From abortion to zoning: Short summaries of every bill in the 33rd Alaska State Legislature

This list was last updated March 20, 2023. 

Each year, members of the Alaska Legislature introduce hundreds of bills. They’re all listed on the Legislature’s website, alongside a bunch of other information, including who’s sponsored it, and as the bills get heard by legislative committees, more information about the bills gets added.

But from the time bills are first introduced to the time they’re heard in committee, there’s no simple explanation of what a bill actually does. 

We’re not talking about the implications or side effects, but what the text of the bill, translated from all the legalese, actually would do.

Here’s our effort to fix that gap. Starting with the first bills prefiled in the 33rd Alaska State Legislature, and continuing until it ends in January 2025, we’re aiming to write brief summaries of each bill, resolution and constitutional amendment as it’s introduced. 

This page will be updated regularly with new bills, and it may also be updated with new descriptions as we learn more about a bill. 

This is an experiment. We’re still a new website, and this is the first time we’ve done it. It might turn out to be more work than is worthwhile — if it subtracts from other coverage and isn’t helpful to readers, we’ll do something else.

This is a big job — there were 686 bills introduced in the 32nd Legislature — but right now, we think it’s worthwhile. 

Even though most bills don’t become law, this list should give some insight into legislators’ priorities for the session, and will be a guide to what’s happening in the session.

HOUSE BILLS

HB 1 (Rauscher*) – Alaska’s new ranked choice voting system and the open primary system would be eliminated, returning the state to the systems used before 2022. Restrictions on “dark money” would remain.

HB 2 (Vance*) – The state would not use contractors who refuse to do business with Israel.

HB 3 (McCabe*) – Gold and silver coins would be legal currency in Alaska, and local governments would be forbidden from taxing the buying and selling of gold and silver coins.

HB 4 (Vance*) – Alaska’s new ranked choice voting system and the open primary system would be eliminated, returning the state to the systems used before 2022. Restrictions on “dark money” would remain.

HB 5 (Rauscher*) – The Alaska Legislature would hold sessions in Anchorage instead of Juneau.

HB 6 (Rauscher*) – The Department of Education and Early Development would have to create a middle-school and high-school curriculum to teach kids about the dangers of opioid drugs.

HB 7 (Hannan) – Administrative law judges, who hear appeals from people unhappy with agency decisions, would have their procedures modernized and updated for the first time in 18 years. 

HB 8 (Carrick) – Bicycles with a backup electric motor would be regulated as bicycles, not mopeds or motorcycles.

HB 9 (Carrick) – A University of Alaska faculty member would be added to the university’s Board of Regents.

HB 10 (Carrick) – The University of Alaska would be required to take steps to reduce the cost of textbooks and course materials.

HB 11 (Josephson) – If an assault takes place when a child is nearby, it would become a more serious crime under state law.

HB 12 (Josephson) – Local governments would be able to regulate trapping.

HB 13 (Josephson) – The state’s human rights commission would be required to cover nonprofits as well as for-profit companies.

HB 14 (Josephson) – A crime committed because of someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity or citizenship would receive a more serious penalty than one committed without that extra factor.

HB 15 (Josephson) – A peer support counseling program would be allowed for police and emergency departments.

HB 16 (Josephson) – The state’s Medicaid program would be required to provide more services to clients.

HB 17 (Carrick) – Insurance companies would be required to cover a year’s worth of contraception at a time.

HB 18 (Stutes) – The state would help create nonprofit regional fishing cooperatives intended to develop new fisheries in the state. These would be funded by fees paid by fishermen in the area.

HB 19 (Stutes) – A boat registered with the Coast Guard and registered as a commercial fishing vessel wouldn’t have to also register with the DMV.

HB 20 (Stutes) – Members of the Board of Fish or the Board of Game wouldn’t be automatically excluded from debating or voting on issues because of conflicts of interest.

HB 21 (Vance*) – Local governments and school districts would be able to join the state’s health insurance program.

HB 22 (Josephson) – The state would create a pension program for police and firefighters.

HB 23 (Mina) – October would be Filipino-American History Month.

HB 24 (Rauscher*) – Members of the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association would be nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature instead of being elected from among the state’s attorneys.

HB 25 (Story) – Members of the U.S. Public Health Services and the NOAA Corps would stay eligible for the Permanent Fund dividend even if their duties take them away from the state.

HB 26 (Story) – The Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council would be renamed and expanded.

HB 27 (McKay*) – Transgender girls would be forbidden from participating on girls’ school sports teams.

HB 28 (Wright*) – Older marijuana conviction records would be removed from Courtview if they involve issues that became legal when the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2014. 

HB 29 (McCabe*) – Insurance companies wouldn’t be allowed to charge someone differently or refuse coverage because of a customer’s political affiliation.

