Government & Politics

Bulk food purchased with the $1.68 million Gov. Mike Dunleavy put towards supporting food banks is staged for delivery in Food Bank of Alaska’s Anchorage warehouse on April 21, 2023. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Proposed policy aims to streamline Alaska’s food stamp application process

BY: - June 9, 2023

Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, introduced a bill at the end of the last legislative session that is aimed at streamlining applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. It would ease requirements to get benefits which could also have the effect of reducing the administrative burden that contributed to a backlog […]

Some Republican states depart, but Alaska will stay with multistate voter fraud prevention network

BY: - June 7, 2023

The state of Alaska will keep its membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonprofit network that helps states keep track of registered voters and reduce fraud, an official at the Alaska Division of Elections confirmed Wednesday. Eight Republican-led states have withdrawn from the multistate partnership, known as ERIC, since far-right groups and former […]

Lawmakers zero in on AI, insulin costs, pandemic prep in D.C. policy discussion

BY: - June 7, 2023

Nearly a dozen members of Congress on Wednesday outlined their work on policy during an annual legislative session focused on fostering bipartisanship. As part of the 34th legislative seminar by the law firm BakerHostetler, lawmakers in separate discussions touched on topics in which bipartisanship could be key such as artificial intelligence, agriculture and pandemic preparation. […]

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White House launches national plan to address gender-based violence in the U.S.

BY: - June 7, 2023

For the first time in history, the White House has launched a national plan to address gender-based violence on a federal level, introducing seven strategic action plans to help communities across the United States. “As long as there are women in this country and around the world who live in fear of violence, there’s more […]

The trans-Alaska pipeline is seen in 2005. (Photo by Luca Galuzzi/www.galuzzi.it)

Saudi Arabia’s oil production cut could affect Alaska’s state finances

BY: - June 7, 2023

Alaska’s state budget for the next fiscal year hasn’t even been signed into law yet, but its expectations for oil revenue may already be out of date. On Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration raised its estimates for oil prices in the second half of this year and in 2024. The revised estimate came two […]

A child receives drops of children’s Tylenol after getting a vaccination at a low-cost clinic. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

More states OK postpartum Medicaid coverage beyond two months

BY: - June 5, 2023

At least eight states this year have decided to seek federal approval to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage, leaving just a handful that have opted not to guarantee at least a year of health care for women during that critical period after pregnancy. The new states on the list include Montana, where lawmakers in the recently […]

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst addressed bikers at Big Barn Harley-Davidson in Des Moines before their ride to the Iowa State Fairgrounds for her annual “Roast and Ride” fundraiser Saturday, June 3. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

GOP candidates compete for Iowans’ support at Sen. Joni Ernst’s ‘Roast and Ride’

BY: - June 5, 2023

Presidential candidates worked to balance promoting their ability to unify the country while highlighting their fight against the “woke” left while speaking to Iowans gathered Saturday for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” fundraiser at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey, took their children to get ice cream […]

White flowers in a bush are seen in front of the ornamental columns of the Alaska Capitol

Here’s what passed and what didn’t in Alaska’s legislative session

BY: - June 5, 2023

Alaska’s legislative session ended last month, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy has yet to consider most of the 31 bills passed by both House and Senate this spring. The Legislature’s 31 bills are the third-fewest of any first-year session since statehood. Only 2017 (26 bills) and 2019 (29 bills) had fewer. It isn’t clear which, if […]

The U.S. Capitol Building is seen on Oct. 22, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Congress votes to avert debt crisis, changing food stamp and family aid programs in the process

BY: - June 2, 2023

As the state of Alaska works to fix a huge backlog in food-stamp applications from residents in need, Congress has thrown a new wrinkle into the effort. The bill signed by President Joe Biden on Friday to raise the federal debt ceiling and avert a first-of-its-kind federal default also mandates changes to the federally funded […]

U.S. Capitol is seen in an undated photo. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

U.S. Senate votes to block student loan relief, White House will veto

BY: - June 1, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s one-time student debt relief plan that is on hold due to a pending Supreme Court decision. President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the resolution, but the 52-46 vote forced vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2024 to take a public […]

A statue of Charles Bunnell, the first president of the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, as the University of Alaska Fairbanks was once known, is seen on Sept. 18 on the UAF campus. An administrative order issued by Gov. Mike Dunleavy removes college-degree requirements for most state jobs. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy appoints figure behind illegal loyalty-pledge scheme to university board

BY: - June 1, 2023

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed Tuckerman Babcock, a longtime Republican and former aide, to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. Babcock, together with the governor, orchestrated an illegal loyalty pledge scheme, a federal judge ruled two years ago. The governor’s office announced Babcock’s appointment late Wednesday after the Alaska Legislature rejected a prior pick […]

Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, speaks Tuesday, May 10, 2022, on the floor of the Alaska Senate at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Airlines asks federal judge to dismiss mask lawsuit brought by former senator

BY: - May 31, 2023

Alaska’s leading airline has responded to a lawsuit from a former state senator, saying the legal claim “contains multiple deficiencies,” and asked a federal judge in Anchorage to dismiss it. Former state Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, sued Alaska Airlines in April, saying the airline violated her constitutional rights when it banned her from its […]