Government & Politics
Both sides of Alaska homeschool case want programs in place, disagree over how it should happen
The administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and plaintiffs in a court case whose outcome struck down key components of Alaska’s homeschool programs have different ideas for how to get families who use those programs through the next year. Earlier this month, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled that the law allowing the state to […]
Alaska House approves social media ban for young kids, online pornography ID checks for all
The Alaska House of Representatives voted by a wide margin and with bipartisan support on Friday to ban children younger than 14 from using online social media. House Bill 254, from Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, also requires companies that provide internet pornography to check whether an Alaskan viewing that pornography is at least 18 years […]
Top GOP ‘election integrity’ lawyer charged in Arizona fake elector scheme
Less than a week after the Republican National Committee unveiled a “historic” new program to monitor the polls for fraud, a top lawyer with the committee was among those indicted for an alleged scheme to use false fraud claims to overturn the results of Arizona’s presidential election. Indeed, the lawyer, RNC senior counsel for election […]
Alaska Senate panel approves state spending plan with smaller dividend than House proposed
The Alaska Senate is moving toward a final vote on its draft state spending plan for the coming fiscal year, with lawmakers expected to vote next week on a proposal that includes enough money to pay a 2024 Permanent Fund dividend estimated to be $1,580 per recipient. The Senate’s draft operating budget is different from […]
Lawmakers hope to use this emerging climate science to charge oil companies for disasters
A fast-emerging field of climate research is helping scientists pinpoint just how many dollars from a natural disaster can be tied to the historic emissions of individual oil companies — analysis that is the centerpiece of new state efforts to make fossil fuel companies pay billions for floods, wildfires and heat waves. When a flood […]
Alaska House seeks to ban social media for kids, limit access to internet pornography
Late Wednesday night, the Alaska House of Representatives advanced toward a final vote on a proposal that would ban children younger than 14 from using social media and require all Alaskans to verify their age before viewing pornography online. House Bill 254, sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, originally contained just the porn age requirement, […]
Alaska Senate plans fast action on correspondence problem, but House is ‘fundamentally divided’
As the Alaska Senate prepared on Wednesday to launch a legislative blitz intended to quickly fix a looming problem with the state’s remote education programs, the Alaska House of Representatives signaled that it is so split that it may need more than a year to act on the topic. House lawmakers spent more than three […]
Alaska House panel removes proposal to raise the state’s age of sexual consent to 18
The Alaska House’s Rules Committee has eliminated, at least temporarily, a plan to raise the state’s age of sexual consent to 18. Members of the House said on Tuesday that they expect to revote on the idea before the legislative session ends. Meeting on Monday, members of the committee voted unanimously to remove the section […]
On Earth Day, Alaska Senate passes green-billing legislation, revised hunting license standards
The Alaska Senate voted unanimously on Monday to make it easier for groups of Alaskans to invest in wind and solar power projects, sending the idea to the state House for further work. Senate Bill 152, from Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, allows Alaskans to jointly invest in a renewable power project, and if the project […]
Alaska Senate considers plan that would allow teens to independently seek mental health care
To address a surge in mental health problems among young Alaskans, the Alaska Senate is considering whether to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to seek therapy without their parents’ permission. On Wednesday, the Senate is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 240, a proposal introduced by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and amended by Senate Majority Leader Cathy […]
House approves tougher route for environmental protections on Alaska rivers, lakes
A bill passed Thursday by the Alaska House of Representatives would affirm a tough hurdle for top-level environmental protections on rivers and lakes in the state. House Bill 95, passed on a 21-18 vote, would require that labeling a river or lake a “Tier III” waterway requires legislative approval. Under the federal Clean Water Act, […]
Relocation of eroding Alaska Native village seen as a test case for other threatened communities
The Yup’ik village of Newtok, perched precariously on thawing permafrost at the edge of the rapidly eroding Ninglick River, is the first Alaska community to begin a full-scale relocation made necessary by climate change. Still, the progress of moving to a new village site that is significantly outpacing relocation efforts at other vulnerable Alaska communities, […]