Alaska Bills | MyRepTracker

in committee · Alaska · House May 19, 2026

HB 226: An Act increasing the loan amount that is eligible for lower interest rates on certain Alaska Housing Finance Corporation loans.

HB 226 increases the loan amount eligible for lower interest rates on Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) loans for small community and multi-family housing. It raises the threshold from $250,000 to $400,000, meaning loans up to $400,000 will qualify for the reduced rate, while amounts exceeding this will use standard interest rates. The bill directly affects Alaska residents applying for AHFC loans under specific housing programs. This change modifies existing law (AS 18.56.470) to expand access to lower-cost financing for qualifying housing projects.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Alaska · House May 19, 2026

HB 138: An Act establishing a behavioral health crisis services surcharge; establishing the behavioral health crisis services fund; and providing for an effective date.

HB 138 creates a $0.98 monthly surcharge on all wireless phone numbers and landline telephone access lines in Alaska. Phone companies must collect this fee separately from regular bills and send the funds to a new "behavioral health crisis services fund" within 60 days. The money in this fund will be used to support Alaska's 988 mental health crisis hotline system, including staffing, technology, and infrastructure improvements. This surcharge applies to every residential and business phone service in the state, with specific rules to prevent double-charging for multiple lines.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · Alaska · Senate May 19, 2026

SB 185: An Act relating to the business of insurance; relating to exceptions to prohibited rebates; relating to the powers of the director of the division of insurance; relating to prohibited practices in the advertisement of insurance; and providing for an effective date.

SB 185 clarifies exceptions to insurance rebate prohibitions in Alaska, directly affecting insurers and policyholders. It specifies circumstances where rebates or discounts are permitted, such as wellness program rewards that meet strict health-promotion standards (e.g., annual eligibility, 20% cost limit), collection expense savings for certain payment methods, and value-added services that reduce claim costs or provide risk education. The bill also updates the director of insurance’s authority and prohibits deceptive advertising practices. These changes aim to modernize insurance regulations while maintaining consumer protections.

passed · Alaska · Senate May 19, 2026

SB 170: An Act relating to gaming; relating to gaming activities on Alaska marine highway system vessels; relating to bingo; relating to pull-tabs and electronic pull-tab systems; relating to the powers of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities; relating to the Alaska marine highway system fund; and providing for an effective date.

SB 170 amends Alaska's gaming laws to update reporting and notification requirements for bingo, pull-tabs, and electronic pull-tab systems. It requires gaming operators to notify local governments when applying for permits, report location changes within 10 days, and submit detailed monthly and annual reports to the state department covering gross receipts, expenses, prize payouts, and net proceeds. The bill directly affects gaming operators, local governments, and the state department overseeing these activities. Key provisions include mandatory monthly reports to permittees by the 15th of each month and annual reports due by February 28, with specific data requirements for transparency. This is a procedural update focused on administrative compliance, not new gaming policies or revenue changes.

in committee · Alaska · Senate May 18, 2026

SJR 31: Recognizing the sovereign decisions of the communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok to relocate in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Halong; affirming the right of Alaska Native communities to self-determination; and urging full state and federal support for relocation of those communities.

This Senate Joint Resolution recognizes the decision of the Kipnuk and Kwigillingok communities to relocate following severe damage from Typhoon Halong. The bill affirms the right of Alaska Native groups to make their own choices about moving and urges the state and federal governments to provide full support for these efforts. It calls for the creation of a clear relocation plan with dedicated funding, the establishment of a temporary village for displaced residents, and the preservation of disaster relief resources.

Topics ✓ Housing

passed · Alaska · Senate May 18, 2026

SB 250: An Act relating to data centers; and relating to utility service for data centers.

This bill requires utilities in Alaska to enter into approved contracts with data centers for electricity and gas service, ensuring all infrastructure and operational costs specific to the data center are directly assigned to it without increasing costs for other customers. Contracts must include detailed cost breakdowns, backup power plans prioritizing renewable energy (limiting fossil fuel use to emergencies), and community benefit agreements with local municipalities before construction begins. The bill prohibits utilities from including data center-related costs in general rates unless recovered solely from the data center, and requires transmission infrastructure built for data centers to be excluded from shared cost allocations unless later used for other customers. These provisions aim to clarify cost responsibility, protect ratepayers, and promote environmental standards for data center utility services.

Topics ✓ Energy

in committee · Alaska · Senate May 18, 2026

SB 227: An Act relating to the Multistate Tax Compact; relating to apportionment of income to the state; establishing a state sales and use tax; relating to taxes levied by cities and boroughs; relating to the corporate income tax; authorizing the Department of Revenue to enter into the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement or substantially similar agreement; relating to the oil and gas production tax; establishing an infrastructure maintenance surcharge on oil; establishing a pipeline corridor maintenance fund; and providing for an effective date.

