Alaska Legislature

Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Walker laments how fiscal crisis dominated tenure

Walker reflects.

Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) Gov. Bill Walker talks about his four years as governor during an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Hector Mojica exits a voting booth at Glacier Valley Baptist Church on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Key Alaska House race tied, though ballot review continues

JUNEAU — The race for an Alaska House seat that will decide control of the chamber was tied Wednesday, though that tally could change with… Continue reading

Hector Mojica exits a voting booth at Glacier Valley Baptist Church on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Gov. Bill Walker (center) speaks with Jill Skidmore-Erickson, a member of Access Alaska’s Board of Directors, during a signing ceremony for Senate Bill 174 on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Governor signs disability service philosophy bill into law

Alaskans with disabilities will now have more flexibility in determining their care since Gov. Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 174 into law Saturday. In a… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker (center) speaks with Jill Skidmore-Erickson, a member of Access Alaska’s Board of Directors, during a signing ceremony for Senate Bill 174 on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
John Skidmore, the director of the Alaska Department of Law’s criminal division, addresses a crowd gathered for a town hall meeting on crime at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center on Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Despite reform bills, central peninsula residents still frustrated by crime

Though multiple bills have overhauled the criminal justice system in Alaska in the past few years, the tone of discussion on crime on the central… Continue reading

John Skidmore, the director of the Alaska Department of Law’s criminal division, addresses a crowd gathered for a town hall meeting on crime at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center on Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

2 candidates vie for District O Senate seat

Republicans will get to choose the senator who represents the central Kenai Peninsula in the Alaska Legislature for the next six years. With less than… Continue reading

Juneau Empire File

Feds sign death certificate for Juneau Road construction

Nineteen months after Gov. Bill Walker killed the Juneau Access Project, the federal government has signed the death certificate.

Juneau Empire File
Eric Forrer, left, and Joe Geldhof, right, have sued the state of Alaska in an attempt to stop a plan that calls for borrowing up to $1 billion from global bond markets to pay oil and gas tax credits owed by the state. They are pictured May 22, 2018 in an interview at the Juneau Empire. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire File)

Alaska pauses plan to borrow $1 billion for oil-company payouts

State officials confirmed Tuesday that a billion-dollar bond issue is on hold amid a pending lawsuit by two Juneau men.

Eric Forrer, left, and Joe Geldhof, right, have sued the state of Alaska in an attempt to stop a plan that calls for borrowing up to $1 billion from global bond markets to pay oil and gas tax credits owed by the state. They are pictured May 22, 2018 in an interview at the Juneau Empire. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire File)
Eric Forrer, left, and Joe Geldhof, right, have sued the state of Alaska in an attempt to stop a plan that calls for borrowing up to $1 billion from global bond markets to pay oil and gas tax credits owed by the state. They are pictured May 22, 2018 in an interview at the Juneau Empire. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire File)

Alaska pauses plan to borrow $1 billion for oil-company payouts

State officials confirmed Tuesday that a billion-dollar bond issue is on hold amid a pending lawsuit by two Juneau men. The bonds, authorized by the… Continue reading

Eric Forrer, left, and Joe Geldhof, right, have sued the state of Alaska in an attempt to stop a plan that calls for borrowing up to $1 billion from global bond markets to pay oil and gas tax credits owed by the state. They are pictured May 22, 2018 in an interview at the Juneau Empire. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire File)
Gov. Bill Walker speaks to members of the media in April 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file photo)

Despite pending lawsuit, Gov. Bill Walker signs oil and gas borrowing bill

Despite a pending lawsuit, Gov. Bill Walker on Wednesday signed legislation allowing the state of Alaska to borrow up to $1 billion in order to… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker speaks to members of the media in April 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file photo)

Peninsula legislators review session, stick with no new taxes

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the House sponsorship of Senate Bill 193, creating a work requirement for Medicaid. Rep. Chuck Kopp (R-Anchorage)… Continue reading