HB 30 (Ortiz) – Alaska would permanently stay on daylight saving time if Congress were to pass a law to allow it. 

HB 31 (Story) – The size of higher education scholarships paid by the state’s high school performance scholarship program would increase, and eligibility for the program would grow.

HB 32 (McKay*) – The Legislature would create a working group intended to increase oil and gas production in Alaska, and someone dissatisfied with a state administrative decision on an oil and gas issue can appeal to the Alaska Superior Court.

HB 33 (Josephson) – Oil spills would be punishable by higher fines, and those fines would increase with inflation over time. 

HB 34 (Rauscher*) – Magistrate judges would be subject to the same nomination, selection and retention process as District, Superior, Appeals and Supreme Court judges.

HB 35 (Rauscher*) – New medical facilities would no longer be required to obtain a certificate from the state declaring that there is a need for their services.

HB 36 (Schrage) – Sponsors of a recall campaign or ballot measure would be required to reveal financial information even before the recall or measure is certified for the ballot.

HB 37 (Schrage) – The state’s election system would be reformed along the lines of a compromise proposal that failed to pass the Senate on the last day of the 2021 legislative session. It would require the Division of Election to check whether voter signatures match those on record; allow voters to correct mistakes they made on the envelopes of ballots they mailed it; establish a system for tracking absentee ballots that’s accessible to voters; and allow people to register to vote on the same day they vote. The Division of Elections would be allowed to order that a small community vote by mail if poll workers are hard to find.

HB 38 (Stapp*) – The state’s statutory spending cap would be set to an average of 11.5% of the state’s gross domestic product over the preceding five years.

HB 39 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2024.

HB 40 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s capital budget for Fiscal Year 2024, outlining payments for construction and renovation projects across the state.

HB 41 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s mental health budget for Fiscal Year 2024, outlining payments for mental health treatment and care.

HB 42 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would stop producing a large number of reports and publications, and the Permanent Fund would no longer be required to publish its annual report in newspapers.

HB 43 (Hannan) – Licenced health care workers would be forbidden from trying to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Churches and unlicensed organizations would still be permitted to do so.

HB 44 (Story) – The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development would be required to set up a program to help school districts incorporate local traditions and lifestyles into its public school curriculum.

HB 45 (Prax*) – Alaskans would be able to donate their Permanent Fund dividends to the state’s general fund or the principal of the Permanent Fund. 

HB 46 (Fields) – Child care providers would be able organize into unions, and the state’s Department of Health would be required to negotiate with those unions on wages and benefits.

HB 47 (McCabe*) – A health care provider would be able to create a subscription-based program called a direct health care agreement, and that wouldn’t be regulated as health insurance.

HB 48 (Prax*) – The annual report by the state’s human rights commission wouldn’t be required until the 30th day of the legislative session, instead of the week before it begins.

HB 49 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would be able to sell carbon offsets on forested public land by pledging to not develop or cut down sections of forest.

HB 50 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would be able to sell companies the right to inject carbon dioxide underground to dispose of it.

HB 51 (Wright*) – Building codes in the state would not forbid the use of environmentally friendly refrigerants.

HB 52 (Vance*) – Hospitals and health care facilities would no longer be able to forbid patients from having someone with them in the hospital to support them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some patients died alone because of quarantine protocols to minimize the spread of the disease.

HB 53 (Gray) – The state prison system would be required to help prisoners get state-issued IDs in order to assist the prisoners’ reentry into society after leaving prison.

HB 54 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s $105 million supplemental budget, making changes to the budget that lawmakers passed last year.

HB 55 (Carrick) – The Alaska Workforce Investment Board would be able to continue distributing state funding until 2030. The board is set to expire in 2024.

HB 56 (Ruffridge*) – Veterinarians wouldn’t have to register with the controlled substance prescription database anymore.

HB 57 (Wright*) – A board reviewing EMS procedures would be able to confidentially inspect patient records in order to examine best practices.

HB 58 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Someone caring for an elderly adult or an adult foster child at home would be able to license their home as an adult daycare, allowing them to receive Medicaid payments to cover the cost of care.

HB 59 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would extend Medicaid eligibility for new mothers from 60 days after birth to one year after birth.

HB 60 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This would clean up the statutory language that split the Department of Health and Social Services into two separate departments last year.

HB 61 (Tilton*) – During a disaster declaration, the state wouldn’t be able to restrict the ownership, sale or possession of firearms and ammunition.

HB 62 (Edgmon*) – The state’s renewable energy grant fund would run through 2033 instead of expiring this year.

HB 63 (Rauscher*) – The state’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission would be dissolved.

HB 64 (Cronk*) – Honorably discharged disabled veterans and members of the Alaska National Guard and military reserves would be enabled to get a free resident trapping license. They’re already eligible for free hunting and fishing licenses.

