Alaska Legislature

It’s a complicated saga that has unfolded over months – an investigation into the mayor’s IT director involving a challenge to this year’s city election results.

Members of the Alaska Legislature say they’re far apart on a long-term structure to stabilize state finances.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy nixed a measure that would have curtailed the use of highly toxic chemicals commonly found in firefighting foam.

It’s only the fourth policy bill vetoed by Dunleavy in his five years as governor.

Seven of 17 programs are on notice that federal funding is in jeopardy without changes

Sixteen other states have term limits for legislators.

The law that passed last year asks districts to provide intensive reading intervention programs, after-school instruction and summer school, which rural school officials say will stretch already strained resources.

A projected $65 million budget shortfall could force Anchorage School District to cut staff, school administrators said in a letter to state legislators, requesting that they hold a special session to override Dunleavy’s veto.

In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to ADN reporter Iris Samuels about the likelihood of a veto override, what it would take to get there, and more.

Senate majority and House minority leaders have said they want to vote to override the governor’s veto of $87 million for K-12 schools. But House Republicans can likely block the effort.

The Alaska Legislature last month passed a budget that included a one-time $175 million increase to public education funding. In a news release announcing the veto, Gov. Mike Dunleavy did not provide an explanation for cutting half that amount

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.

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

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

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.

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 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.