the legislature, shared with the Alaska Criminal Justice Data Analysis Commission, and published online. This bill directly affects parole board operations and increases transparency in parole decision-making for inmates. The changes apply to all parole hearings conducted under Alaska law.
SB 123 reestablishes a Citizens' Review Panel for Permanency Planning to oversee cases involving children in state custody. It requires child welfare departments to notify the panel within 60 days of removing a child from their home or after a court orders a child committed to the department. The bill also expands access to confidential case information for the review panel, enabling them to evaluate long-term care plans. This directly affects children in foster care or state custody, their families, and child welfare agencies in Alaska. The panel’s role is to ensure decisions prioritize the child’s permanency needs, such as adoption or stable foster care.
SB 158 creates a new administrative area on the east side of Cook Inlet for regulating commercial set net fishing permits, defined by specific statistical zones (244-21, 244-22, 244-31, 244-32, 244-41, and 244-42) as of January 1, 2024. Existing permits for the broader Cook Inlet area no longer cover this new zone unless reassigned, requiring permit holders to prove they fished in these specific zones during the five years ending December 31, 2024 (using documents like shore leases or fishing records). Reassignment occurs automatically on January 1, 2026, for qualifying permit holders, with an appeal option to superior court by March 1, 2026, for those denied. The bill directly affects commercial fishers holding Cook Inlet permits seeking to operate in the newly defined east Cook Inlet area.
HB 236 prohibits the sale of weight-loss drugs and muscle-building supplements to minors in Alaska. Sellers must verify buyers are 18 or older through government ID in person, age verification services for online orders, or by confirming a prescription for minors. An exception allows in-person sales if sellers reasonably believe buyers appear 25 or older. The bill sets fines of $250 for first violations and $350 for subsequent violations, while reserving regulation authority to the state and preventing municipalities from enacting local rules.
This bill updates reimbursement rates for school districts that transport students to residential schools in Alaska. It directly affects school districts and families sending students to these boarding schools by adjusting financial support for transportation and living expenses. The legislation increases monthly stipends for room and board, with higher amounts for remote regions compared to more populated areas. These changes apply to the Southeast, Southcentral, Interior, Southwest, and Northern Remote regions of Alaska. The bill also clarifies that districts can claim reimbursement for one round-trip transportation cost per student during the school year.