HB 65 (Ortiz) – The base-student allocation, the state’s per-student funding formula, would be increased by $1,250.

HB 66 (Gov. Dunleavy) – If someone dies because of illegal drugs, the drug dealer could be charged with second-degree murder, and if convicted, wouldn’t be eligible for “good time” parole.

HB 67 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This would make several changes to criminal law: More people on other states’ sex offender registries would be required to register if they move to Alaska, violating a stalking protective order would become a more serious crime, there would be greater penalties for violating bail conditions, more aid would be given to child victims of sex crimes, and victims of sex crimes would not be required to testify in person if they want to give testimony to grand juries.

HB 68 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Several state laws related to sex trafficking would change: penalties for trafficking people would increase, sex trafficking would be considered a more serious crime, someone who uses a prostitute who has been trafficked would face greater penalties, and a person convicted of prostitution or low-level drug crimes could have convictions vacated if they show they were a victim of sex trafficking.

HB 69 (Cronk*) – First-class cities with fewer than 400 residents, such as Tanana, would be able to devolve into second-class cities, limiting their authority, by a petition to the state’s local boundary commission.

HB 70 (Tomaszewski*) – Parking lots and stores owned by nonprofits would be exempt from taxes. Written to help a Fairbanks food bank with a property tax dispute, Tomaszewski said the bill is a work in progress.

HB 71 (Rauscher*) – School districts would be required to maintain an online checkbook with financial records available to the public, just as the state is required to.

HB 72 (Ortiz) – There would be a new formula for setting the Permanent Fund dividend; 25% of the annual transfer from the Permanent Fund to the state treasury would be reserved for dividends, and the other 75% would be reserved for services.

HB 73 (Schrage) – If the state Department of Commerce is closing an investigation prompted by a complaint, the complainant would have 10 days to object to the closure of the investigation.

HB 74 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The rules around geothermal power projects would be updated in order to encourage development.

HB 75 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would repeal a law that requires insurance policies to list all potential contractors and subcontractors.

HB 76 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Members of the Alaska State Defense Force, the official state militia, would be paid during drill and training exercises.

HB 77 (Gray) – The legislative information office in Anchorage would be named after former state Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage.

HB 78 (McCormick*) – Sept. 10 would be Alaska Community Health Aide Appreciation Day.

HB 79 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the governor’s supplemental budget for the current fiscal year, covering urgent needs including SNAP benefits and public defenders.

HB 80 (Josephson) – This is a significant rewrite of the rules that govern who is mentally competent to stand trial in serious criminal cases.

HB 81 (Rauscher*) – If someone dies, they would be allowed to transfer the registration title of their boat or car to their heir.

HB 82 (Rauscher*) –  If the governor declines to select an appellate or district judge from a list nominated by the Alaska Judicial Council, they would be able to suggest additional nominees for the council to consider, and the council would submit a new list of nominees to the governor after that consideration. A judge selected from that second list would require legislative confirmation. Also, magistrate judges would be subject to the normal judicial selection and retention process.  

HB 83 (Rauscher*) – The Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas, which expired in 2021, would be revived and operate through 2031.

HB 84 (Sumner*) – A city or borough would be able to tax properties that it deems “blighted.”

HB 85 (Gov. Dunleavy) – People licensed for a profession in other states would be able to work unlicensed in Alaska for up to 180 days while they await their Alaska license. 

HB 86 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would adopt the Uniform Money Transmission Modernization Act, a piece of model legislation that regulates cryptocurrency, money transfers by cellphone and other forms of cash transfer apps.

HB 87 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Members of the Merchant Marine would be able to receive a Permanent Fund dividend even when deployed overseas, and some students who have had problems with maintaining residency would also be able to keep getting a dividend. 

HB 88 (Rauscher*) – Employees at large warehouses would have a right to request copies of any work quotas their employer imposed on them.

HB 89 (Coulombe*) – The cap on public assistance for day care would be changed from $50 per month to a formula based on the actual cost of providing child care, and assistance would be limited to families earning less than three times the federal poverty line. 

HB 90 (Fields) – The Permanent Fund dividend would be no greater than $1,000 per recipient.

HB 91 (McCabe*) – Public employees would have to reauthorize their union dues deductions annually with the state. 

HB 92 (House Fisheries) – The deductible paid by fishing vessel owners before they can access the state Fishermen’s Fund would rise to $10,000.

HB 93 (Sumner*) – The state would have a program for grading lumber products, so sawmills wouldn’t have to hire outside graders, potentially lowering the cost to use local materials in construction.

HB 94 (Shaw*) – Ships from several nations, including Russia and China, would be forbidden from docking in Alaska, the state would be prohibited from trading with those nations, and the state would have to sell all investments in Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Iran.

