Politics

Lawmakers approved one-time funding for Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s plan to launch a center for reading instruction that he says could help solve the lagging reading abilities of Alaska children.

Some local hosts who rent out their cars through Turo report having their bank accounts garnished after failing to pay state taxes.

The Dunleavy-appointed state education board is set to decide on Thursday whether to advance new regulations that could ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports.

Both Republican senators raised concerns about the bill’s defense spending caps.

Lawmakers earlier this month rejected Bethany Marcum’s appointment to the board that oversees Alaska’s public universities, citing her support for massive funding cuts to the university system in 2019. In her place, Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Tuckerman Babcock, another supporter of those cuts.

Peltola said she supported permitting reforms included in the deal, and her vote was aligned with other moderate Democrats in the House.

Jeremy Cubas resigned from his $110,000-a-year job as pro-family policy adviser after Alaska Public Media and APM Reports revealed that he defended Hitler, used racist slurs and said a man raping his wife is an “impossible act.”

Late addition to budget would provide $7.5 million for care centers, but providers say more support is needed.

The state’s largest public sector union was thrilled by the decision, but the Alaska Department of Law implied it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The temporary school funding is not assured as the governor could reduce the amount or veto it entirely.

Social Security checks, pensions, government paychecks and many basic services could be affected, and that’s before any economic recession.

Another year of fights over the size of the Permanent Fund dividend meant many priority bills never came to a final vote.

Alaska’s push to become a bigger player in the clean energy market is in the spotlight at a conference convened by Governor Dunleavy, even as the state continues to embrace new fossil fuel production, including the Willow oil project.

The move by Rep. Josiah Patkotak of Utqiagvik was made public in a Monday filing with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has named Alaska Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola one of its top targets in 2024, and is attacking her voting record on what she and her top staff refer to as “messaging bills.”

In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to ADN reporters Sean Maguire and Iris Samuels, who reported from Juneau about what happened to break the deadlock and what it means for the Permanent Fund dividend, school funding and more.

The House agreed to a spending plan advanced by the Senate after the Senate amended it to include $34 million in additional capital projects requested by House majority members.

The federal government in recent years has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Alaska to pay for new broadband extensions, including to the Western Alaska hub city.

The main disagreement between the House and Senate majorities has been, again, the size of the Permanent Fund dividend.

The bill is a response to business closures in Alaska and other states during the pandemic, according to House Speaker Cathy Tilton, a Wasilla Republican and the bill’s sponsor.

The measure, Senate Bill 48, authorizes the Alaska Department of Natural Resources to lease out state land for up to 55 years for the purpose of preserving its powers to absorb atmospheric carbon.

Senate Bill 98 was intended to get more investment earnings for a fund that subsidizes power bills for roughly 82,000 Alaskans.

Senate leaders said they would not pass a budget unless the House agreed to vote in favor of their spending plan with no changes.