Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, said a boost to the base per-student funding was the top priority for his caucus.
State Government
State investigation reveals social service gaps that left an elderly Alaskan to die alone in the cold
An elderly Alaskan died alone of hypothermia in the spring of 2021 even though concerned neighbors had reported the elder’s worsening condition multiple times to state social services personnel.
School funding concerns dominate Juneau delegation’s town hall
The three lawmakers shared their priorities going into the session.
New legislation aims to address $1.5 billion University of Alaska maintenance backlog
Instead of asking the Legislature to fund a specific slate of projects each year, the bill would lay out a six-year list of maintenance and modernization projects.
Anchorage’s top education official sought a per-student funding increase. Then she became commissioner
Deena Bishop has been vocal in defending Dunleavy’s latest budget proposal, released Dec. 14, which notably did not include raising the Base Student Allocation, known as the BSA.
Alaska advocates submit petition signatures to put minimum wage increase on ballot
The initiative campaign, the third since 2002, would also mandate paid sick leave and protect workers from having to hear employers’ political or religious messages.
From natural gas to psychedelic medicine, a look at some of the bills filed ahead of Alaska’s legislative session
This year’s legislative session starts Tuesday, Jan. 16. Ahead of their return to the Capitol, lawmakers are using pre-session bill filings to lay out priorities for the months to come.
State launches new online application for food assistance as work to address backlog continues
It’s part of the state’s effort to revamp the food assistance system to speed up application processing, as some Alaskans have waited months for their benefits.
An Alaska lawmaker has quietly proposed taking over Anchorage’s port, but won’t say why
The bill would take ownership of that critical infrastructure away from the city and give it to the state, potentially through eminent domain.
Alaskans begin filing for 2024 Permanent Fund Dividends
How much Alaskans will receive this year is still up in the air.