HB 95 (Rauscher*) – Designating a river, lake or body of water as “outstanding national resource water,” which would give it greater environmental protections, would require an act of the Legislature and couldn’t be done through regulation.

HB 96 (Prax*) – State regulators wouldn’t be able to revoke the license of a pharmacy or medical provider that sells federally approved home dialysis equipment. 

HB 97 (Prax*) – There would be rules for what happens if someone rents a self-storage unit and fails to pay the rent on time.

HB 98 (Saddler*) – This would put into statute the state’s program to claim submerged land from the federal government, requiring the state to continue it even if executive branch policies change.

Added March 20, 2023:

HB 99 (Armstrong) – Discrimination in housing, lending and public accommodations against Alaskans on the grounds of their gender identity or sexual orientation would be prohibited.

HB 100 (Armstrong) – Municipal governments and the state would be required to offer paid maternity and family leave.

HB 101 (Armstrong) – Candidates for public office would be able to use campaign donations for child care.

HB 102 (Armstrong) – There would be an address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence and stalking so they can get official mail (voting, property tax, etc.) without revealing where they live. Police and correctional officers could also participate.

HB 103 (Cronk*) – The Alaska Minerals Commission would expire in 2034 instead of 2024.

HB 104 (Cronk*) – When considering timber sales, the state would focus on areas where fire danger is high and insects have infested the timber.

HB 105 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Parents would have to opt their students into sex-ed classes and give permission for their child to change his or her gender or name in official documents. Transgender students would be required to use the bathroom designated for their birth gender rather than the gender they identify as.

HB 106 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would pay one-time bonuses of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 to teachers each year for the next three as a way to encourage them to stay in Alaska.

HB 107 (McCabe*) – The state’s official definitions of “life” and “person” would be changed.

HB 108 (McCabe*) – Health insurance plans on the individual and group market place would be required to participate in a price comparison tool. 

HB 109 (Carpenter*) – This would cut the state’s corporate tax rate.

HB 110 (Carpenter*) – The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., instead of the Department of Revenue, would be in charge of distributing the Permanent Fund dividend.

HB 111 (Allard*) – Alaska would set up a state school for the deaf; that school could be operated by a school district on behalf of the state.

HB 112 (Ruffridge*) – The powers of the Alaska Board of Pharmacy would be updated to follow a new federal law.

HB 113 (McKay*) – Cities and boroughs would be prohibited from regulating pesticides more stringently than the state does.

HB 114 (McCabe*) – Towns and census-designated unorganized towns of up to 1,500 people would be considered villages eligible for funding under the Village Safe Water Act. The current population cap is 1,000 people.

HB 115 (Prax*) – Naturopaths would be subject to state licensing and regulation.

HB 116 (Coulombe*) – Money in the state’s restorative justice account would be used primarily for nonprofits that support crime victims instead of prison costs.

HB 117 (House Rules) – The state would implement the recommendations of the marijuana business task force, including restrictions on hemp products and a lower tax rate for most marijuana products.

HB 118 (D. Johnson*) – Catalytic converter purchases by scrap dealers will be regulated and recorded in order to deter the theft and sale of converters.

HB 119 (House Rules) – The state would lower the tax rate on most marijuana products.

HB 120 (Tomaszewski*) – Nonresident students at Alaska colleges, universities and trade schools would be able to get special hunting, fishing and trapping licenses.

HB 121 (Sumner*) – Railbelt electric companies would be required to produce at least 25% of their power from renewable sources by 2027 and 80% by 2040.

HB 122 (Tomaszewski*) – The Alaska Railroad Corp. would be allowed to borrow money to replace a cruise ship terminal in Seward.

HB 123 (C. Johnson*) – Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations would be exempt from a state law that requires two-thirds of shareholders approve amendments to their articles of incorporation.

HB 124 (McCormick*) – Someone getting a commercial driver’s license wouldn’t be required to hold a regular driver’s license for a year before getting their commercial license.

HB 125 (House Resources) – The laws regulating the construction of trapping cabins on state land would be updated.

SENATE BILLS

SB 1 (Shower) – The Alaska Division of Elections would be required to take steps to increase security during elections, allow voters to fix their absentee ballot signature if there’s a problem, create a ballot-tracking system viewable by the public, and create a telephone hotline for Alaskans to report problems.

SB 2 (Shower) – Alaska’s new ranked choice voting system and the open primary system would be eliminated, returning the state to the systems used before 2022. Restrictions on “dark money” would remain.

SB 3 (Hughes) – Alaskans would be able to sign direct health care agreements with medical providers, in which the patient pays a monthly fee in exchange for primary care services, akin to keeping a doctor on retainer.

SB 4 (Shower) – Members of a legislative caucus would be barred from requiring other members to vote together on most issues as a condition of membership in the caucus.

