Maddy summarySB 19 restricts electronic device access for prisoners in Alaska state correctional facilities. It prohibits inmates from possessing computers, tablets, or most personal electronics (like VCRs or phones) unless approved for rehabilitation, education, legal research, or job training under specific conditions. The bill also bans access to R-rated movies, NC-17 films, certain cable services, and materials that could incite violence, aid escapes, or facilitate criminal activity. These rules directly affect all prisoners in state correctional facilities, limiting their personal device use and media consumption to enhance security and order. The bill does not change food or housing standards but focuses on digital and media restrictions within correctional facilities.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySB 138 adjusts Alaska's passenger vehicle rental tax rates, imposing a 10% tax on traditional rentals (not arranged through a platform) and an 8% tax on rentals arranged through a vehicle rental platform (like apps or websites). It requires platforms with over 200 annual transactions to collect and pay the tax, provide tax records to the state, and exempts them from liability if they made reasonable efforts to obtain correct information from vehicle owners. The bill also prohibits the state from collecting taxes for platform rentals that occurred before the bill's effective date. This primarily affects rental companies and platforms meeting the transaction threshold, with no retroactive tax collection for prior platform transactions.
Maddy summarySB 103 requires Alaska's certified nurse aide training programs to cover 12 specific competencies, including safe care techniques, communication skills for diverse clients (such as those with dementia or cognitive disabilities), and methods to support client independence and dignity. The bill directly affects nurse aide training providers across Alaska by mandating these standardized curriculum requirements. Key provisions include training aides to recognize health changes, respect client choices, and provide dementia-specific care (defining "activities of daily living" as eating, dressing, grooming, bathing, and toileting). The requirements take effect January 1, 2026.
Maddy summaryThis Alaska bill (SB 15) amends licensing rules for businesses selling alcohol, directly affecting restaurants, theaters, and seasonal eateries. It requires these establishments to ensure adequate supervision to prevent underage access to alcohol, including specific rules for minors aged 16-20: they may only enter for dining (with parental consent for under-16s), and employees aged 16-20 must be supervised to prevent them from obtaining alcohol. The bill also shortens permitted alcohol service hours at theaters from two hours before events to one hour before and during intermissions. These changes apply to all licensed food-and-beverage venues operating under Alaska’s alcohol regulations.
Maddy summarySB 90 allows minors aged 16 or older to consent to up to five outpatient behavioral or mental health appointments (90 minutes each) without parental permission. After five appointments, providers must obtain parental consent or justify why seeking consent would harm the minor (e.g., if services relate to abuse allegations or risk the minor rejecting treatment). The bill also requires documentation for homeless minors (16+) to bypass parental consent for medical services, verified by specific officials or two adults. It applies directly to minors 16+, mental health providers, and their parents/guardians.
Maddy summaryHB 69 would increase Alaska's base student allocation from $5,960 to $6,960 per student for public school funding. This change directly affects all Alaska public school districts by raising the state's per-pupil funding amount. The bill specifies that the new rate would take effect on July 1, 2025. The legislation is a straightforward funding adjustment with no additional provisions or mechanisms beyond the dollar amount change. (Note: The bill was vetoed by the governor on April 22, 2025, and the veto was sustained.)
Maddy summarySB 17 creates a new crime called "airbag fraud" in Alaska, making it illegal to knowingly sell, install, or conceal counterfeit, nonfunctioning, or non-compliant airbags in vehicles. It directly affects auto repair shops, dealerships, and sellers who knowingly handle vehicles with unsafe airbags, though it excludes police vehicles, dealers without knowledge of the issue, and insurance companies handling totaled vehicles. The law imposes penalties ranging from a class A misdemeanor for basic violations to a class C felony if death or serious injury occurs due to the unsafe airbag. The bill aims to ensure airbags meet federal safety standards by criminalizing the sale or installation of defective or counterfeit components.
Maddy summaryThis bill (SB 44) protects minors receiving inpatient mental health care in psychiatric hospitals. It requires hospitals to provide minors with weekly confidential communication (via phone or video) with parents or approved adults, and mandates hospitals to notify parents within one business day of any seclusion or restraint use. The Department of Health must publish annual reports tracking restraint use, inspect hospitals twice yearly (interviewing at least 50% of minor patients), and collect data on minors’ care from other agencies. These provisions take effect July 1, 2025.
Maddy summaryThis procedural resolution clarifies that Alaska's legislature must meet in joint session within five days to reconsider bills vetoed by the governor, as required by the state constitution and a 1976 voter-approved amendment. It interprets the constitutional phrase "shall meet immediately" as mandatory, not discretionary, and aligns with existing rules requiring prompt action on vetoes. The resolution applies directly to the Thirty-Fourth Alaska State Legislature's process for handling vetoed bills during its sessions.
Maddy summarySB 155 amends Alaska law to make failure to report a violent crime committed against an adult a class B misdemeanor (a criminal offense), rather than a non-criminal violation. This change directly affects individuals who witness such crimes and do not report them to authorities. The bill establishes this new misdemeanor penalty for failing to report these specific offenses. It applies only to violent crimes committed on or after the law's effective date. The law does not change the definition of violent crime or alter existing reporting requirements.