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signs state spending bills during a ceremony Wednesday at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Walker did perform some line-item vetoes, including rejecting funding for a bridge project that would link Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and a Vitamin D deficiency study. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Analysis: Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signs deficit-slashing budget, but ‘shadow deficit’ remains

On Wednesday in Anchorage, Gov. Bill Walker signed a $10.4 billion state operating budget, a $1.5 billion capital construction and renovation budget, a mental health… Continue reading

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signs state spending bills during a ceremony Wednesday at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Walker did perform some line-item vetoes, including rejecting funding for a bridge project that would link Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and a Vitamin D deficiency study. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Lawmakers approve legislation, funding to test backlog of rape kits

Lawmakers approve legislation, funding to test backlog of rape kits

An effort to solve a backlog of untested evidence from rape cases across Alaska received a major boost from the Alaska Legislature this week, but… Continue reading

Lawmakers approve legislation, funding to test backlog of rape kits
Conference Committee members Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, left, shakes hands with Sen. Donald Olson, R-Golovin, after the committee finished its work on the budgets at the Capitol on Thursday, May 10, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Legislature will dodge record for fewest bills

In the final days of the two-year legislative session, lawmakers were making up for lost time. At the end of their first year, the 30th… Continue reading

Conference Committee members Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, left, shakes hands with Sen. Donald Olson, R-Golovin, after the committee finished its work on the budgets at the Capitol on Thursday, May 10, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Bill would hike fees for city, borough cars

Part of a bill introduced late in the legislative session would hike the price that municipalities pay for their license plates. The bill, HB 409,… Continue reading

This April 2017 photo shows the Alaska Railroad Corporation’s bridge across the Snow River near Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Resolution puts Legislature into railroad property dispute

A resolution before the Legislature attempts to put a stake in an ongoing disagreement between the Alaska Railroad Corporation and landowners next to its tracks.… Continue reading

This April 2017 photo shows the Alaska Railroad Corporation’s bridge across the Snow River near Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Nancy Keen, center, and Alfie Price, right, sing a Nisga’a prayer song as senators, including Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, make their way to the Senate chambers for a session on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Senators were to vote on a resolution urging Gov. Bill Walker to issue an administrative order recognizing a linguistic emergency for Alaska Native languages. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

State Senate unanimously recognizes Alaska Native ‘linguistic emergency’

The Alaska Senate voted Wednesday 20-0 in favor of a resolution declaring a “linguistic emergency” for Alaska Native languages, ending almost a week of debate… Continue reading

Nancy Keen, center, and Alfie Price, right, sing a Nisga’a prayer song as senators, including Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, make their way to the Senate chambers for a session on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Senators were to vote on a resolution urging Gov. Bill Walker to issue an administrative order recognizing a linguistic emergency for Alaska Native languages. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Legislature approves flat schools budget, but no increases may force cuts

The Alaska Legislature on Wednesday approved a $1.2 billion budget for public schools in the next fiscal year. With a 31-9 vote, the Alaska House… Continue reading

House struggles could risk Permanent Fund Corp. in long term

As the Alaska Legislature careens toward the end of its 2018 regular session, the head of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation is urging lawmakers to… Continue reading

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, speaks to his amendment to the state’s operating budget to inflation proof the Alaska Permanent Fund in the Senate at the Capitol on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The amendment was voted down 11-9. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Alaska Senate approves $1,600 PFD

The Alaska Senate has voted to keep this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend at $1,600. With a pair of votes Thursday afternoon, senators rejected proposals from… Continue reading

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, speaks to his amendment to the state’s operating budget to inflation proof the Alaska Permanent Fund in the Senate at the Capitol on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The amendment was voted down 11-9. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
A Municipality of Anchorage vote-by-mail drop box is seen in an undated photo. (Maria Athens | For the Juneau Empire)

After Anchorage success, state considers whether Alaska is ready for elections by mail

By the numbers alone, Anchorage’s first election held by mail has been a smashing success. Election Day was Tuesday, and almost 80,000 votes have already… Continue reading

A Municipality of Anchorage vote-by-mail drop box is seen in an undated photo. (Maria Athens | For the Juneau Empire)