SB 5 (Shower) – The Division of Elections would regularly ask registered Alaska voters living outside the state whether they still want to be registered to vote here, and the division would be required to take additional steps to keep the voter list updated.

SB 6 (Shower) – The Division of Elections would be required to use voting machines approved by the United States Election Assistance Commission that use open-source software. 

SB 7 (Shower) – Tampering with ballot packages or election equipment in order to change the result of an election would be election fraud, and disclosing confidential election data before the polls close would be a crime.

SB 8 (Wilson*) – New medical facilities would no longer be required to obtain a certificate from the state declaring that there is a need for their services.

SB 9 (Hughes) – The state would have a new “Sunset Commission” intended to determine whether there is a continued public need for a state agency or entity.

SB 10 (Kiehl*) – Honorably discharged disabled veterans and members of the Alaska National Guard and military reserves would be enabled to get a free resident trapping license. They’re already eligible for free hunting and fishing licenses. Both the House and Senate.

SB 11 (Kiehl*) – All public employees would be enabled to choose between the state’s existing 401k-style retirement program or a new pension program.

SB 12 (Kiehl*) – There would be an address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence and stalking so they can get official mail (voting, property tax, etc.) without revealing where they live. Police and correctional officers could also participate.

SB 13 (Myers) – The University of Alaska would be required to take steps to reduce the cost of textbooks and course materials.

SB 14 (Kawasaki*) – School districts would be able to create incentive programs to encourage employees to retire early in order to cut staff.

SB 15 (Kawasaki*) – Personal-use fisheries would be the last to be restricted if the Board of Fish needs to limit fishing in order to reach management goals.

SB 16 (Kawasaki*) – Sept. 10 would be Alaska Community Health Aide Appreciation Day.

SB 17 (Kawasaki*) – Financial donations to political candidates would be limited again, and the limit would rise with inflation over time.

SB 18 (Kawasaki*) – The DMV would be able to issue electronic versions of Alaska driver’s licenses, and police would have to accept an electronic license during a traffic stop. Most fees at the DMV would rise.

SB 19 (Kawasaki*) – The Alaska Division of Elections would be required to provide stamped return envelopes for absentee ballots, automatically check voters’ signatures, allow voters to fix their absentee ballot signature if there’s a problem and create a ballot-tracking system viewable by the public, and there would be tougher penalties for election-related crimes.

SB 20 (Kaufman*) – The state’s statutory spending cap would be set to an average of 11.5% of the state’s gross domestic product over the preceding five years.

SB 21 (Kaufman*) – State agencies would be required to create and publish four-year strategic plans at the start of a governor’s term and at least once every two years after that.

SB 22 (Gray-Jackson*) – June 19, Juneteenth, would be a legal/paid state holiday alongside 11 other state holidays.

SB 23 (Gray-Jackson*) – The state would create a database to collect and share information about times when a police officer uses force against someone.

SB 24 (Gray-Jackson*) – The education curriculum at public schools would be amended to include mental health issues.

SB 25 (Kaufman*) – The Legislature’s finance division would be required to review inactive state funds and accounts and recommend which should be repealed.

SB 26 (Kaufman*) – There would be a new license plate commemorating police officers killed in the line of duty.

SB 27 (Tobin*) – Insurance companies would be required to cover a year’s worth of contraception at a time.

SB 28 (Claman*) – Employers would be able to seek protective orders against people who have threatened or harmed their employees. 

SB 29 (Stevens*) – The state school board would create a civics education curriculum, and secondary students would not be able to graduate without passing a course using that curriculum. 

SB 30 (Gray-Jackson*) – October would be Filipino-American History Month.

SB 31 (Shower) – If the governor declines to select an appellate or district judge from a list nominated by the Alaska Judicial Council, they would be able to suggest additional nominees for the council to consider, and the council would submit a new list of nominees to the governor after that consideration. A judge selected from that second list would require legislative confirmation. Also, magistrate judges would be subject to the normal judicial selection and retention process. 

SB 32 (Gray-Jackson*) – Police would be banned from using chokeholds.

SB 33 (Kaufman*) – The renewable energy grant fund program, which expires in 2023, would be extended through 2033.

SB 34 (Kaufman*) – The Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska would be extended through 2031.

SB 35 (Kawasaki*) – The state would create a pension program for police and firefighters.

SB 36 (Claman*) – The Office of Public Advocacy and the public defender’s office would be put under a commission rather than the executive branch directly. The public defender and the public advocate would be appointed by the commission.

SB 37 (Claman*) – Knowingly selling a car airbag that is counterfeit or doesn’t work would be made a crime.

SB 38 (Wilson*) – Threatening or harassing police and fire dispatchers, or repeatedly reporting a false emergency, would be made a crime.

