SB 268 Alaska Senate · 34th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relating to minimum paid sick leave requirements for individuals employed in seafood processing.

SB 268 would exempt seafood processing workers in Alaska from the state's existing minimum paid sick leave requirements. Specifically, it amends Alaska Statute 23.10.069 to add that "seafood processing workers" (defined as those handling tasks like heading, gutting, filleting, or canning seafood) are not subject to sick leave laws covering other workers. This bill directly affects employees in the seafood processing industry by removing a requirement that applies to most other workers. The legislation is currently in committee referral stage and has not yet been voted on.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 23, 2026 Last action May 16, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB 268 CSSB 268(CRA) · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to establish a minimum paid sick leave requirement for all employers in Alaska, replacing a previous exemption for the seafood processing industry. The original text exempted seafood workers entirely, while the new version mandates specific accrual rates and usage limits for them, alongside general rules for other employees. This change ensures that seafood processing workers gain access to paid sick leave benefits previously denied to them.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from exempting the seafood processing industry to including it within the state's paid sick leave requirements.
EXEMPTIONS

Removed the exemption that allowed employers to avoid providing paid sick leave to seafood processing workers.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific provisions requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to seafood processing workers, including a monthly accrual rate and annual usage limits.

Added general paid sick leave requirements for all employers, including accrual rates based on company size and rules for carryover and transfer of accrued leave.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date provision to take effect immediately rather than a future date.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
19
Key actions
2
Committee
4
May 16, 2026
Committee
(S) REFERRED TO FINANCE
upper
May 16, 2026
Committee
(S) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER L&C
upper
May 15, 2026
Upper · Passed
(S) Moved CSSB 268(CRA) Out of Committee
upper
May 7, 2026
Upper · Passed
(S) Moved CSSB 268(CRA) Out of Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Gary Stevens
Gary Stevens
RRepublican
AK
C