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Harbors owned and operated by Alaska’s cities and boroughs will be required to install safety ladders usable by someone who falls into the water.
The Alaska Constitution limits the regular session to 121 days.
Parts of a long-term plan to bring state revenue and expenses into line again failed to advance through the Capitol.
The Alaska Legislature has unanimously approved a resolution asking Congress and federal officials to remove the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision, which reduces Social Security benefits for many public employees, including teachers.
House members blew past the midnight deadline after voting on dozens of bills on the final day.
Lawmakers have only two days left to approve proposals aimed at stabilizing the state’s correspondence program after court ruling.
The check will be part of the operating budget legislators are slated to pass in the final stretch of the legislative session.
Members of the Alaska Senate approved a bill that would increase the penalties for damaging or defacing property owned by religious organizations and used for religious purposes on Saturday. It will return to the House for concurrence on changes made in Senate committees.
Legislation would create an integrated transmission system and a statutory framework for carbon storage.
Alaska state lawmakers are preparing for a final vote on a bill that would eliminate the requirement that many public notices be published in local newspapers.
Senate leaders have long said the bill will not be considered in the chamber this year.
The Senate Finance Committee proposed tripling the exemption from $150,000 to $450,000. An eligible Alaskan whose home is worth that amount or less would pay no local property taxes.
The task force is modeled on one established over 20 years ago to help salmon fishermen.
A new bill passed by the Alaska Legislature will give companies that employ participants of a military veteran reentry program an advantage in small contracts solicited by the state.
If House Bill 119 is accepted by the Senate and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, it would impose Alaska’s first statewide sales tax. That pioneering concept troubled some legislators, but the bill still passed the House by a 36-3 vote.
The regular session must end by midnight Wednesday. Legislators hope several major policy reforms pass before then.
The House minority sought to stall a vote on the bill that some House Republicans saw as a priority.
The bills would set up a regulatory task force for drugs expected to get FDA approval, address lapsed nursing licenses and broaden review groups’ membership.
Other statewide priorities include investments in renewable energy projects and housing.
A protracted debate on the bill could limit lawmakers’ ability to address energy and education priorities before the May 15 deadline, some lawmakers say.
The idea of making six road-connected communities eligible for the Village Safe Water program sparks debate about what places in Alaska should be considered rural.
Funding was also included in the budget to keep the state’s gas line corporation open for another year.
Supporters say providing contraceptives for 12 months at a time would be particularly impactful for women in rural Alaska.