SB 39 (Dunbar*) – An employer would be required to post the wage, salary or salary range of a job when they advertise a vacancy and seek to hire someone.

SB 40 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2024.

SB 41 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s capital budget for Fiscal Year 2024, outlining payments for construction and renovation projects across the state.

SB 42 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s mental health budget for Fiscal Year 2024, outlining payments for mental health treatment and care.

SB 43 (Gray-Jackson*) – Public schools would be required to teach students about sexual health.

SB 44 (Giessel*) – Naturopaths would be subject to state licensing and regulation.

SB 45 (Wilson*) – A health care provider would be able to create a subscription-based program called a direct health care agreement, and that wouldn’t be regulated as health insurance.

SB 46 (Tobin*) – March would be named brain injury awareness month.

SB 47 (Unknown) – We don’t know what this bill would have done. Its sponsor didn’t introduce it, but it got a bill number anyway.

SB 48 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would be able to sell carbon offsets on forested public land by pledging to not develop or cut down sections of forest.

SB 49 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would be able to sell companies the right to inject carbon dioxide underground to dispose of it.

SB 50 (Senate Resources Committee) – This would have cut property taxes for oil and gas equipment, but Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, withdrew it after public criticism.

SB 51 (Tobin*) – Veterinarians wouldn’t have to register with the controlled substance prescription database anymore.

SB 52 (Senate Education Committee) – School districts would receive $1,000 more per student under the state’s base student allocation funding formula. 

SB 53 (Claman*) – A court would be able to order someone committed involuntarily for mental health treatment for five years at a time, instead of performing multiple short-term commitments in cases where someone has long-term mental health problems.

SB 54 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the state’s $105 million supplemental budget, making changes to the budget that lawmakers passed last year.

SB 55 (Wielechowski*) – The state medical board would operate through 2031 instead of expiring on June 30 this year.

SB 56 (Dunbar*) – The size of higher education scholarships paid by the state’s high school performance scholarship program would increase, and eligibility for the program would grow.

SB 57 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Someone caring for an elderly adult or an adult foster child at home would be able to license their home as an adult daycare, allowing them to receive Medicaid payments to cover the cost of care.

SB 58 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would extend Medicaid eligibility for new mothers from 60 days after birth to one year after birth.

SB 59 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This would clean up the statutory language that split the Department of Health and Social Services into two separate departments last year. 

SB 60 (Wielechowski*) – The state’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission would be dissolved.

SB 61 (Wielechowski*) – Alaska would pledge its Electoral College votes to the winner of the nationwide popular vote for president under a nationwide compact. This would become effective once states worth 270 Electoral College votes adopt the compact.

SB 62 (Kawasaki*) – Bicycles with a backup electric motor would be regulated as bicycles, not mopeds or motorcycles.

SB 63 (Kawasaki*) – During a disaster declaration, the state wouldn’t be able to restrict the ownership, sale or possession of firearms and ammunition. 

SB 64 (Gov. Dunleavy) – If someone dies because of illegal drugs, the drug dealer could be charged with second-degree murder, and if convicted, wouldn’t be eligible for “good time” parole.

SB 65 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This would make several changes to criminal law: more people on other states’ sex offender registries would be required to register if they move to Alaska, violating a stalking protective order would become a more serious crime, there would be greater penalties for violating bail conditions, more aid would be given to child victims of sex crimes, and victims of sex crimes would not be required to testify in person if they want to give testimony to grand juries.

SB 66 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Several state laws related to sex trafficking would change: penalties for trafficking people would increase, sex trafficking would be considered a more serious crime, someone who uses a prostitute who has been trafficked would face greater penalties, and a person convicted of prostitution or low-level drug crimes could have convictions vacated if they show they were a victim of sex trafficking.

SB 67 (Kiehl*) – The use of PFAS, a chemical linked to water pollution, would be banned from use in firefighting foam in Alaska.

SB 68 (Giessel*) – A public notice listing a declaration of water rights wouldn’t have to be published in local newspapers; it could be published online instead.

SB 69 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The rules around geothermal power projects would be updated in order to encourage development.

SB 70 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would repeal a law that requires insurance policies to list all potential contractors and subcontractors.

SB 71 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Members of the Alaska State Defense Force, the official state militia, would be paid during drill and training exercises.

SB 72 (Giessel*) – Designating a river, lake or body of water as “outstanding national resource water,” which would give it greater environmental protections, would require an act of the Legislature and couldn’t be done through regulation.

SB 73 (Claman*) – The state would begin requiring professional licenses for interior designers working in Alaska.

SB 74 (Wilson*) – Physical therapists would have to undergo criminal background checks and, if licensed in Alaska, would be part of an inter-state compact that standardizes licensing requirements. 

