Alaska Bills

in committee · Alaska · Senate Mar 3, 2025

SJR 5: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the Alaska permanent fund, appropriations from the permanent fund, and the permanent fund dividend.

SJR 5 proposes constitutional amendments to Alaska's Permanent Fund rules. It would require the legislature to annually appropriate up to 5.5% of the fund's average value to the general fund, with a portion specifically designated for resident dividend payments. Crucially, it mandates that any change to the dividend amount must be approved by voters in a statewide election, not just passed by the legislature. These changes would apply to appropriations starting with the 2028 fiscal year, affecting how Alaska manages its oil revenue fund and distributes dividends to residents.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Alaska · House Mar 3, 2025

HB 94: An Act relating to the registration of marijuana establishments; relating to a tax exemption for qualified small businesses; relating to marijuana taxes; and providing for an effective date.

HB 94 changes marijuana business registration from biennial to annual, requiring the state board to issue permits within 45-90 days or allow applicants to submit directly to local authorities if delays occur. It establishes a tax exemption for qualified small marijuana businesses and permits local governments to set annual registration and application fees. The bill also clarifies that if voters ban marijuana businesses locally, existing registrations expire 90 days after election results are certified, with limited extensions for expired permits during that period. These provisions directly affect marijuana businesses, local governments, and state regulators.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Alaska · Senate Feb 28, 2025

SB 115: An Act exempting from insurance regulation cooperative agreements entered into by two or more persons engaged in commercial fishing for the purpose of paying claims or losses.

SB 115 exempts commercial fishing businesses that form cooperative agreements to pool funds from standard insurance regulations. Specifically, it removes regulatory requirements for agreements where members pool contributions to cover: (1) liability claims against a member's fishing business, or (2) damage/loss to a vessel or machine owned or leased by a member. This directly affects commercial fishing operators in Alaska who organize such risk-sharing pools. The bill creates a specific regulatory exemption for these fishing industry cooperatives, without altering insurance coverage standards for other sectors.

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 28, 2025

HJR 12: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the appointment of state judges by the governor.

HJR 12 proposes a constitutional amendment to change how Alaska's governor appoints state judges. It would require the governor to appoint a judge from a list of nominees recommended by the judicial council (removing a requirement to choose from "two or more" nominees). This directly affects the governor and judicial council in selecting Supreme Court justices and Superior Court judges. The amendment must be approved by voters in the next general election before taking effect. The bill does not change existing qualifications for judges or the council's role in recommending candidates.

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 28, 2025

HB 122: An Act relating to education; relating to local contributions of a city or borough school district; relating to school funding; and providing for an effective date.

HB 122 modifies Alaska's school funding system to clarify how local school districts fund charter schools. It requires local boards to provide charter schools with annual budgets based on student enrollment, minus administrative costs capped at 4% (excluding facility costs like rent or utilities). The bill specifies that budgets must include state aid, federal impact aid, and local contributions, but not facility expenses. This directly affects charter schools and local school districts in Alaska by standardizing funding calculations under the state's education finance framework.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · Alaska · Senate Feb 28, 2025

SB 100: An Act relating to organized theft; relating to theft of medical records and medical information; relating to mail theft; and providing for an effective date.

SB 100 strengthens Alaska's criminal penalties for theft involving sensitive information and mail. It creates a new "organized theft" offense (a class A felony) for groups of three or more people coordinating multiple thefts. The bill specifically elevates penalties for stealing medical records or medical information (classified as second-degree theft under amended law) and for stealing mail (classified as third-degree theft when value is under $250). These changes apply to offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 27, 2025

HB 85: An Act making supplemental appropriations, reappropriations, and other appropriations; amending appropriations; capitalizing funds; repealing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

HB 85 is a budget bill that adjusts funding allocations for Alaska state agencies during the 2025 fiscal year (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025). It specifies exact dollar amounts for departments like the Department of Commerce ($30,000 for Oil and Gas Conservation), Corrections ($4.1 million for Population Management), Health ($3.1 million for Behavioral Health), and Medicaid ($228.6 million). The bill reassigns, adds, or removes funds within existing budgets but does not create new programs or change laws. It directly affects state agencies by determining their available operating funds for the upcoming fiscal year.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Alaska · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SB 56: An Act making appropriations for the operating and loan program expenses of state government and for certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending appropriations; making supplemental appropriations; making reappropriations; making appropriations under art. IX, sec. 17(c), Constitution of the State of Alaska, from the constitutional budget reserve fund; and providing for an effective date.

SB 56 is a budget bill allocating funds for Alaska's state government operations and programs for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026). It provides specific funding amounts to state agencies like the Department of Administration, Finance, and Information Technology, including allowances for transferring up to $5 million within departments for facility operations and $500,000 between retirement funds. The bill directly affects state agencies by authorizing their spending from the general fund and constitutional budget reserve, incorporating unspent balances from previous years. It does not create new policies but formalizes existing financial allocations for state government functions.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Alaska · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SB 58: An Act making appropriations for the operating and capital expenses of the state's integrated comprehensive mental health program; and providing for an effective date.

SB 58 allocates $21.2 million from the general fund to support the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and other mental health programs for fiscal year 2026. It provides funding for day-to-day operations, facility maintenance, and services like behavioral health care, substance abuse treatment, and juvenile justice mental health programs across multiple state agencies. The bill directly affects Alaskans accessing mental health services through state-run facilities and programs. It does not create new policies but ensures continued funding for existing mental health infrastructure and services.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 26, 2025

HB 120: An Act relating to the sale of the Alaska Railroad; and providing for an effective date.

HB 120 requires the Alaska governor to sell the state-owned Alaska Railroad by February 2027, mandating a request for proposals by June 2026. The buyer must commit to operating the railroad for at least 50 years, accept all existing contracts (including labor agreements), and pay a price exceeding the railroad's fair market value or the state's total investment. The legislature must approve the sale agreement during its next session, and the state retains an easement for transportation use along the railroad's right-of-way. Upon sale, the Alaska Railroad Corporation will dissolve, and non-operational property will transfer to the Department of Natural Resources.

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 26, 2025

HB 115: An Act relating to increases in rent for dwelling units.

HB 115 limits annual rent increases for Alaska tenants by prohibiting landlords from raising rent more than once per calendar year. Landlords must provide written 90-day notice before any increase if rent is current, and after a lease ends, the new rent cannot exceed the previous amount until either the notice date or 90 days post-termination. This applies only to new rental agreements entered into on or after the law’s effective date. The bill directly affects landlords and tenants in Alaska rental housing, establishing clear timing rules for rent adjustments.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 21, 2025

HB 112: An Act making a special appropriation to the Department of Education and Early Development for public education that appropriates the same base student allocation equivalent funding appropriated for fiscal year 2025; and providing for an effective date.

HB 112 allocates $6,640 per student in base funding for Alaska public schools for the 2026 fiscal year, matching the amount previously set for 2025. It directs the Department of Education to distribute these funds to school districts based on each district's average daily student enrollment. The bill ensures consistent per-student funding levels for public education without changing the existing school finance formula. This special appropriation takes effect July 1, 2025, directly affecting all Alaska public school districts receiving state aid.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Bill results