Members Of The Alaska Majority Coalition Introduced Legislation To Revive A Pension Program For State Workers. “Half of the members of the Alaska Senate formally announced their support Wednesday for new legislation intended to reinstate a pension for all state employees, and more are expected to back the idea. Long a priority of public-employee unions, senators said they envision the new ‘defined benefit’ retirement system — which resembles the one abolished by state legislators in 2006 — as a way to address the fact that one in five state jobs is vacant. ‘You bring this back, and I do think our recruitment problems will start to lessen,’ said Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks and one of the bill’s sponsors. It would be a mistake to think Senate Bill 88 takes the state’s retirement system back in time to accomplish that goal, said Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage and the bill’s primary sponsor.” [Alaska Beacon, 3/1/23]
The Bill Was Not Passed Before The End Of Session. [33rd Alaska Legislature, SB88, introduced 3/1/23]
Education
The Alaska Majority Coalition Passed A Bill To Increase Public School Funding By More Than $175 Million Per Year. “The Alaska Senate on Thursday passed a bill to increase public school funding by more than $175 million per year, sending the measure to the House with less than a week to go before the expected end of the legislative session.” [Anchorage Daily News, 5/12/23]
A Similar Bill To Increase Funding For Schools Is Stalled In A House Republican-Controlled Committee. “In the House, a bill to increase the Base Student Allocation has stalled in the Finance Committee, putting in question whether the legislation can pass the chamber this year. Republican House majority members have said they are opposed to increasing the Base Student Allocation without first reforming the funding formula. Instead, they have indicated they favor a one-time $175 million spending increase, without changing the underlying formula.” [Anchorage Daily News, 5/12/23]
Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) Filed A Bill To Establish A Parent’s Bill Of Rights In Alaska. “Today Governor Mike Dunleavy announced two education bills which will be filed this week. […] The other bill ensures transparency in schools by codifying parental rights and by requiring school districts to adopt procedures addressing the physical safety and privacy of students in locker rooms and restrooms in public schools.” [Alaska.gov, 3/7/23; 33rd Alaska Legislature, HB105, introduced 3/8/23]
Budget
The Alaska Legislature Passed A Budget With A $1300 Permanent Fund Dividend And An Increase To Education Funding. “The Alaska Legislature struck a budget deal Thursday, the first day of the special session, that includes a $174 million boost to public school funding and pays a $1,300 Permanent Fund dividend.” [Alaska Public, 3/18/23]
The Budget Passed In The First Day Of The Special Session Because The Republican Controlled House Failed To Pass A Version Before The Session Ended. “The budget deal came after failure on the last day of the regular session when the House members adjourned before even voting on the Senate’s budget. Senate leaders said they negotiated with the House late Wednesday night and throughout the day Thursday. The deal ultimately contained $34 million of added money for several local projects for members of the House.” [Alaska Public, 3/18/23]
LGBTQ+ Rights
Alaska House Democrats Introduced Legislation To Protect LGBTQ+ Alaskans From Discrimination. “On Wednesday, the state’s first-ever out, queer lawmakers sponsored a bill in the Alaska House to enshrine anti-discrimination protections in law. For LGBTQ Alaskans, it’s long overdue. Representative Jennie Armstrong, a West Anchorage Democrat who filed the bill, said it’s both a human rights issue and an economic one, for a state that is facing a deep labor shortage as people leave for opportunities Outside. ‘With 10 years of out-migration, I can tell you one thing that won’t reverse that is not having equal rights for people,’ she said. ‘If you want to have more businesses invest in this state, you can’t have a business come here when there’s different employment protections in different parts of the state and different housing protections.’ Armstrong’s bill is short. It primarily updates the Commission for Human Rights’ definition of ‘sex,’ a protected class in Alaska, to include ‘’sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.’ ‘I filed this legislation because I want it to pass,’ Armstrong said. ‘I’m not trying to make a statement. I’m not trying to do anything proforma, I want to approach this in a way that gives it the best shot at passing.’” [Alaska Public Media, 3/10/23]
The Bill Failed To Pass Before The End Of Session. “A bill that would prohibit housing and lending discrimination in Alaska based on sexual orientation and gender identity appears stalled in the state House of Representatives, despite a last-minute lobbying push and an attempt to move the bill from a committee where it has been held for weeks. ‘I’m heartbroken,’ said the bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Armstrong, D-Anchorage. ‘But I also feel hopeful that between now and next year, that we will make progress.’ Based on current state law, the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights only investigates complaints related to employment discrimination against LGBTQ Alaskans. Armstrong said having additional, basic legal protections in place for the estimated 10% of Alaskans who identify as LGBTQ would go a long way. ‘Non-discrimination is a military issue: Look around at active duty and veterans and is this a way to treat the folks in our state?’ Armstrong said at a news conference on Wednesday at the Capitol. ‘It is a business issue. How can a business decide to come and invest in this state when they can’t guarantee that their employees are going to have equal protections across the state?’” [Alaska Public Media, 5/12/23]
Democracy
Four Alaska Republicans Introduced Legislation To Repeal The State’s Ranked Choice Voting System. “A bill that would repeal ranked choice voting in Alaska drew a lot of public opposition at a hearing in the House State Affairs Committee Tuesday, but its passage in the final days of the legislative session seems unlikely. The sponsor of the repeal bill, Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, said getting rid of ranked choice voting was the No. 1 issue her constituents wanted to discuss last year. ‘For many years, voters have highlighted the lack of trust in our election process,” she said at the start of the hearing. “Ranked choice voting has exacerbated that, because it must be counted by the use of a computer, using an algorithm instead of people being able to simply count and tally a vote.’” [Alaska Public Media, 5/4/23]
The Bill Did Not Pass Before The End Of Session. [Alaska 33rd Legislature, HB4, introduced 1/23/23]
Reproductive Rights
Senator Shelly Hughes (R) Introduced A Resolution To Stipulate That The Alaska Constitution Does Not Guarantee The Right To An Abortion. [Alaska 33rd Legislature, SJR2, introduced 1/18/23]
The Resolution Did Not Pass Before The End Of Session. [Alaska 33rd Legislature, SJR2, introduced 1/18/23]
Democratic And Independent Members Of Alaska’s House Coalition, House Majority, and Senate Majority Authored A Letter To Walgreens To Reconsider Their Decision To Stop Dispensing Mifepristone. “Alaska legislators urged Walgreens leadership to reconsider its decision not to sell the abortion drug mifepristone in the state after what they called ‘inappropriate pressure’ from the state’s attorney general, Treg Taylor. Nearly two dozen members of the Alaska House and Senate signed on to the letter and enclosed a copy of the state’s constitution, encouraging Walgreens CEO Rosalind Taylor to review it. Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, said the attorney general should not be able to ‘bully companies into undermining the constitutionally protected rights of Alaskans.’ ‘Our attorney general may not like the (state) constitution, but it is the law of the land, and he doesn’t get to single-handedly eliminate core rights of Alaskans,’ Fields said.” [Alaska Public Radio, 3/8/23]
Climate
Rep. Andy Josephson (D) Introduced Legislation To Increase Penalties For Oil Spills. [33rd Alaska Legislature, HB33, introduced 1/19/23]
The Bill Did Not Pass Before The End Of Session. [33rd Alaska Legislature, HB33, introduced 1/19/23]