SB 75 (Wilson*) – Audiologists would have to undergo criminal background checks and, if licensed in Alaska, would be part of an inter-state compact that standardizes licensing requirements.

SB 76 (Gov. Dunleavy) – This is the governor’s supplemental budget for the current fiscal year, covering urgent needs including SNAP benefits and public defenders.

SB 77 (Dunbar*) – A city or borough would be able to tax properties that it deems “blighted.”

SB 78 (Wilson*) – Nonresident students at Alaska colleges, universities and trade schools would be able to get special hunting, fishing and trapping licenses.

SB 79 (Bishop*) – First-class cities with fewer than 400 residents, such as Tanana, would be able to devolve into second-class cities, limiting their authority, by a petition to the state’s local boundary commission.

SB 80 (Legislative Council) – This is the annual revisor’s bill fixing typos and making technical corrections to new laws.

SB 81 (Legislative Council) – Staff for the Office of Victims’ Rights would be paid according to the state’s salary schedule. 

SB 82 (Bjorkman*) – The state would buy back some commercial set-net fishing permits in Cook Inlet as an attempt to reduce overfishing.

SB 83 (Gov. Dunleavy) – People licensed for a profession in other states would be able to work unlicensed in Alaska for up to 180 days while they await their Alaska license. 

SB 84 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would adopt the Uniform Money Transmission Modernization Act, a piece of model legislation that regulates cryptocurrency, money transfers by cellphone and other forms of cash transfer apps.

SB 85 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Members of the merchant marine would be able to receive a Permanent Fund dividend even when deployed overseas, and some students who have had problems with maintaining residency would also be able to keep getting a dividend. 

SB 86 (Senate Finance) – The Legislature would cancel the pay hikes for the governor, lieutenant governor and commissioners proposed by the State Officers Compensation Commission earlier this year. Both the House and Senate passed this bill.

SB 87 (Bjorkman*) – The state would have a program for grading lumber products, so sawmills wouldn’t have to hire outside graders, potentially lowering the cost to use local materials in construction.

SB 88 (Giessel/Bishop/Stevens*) – Alaska would have a pension program for new state employees instead of the current 401(k)-style retirement program. 

SB 89 (Stevens*) – There would be a new tax on e-cigarette products, and the age for purchasing, selling or distributing e-cigarette products would rise to 21 from 19. (The age in federal law is 21.)

SB 90 (Bishop*) – The Alaska Minerals Commission would expire in 2034 instead of 2024.

SB 91 (Claman*) – Out-of-state health care teams would be able to provide telehealth care in cases when a patient has a diagnosed or suspected life-threatening condition. 

Added March 20, 2023:

SB 92 (Giessel*) – This would put into statute the state’s program to claim submerged land from the federal government, requiring the state to continue it even if executive branch policies change.

SB 93 (Senate Labor and Commerce) – The maximum claim under the Commercial Fishermen’s Fund would be $10,000 instead of $5,000.

SB 94 (Giessel*) – The powers of the Alaska Board of Pharmacy would be updated to follow a new federal law.

SB 95 (Merrick*) – New specialty license plates could be approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles instead of requiring legislative approval.

SB 96 (Gov. Dunleavy) – Parents would have to opt their students into sex-ed classes and give permission for their child to change his or her gender or name in official documents. Transgender students would be required to use the bathroom designated for their birth gender rather than the gender they identify as.

SB 97 (Gov. Dunleavy) – The state would pay one-time bonuses of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 to teachers each year for the next three as a way to encourage them to stay in Alaska.

SB 98 (Senate Finance) – The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. would manage the trust fund that pays for the Power Cost Equalization program that subsidizes rural home electricity prices.

SB 99 (Wielechowski*) – High school students would be required to take a class that teaches them how to pay taxes, manage a household budget and have basic financial literacy.

SB 100 (Tobin*) – The criminal records of people arrested for simple marijuana possession would be sealed and not typically accessible via criminal background searches.

SB 101 (Tobin*) – Railbelt electric companies would be required to produce at least 25% of their power from renewable sources by 2027 and 80% by 2040.

SB 102 (Myers) – Garbage collection rate increases regulated by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska would be subject to a speedier resolution process.

SB 103 (Dunbar*) – Peer support programs for law-enforcement officers would be subject to confidentiality rules intended to encourage participation.

SB 104 (Dunbar*) – Up to 25% of legal fees paid to the Alaska Court System would be given to the Alaska Legal Services Corp., up from 10% in existing law.

SB 105 (Senate Transportation) – The Alaska Railroad Corp. would be allowed to borrow money to replace a cruise ship terminal in Seward.

SB 106 (Giessel*) – If the federal government approves, it would be easier for a family member to be paid for the cost of caring for an elderly or ill member of their family at home.