SB 227 establishes a new state-level sales and use tax in Alaska, replacing the current system where local governments collected taxes. It allows boroughs and cities to levy local sales taxes under state administration, authorizes the Department of Revenue to join the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement, and adds an infrastructure maintenance surcharge on oil production. The bill also modifies corporate income tax rules, creates a pipeline corridor maintenance fund, and adjusts how local taxes are collected and distributed. These changes directly affect businesses, oil producers, and local governments managing tax revenues. The bill aims to simplify tax collection and fund infrastructure maintenance through new revenue streams.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✗ Energy ✓ Transportation

in committee · Alaska · House May 18, 2026

HB 258: An Act establishing a statewide spay and neuter assistance fund; establishing the statewide spay and neuter assistance program; relating to municipal control of feral domestic dogs and cats; relating to companion animal spay and neuter special request registration plates; relating to contributions from permanent fund dividends; and providing for an effective date.

HB 258 creates a statewide fund to help low-income Alaskans spay or neuter their pets and manage feral cat and dog populations. The fund, financed by fees from special pet owner license plates, donations, and federal/private grants, reimburses veterinarians, shelters, or clinics up to 80% of costs for spay/neuter surgeries or vaccinations for pets owned by households earning ≤130% of federal poverty guidelines. It also allows municipalities to use the program for trapping, spaying/neutering, and vaccinating feral animals under local ordinances. The Department of Environmental Conservation must report annually on program use and funding, and promote public awareness about pet population control. This bill directly affects pet owners, animal service providers, and local governments managing feral animal programs.

passed · Alaska · Senate May 18, 2026

SB 26: An Act petitioning the United States Department of Transportation to change the time zones of Alaska; exempting the state from daylight saving time; and providing for an effective date.

SB 26 is a bill that petitions the U.S. Department of Transportation to move all of Alaska into the Pacific Standard Time zone under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. It also permanently exempts Alaska from observing daylight saving time, requiring the state to use standard time year-round during periods when daylight saving time would otherwise apply. The exemption only takes effect if the Department of Transportation approves the time zone change by January 1, 2035. This bill directly affects all Alaskans by changing the state’s time zone and eliminating seasonal clock changes. The bill itself does not implement the change but seeks federal approval for the policy shift.

passed · Alaska · House May 17, 2026

HB 261: An Act relating to education funding; providing for an effective date by amending the effective date of secs. 10, 11, 13, and 15, ch. 5, SLA 2025; and providing for an effective date.

HB 261 modifies Alaska's education funding rules by establishing specific spending limits and allocation formulas for school construction projects. It sets a $190.6 million cap for projects approved between 1998-2006, distributing funds based on municipality school enrollment sizes (e.g., $77.9 million for districts with 25,000+ students in 2000). A separate $177.3 million cap applies to projects from 1999-2006, with allocations tied to enrollment ranges as of 2005 (e.g., $61.9 million for districts with 45,000+ students). The bill also requires department approval for early education programs to count toward district enrollment calculations. These provisions directly affect school districts and municipalities receiving construction funding based on historical enrollment data.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

passed · Alaska · House May 17, 2026

HB 217: An Act relating to commercial motor vehicle licensing examinations; regulating autonomous vehicles; and providing for an effective date.

HB 217 regulates autonomous vehicles in Alaska by requiring them to meet federal safety standards and prohibiting their use in interstate commercial transport (e.g., goods or passengers) unless for personal use or with a human safety operator physically present and able to intervene. The bill establishes that the human safety operator is presumed liable for accidents involving autonomous vehicles unless software, hardware, or modifications caused the incident, with liability flowing first to the operator, then the vehicle modifier, software programmer, and finally the manufacturer. It directly affects autonomous vehicle operators, manufacturers, and safety operators within Alaska, clarifying legal responsibility and operational limits. The law defines "autonomous vehicle" to exclude basic driver-assistance systems (like adaptive cruise control) and specifies that vehicles must have conditional, high, or full driving automation capability. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✗ Technology ✓ Transportation

passed · Alaska · Senate May 17, 2026

SB 111: An Act relating to the diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of consumer products that use digital electronics to operate; adding an unlawful act to the Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act; and providing for an effective date.

SB 111, the "Digital Right to Repair Act," requires digital product manufacturers (like those making phones, computers, or farm equipment) to provide independent repair shops and device owners with necessary documentation, parts, and tools for diagnosis, maintenance, and repair. It mandates that manufacturers make these resources available on terms no less favorable than those given to their own authorized service providers, including security feature reset documentation. The bill prohibits charging independent repairers more than authorized dealers and allows reasonable fees only for physical copies or shipping. It directly affects manufacturers, independent repair businesses, and consumers seeking repair options, while exempting parts no longer available to manufacturers. The law takes effect upon enactment.

Topics ✓ Technology