Rep. Carolyn Hall

Maddy summarySB 23 requires Alaska public high schools to implement a standardized civics curriculum covering U.S. and Alaska government, founding documents, citizenship rights, and global governance systems. Students must complete a semester-long civics course and pass two assessments: a 100-question test based on the U.S. citizenship exam and a civics project-based assessment to earn a high school diploma. The bill directly affects all Alaska public high school students, with exemptions for transfers after 10th grade, students with prior history credits, or those with disability waivers. Schools must document passing scores on transcripts and may allow retakes for the assessment.

Maddy summaryHJR 39 is a resolution passed by the Alaska State Legislature urging the federal government to waive a $100,000 annual H-1B visa fee for international educators hired by Alaska schools. It directly affects Alaska school districts - particularly rural and remote ones facing teacher shortages in subjects like math, science, and special education - who currently employ nearly 500 international educators. The resolution cites that the fee increase threatens to force schools to pay millions or lose needed teachers, impacting over 5,000 students currently without adequate staffing. This is a non-binding request to federal officials (including the President, Education Secretary, and Homeland Security Secretary), not a law that would change visa fees itself.

Maddy summaryHB 193 establishes a paid parental leave program in Alaska, allowing eligible workers to take paid time off for childbirth, adoption, or foster placement within 12 months. The program is funded by a 0.15% payroll contribution from employees (credited against their unemployment insurance payments), with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development administering claims and verifying eligibility using documents like birth certificates or adoption papers. Employees must earn at least $2,500 in wages across two calendar quarters to qualify. The bill also includes provisions for the fund to support unemployment benefits, but its primary focus is creating the new paid leave program.

Maddy summaryHB 138 creates a $0.98 monthly surcharge on all wireless phone numbers and landline telephone access lines in Alaska. Phone companies must collect this fee separately from regular bills and send the funds to a new "behavioral health crisis services fund" within 60 days. The money in this fund will be used to support Alaska's 988 mental health crisis hotline system, including staffing, technology, and infrastructure improvements. This surcharge applies to every residential and business phone service in the state, with specific rules to prevent double-charging for multiple lines.

Maddy summaryHB 222 creates a new legal pathway for employers to seek protective orders against individuals threatening or committing violence in the workplace. It establishes "workplace violence protective orders" under new Section 18.65.875, allowing employers to request court orders after reasonably believing an individual committed workplace violence. The bill prohibits courts from awarding attorney fees against employers or employees seeking these orders, and requires a central registry for all protective orders (including workplace orders) to improve law enforcement access. These changes aim to strengthen workplace safety protections while streamlining the legal process for affected employers.

Maddy summaryHB 301 amends Alaska's anti-discrimination law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in covered contexts like housing and employment. It adds new definitions to the statute, clarifying that "gender identity or expression" includes a person's self-image or behavior regardless of sex assigned at birth, and expands "sex" to include both sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill directly affects Alaskans by extending legal protections against discrimination in areas governed by the existing anti-discrimination statute. The legislation focuses on updating definitions within current law rather than creating new enforcement mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHJR 38 is a resolution passed by the Alaska Legislature urging the U.S. Congress to recognize public safety telecommunicators (emergency dispatchers) as first responders and to pass the Enhancing First Response Act (S.725). Currently, federal law classifies these telecommunicators as "clerical workers" instead of first responders, limiting their access to benefits available to police, firefighters, and other emergency personnel. The resolution supports reclassifying telecommunicators as a "protective service occupation" under federal standards, which would align them with other first responders and improve recruitment and retention. This change would specifically affect emergency dispatchers nationwide by addressing their current classification barriers.

Maddy summaryHB 233 prohibits metallic sulfide mining (such as mining for gold, copper, or other metals from sulfide-bearing rock) within the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve watershed. The bill directly affects mining operations in this area, aiming to protect the region's salmon fisheries and water systems. Key provisions ban these specific mining activities to prevent pollution of rivers, groundwater, and aquatic habitats connected to Bristol Bay. This aligns with legislative findings that the watershed supports a $2.2 billion annual fishery economy, 15,000 jobs, and cultural practices of Alaska Native communities. The bill does not address other mining types or activities outside the designated watershed.

Maddy summaryHB 231 requires the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development to submit an annual report by February 15 each year, detailing school performance, curriculum alignment, resource allocation, and teacher retention data - including aggregated information from school district teacher exit interviews. It also mandates that school districts include exit interview data in their annual public reports, alongside goals, improvement plans, and metrics for measuring educational progress. The bill focuses on transparency and data-driven decision-making by requiring specific, standardized reporting on teacher turnover, administrative staffing ratios, and intervention efforts for low-performing schools. These provisions directly affect school districts, the Department of Education, and educators by establishing new reporting requirements without changing funding or program structures.

Maddy summaryHB 350 proposes a new 9.4% state income tax on businesses structured as sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, or S-corporations (referred to as "qualified entities") with taxable income exceeding $25 million in a single year. The tax applies only to income above this threshold, calculated using federal C-corporation rules while disallowing most federal tax credits or deductions. It excludes businesses already taxed under other state provisions and takes effect for tax years beginning January 1, 2026. This bill would create a new tax obligation for large pass-through entities, distinct from existing corporate tax structures.