SB 107 (Senate Finance) – There would be a new formula for setting the Permanent Fund dividend; 25% of the annual transfer from the Permanent Fund to the state treasury would be reserved for dividends, and the other 75% would be reserved for services.

SB 108 (Tobin*) – Discrimination in housing, lending and public accommodations against Alaskans on the grounds of their gender identity or sexual orientation would be prohibited.

SB 109 (Tobin*) – Employers would be forbidden from firing employees who fail to attend mandatory meetings intended to talk about the employer’s political or religious beliefs. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

HJR 1 (Josephson) – The clause of the Alaska Constitution that bans same-sex marriage would be repealed. (This clause has been put on hold since 2014 by federal judges.)

HJR 2 (Stapp*) – The Alaska Constitution’s spending limit would be tightened.

SJR 1 (Wielechowski*) – The Alaska Permanent Fund would be restructured to limit withdrawals and provide a guaranteed Permanent Fund dividend each year, with half of an annual withdrawal reserved for dividends and the other half reserved for services.

SJR 2 (Hughes) – The privacy clause of the Alaska Constitution would be reinterpreted to allow the banning of abortion here.

SJR 3 (Myers) – The Alaska Constitution’s spending limit would be tightened.

SJR 4 (Kaufman*) – The Alaska Constitution’s spending limit would be tightened.

SJR 5 (Claman*) – The legislative session would be limited to 90 days, not 121.

HJR 7 (House Ways and Means) – There would be a guaranteed Permanent Fund dividend, and the formula to pay that dividend would be set in state law.

HJR 8 (House Ways and Means) – There would be a firm limit on the amount of money that could be spent from the Permanent Fund in a given year, and the dividend would be guaranteed to be either half of the annual transfer from the Permanent Fund or the amount called for by the 1980s-era distribution formula, whichever is larger.

HJR 9 (Groh) – There would be a firm limit on the amount of money that could be spent from the Permanent Fund in a given year.

Added March 20, 2023:

SJR 9 (Kaufman*) – There would be a firm limit on the amount of money that could be spent from the Permanent Fund in a given year, and the dividend would be guaranteed by a state law. Any modifications to the law must be approved by voters.

RESOLUTIONS

SCR 1 (Senate Rules) – The Legislature would use the 2020 version of Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure, not the 2010 version.

SJR 6 (Tobin*) – This is a ceremonial resolution celebrating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and saying Alaska looks forward to working with South Korea in the future.

SR 1 (Stevens*) – This re-established the Senate special committee on world trade. HR 1 (House Rules) – This re-established the House special committee on military and veterans affairs.

HR 2 (House Rules) – This re-established the House special committee on fisheries.

HR 3 (House Rules) – This re-established the House special committee on ways and means.

HR 4 (House Rules) – This re-established the House special committee on tribal affairs.

HR 5 (House Rules) – This re-established the House special committee on Arctic policy, economic development and tourism.

HR 6 (House Rules) – This re-established the House special committee on energy.

HJR 3 (Rauscher*) – This would declare that Congress should pass a law requiring states to recognize other states’ concealed-weapon carry permits. (Alaska doesn’t require a permit beyond a driver’s license.)

HJR 4 (Mina) – This is a ceremonial resolution celebrating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and saying Alaska looks forward to working with South Korea in the future.

HJR 5 (Himschoot) – This is a ceremonial resolution stating that the federal government and state officials should defend the Southeast Alaska troll salmon fishery against a lawsuit filed by environmental groups in Washington state. It passed both House and Senate.

HJR 6 (Patkotak*) – This is a ceremonial resolution stating that the Alaska Legislature supports the Willow oil project on the North Slope. Both the House and Senate passed it in February 2023.

SJR 7 (Senate Resources) – This is a ceremonial resolution stating that the Alaska Legislature supports the Willow oil project on the North Slope. Both the House and Senate passed the companion resolution, HJR 6.

SJR 8 (Senate Resources) – This is a ceremonial resolution declaring that the Legislature disapproves of proposed rules that would ban bear baiting and some other hunting practices in national preserves in Alaska.

HJR 10 (Cronk*) – This is a ceremonial resolution declaring that the Legislature disapproves of proposed rules that would ban bear baiting and some other hunting practices in national preserves in Alaska.

Added March 20, 2023:

HJR 11 (Stapp*) – This is a ceremonial resolution stating the House and Senate believe the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should come up with a new plan for combating air pollution in the Fairbanks area.

HCR 1 (Sumner*) – The House and Senate will establish a task force intended to come up with ideas for training and retaining workers, with a report due no later than the beginning of the 2024 legislative session.

SJR 10 (Giessel*) – This is a ceremonial resolution urging the federal government to increase Medicare reimbursement rates to match the actual cost of services.

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