"Matt Claman"

Previous Alaska governors have had to hire private attorneys to defend themselves against ethics complaints, but they could be reimbursed when no violation is found.

For years, the Alaska Supreme Court has stymied conservatives’ efforts to limit state-funded abortion. On Friday, GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy employed a new tactic: He vetoed $335,000 from the Supreme Court’s budget, in a move that critics say threatens the judiciary’s independence.

The compromise bill, which repeals a controversial criminal justice reform law passed in 2016, would lead to longer criminal sentences. The Alaska Legislature plans to take it up next week.

House Bill 49 would mark the third time the Legislature changed major provisions of the controversial criminal justice law known as Senate Bill 91.

At a Monday news conference, Gov. Mike Dunleavy again suggested he could order Alaska state lawmakers into a special session unless they start advancing his batch of criminal justice bills.

Rep. Ivy Spohnholz said the department didn’t provide enough information to Chief Procurement Officer Jason Soza for him to be able to adequately review the contract, which would pay Wellpath $225 million over five years.

The proposed amendments may face a difficult reception in the Alaska Legislature. One Republican senator described Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposals as “a horrible idea.”

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is proposing bills that would repeal most of what’s left of the criminal justice overhaul enacted three years ago.

Two constitutional amendments were among the first batch of legislative proposals released before the Alaska Legislature convenes on Jan. 15.

The Senate race in Fairbanks between Republican Sen. Pete Kelly and Democratic Rep. Scott Kawasaki has seen the most spending of any legislative race. By a wide margin.