Budget & Taxes

in committee · Alaska · House Jan 23, 2026

HB 275: An Act relating to an appropriation limit; and providing for an effective date.

HB 275 sets a 5% annual limit on increases to most state government spending in Alaska, adjusted for population growth and inflation. It applies to general fund appropriations (excluding permanent fund dividends, mental health trust funds, and specific bond-related spending), requiring that new annual spending cannot exceed the previous year's total by more than 5% plus these adjustments. The bill uses Anchorage's Consumer Price Index for inflation and annual population estimates from the Department of Labor to calculate the adjusted cap. This bill affects all state budget allocations subject to the limit and takes effect July 1, 2027.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesImposes 5% annual cap on most state spending increases, restricting budget growth beyond inflation/population adjustments.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending State Budget

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in committee · Alaska · House May 8, 2026

HB 271: An Act relating to the royalty rate for the Kitchen Lights Unit; and providing for an effective date.

HB 271 modifies the royalty rate for specific natural gas leases in Alaska's Cook Inlet's Kitchen Lights Unit, affecting leaseholders with division numbers 389196, 389197, 389198, 389507, 389514, 389515, and 389923. It sets a fixed 3% royalty rate on gross production value starting January 1, 2026, to make continued gas production economically viable amid declining output and rising costs. The bill also allows the department to audit royalty calculations and permits termination of the rate modification if leases were improperly assigned. This change aims to secure reliable, affordable energy for Southcentral Alaska residents and utilities while maximizing state economic benefits from the gas leases.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill reduces royalty rates for specific oil/gas leases, directly lowering state revenue collection from natural resource extraction, a core revenue source for budgets.85% confidence ✗ EnergyOpposes EnergyBill sets fixed 3% royalty rate to sustain natural gas production, favoring fossil fuels over renewable energy development per energy policy indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Audits & Accountability Oil & Gas

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in committee · Alaska · Senate Jan 23, 2026

SB 223: An Act relating to an appropriation limit; and providing for an effective date.

This bill limits annual state spending increases to 5% plus changes in population and inflation, excluding specific funds like the permanent fund, mental health trust accounts, and certain bond proceeds. It applies to most state budget items, requiring spending to stay within the previous year's level adjusted for population growth (based on Labor Department estimates) and inflation (using Anchorage CPI data). The limit includes carryover funds from the prior fiscal year. The bill takes effect July 1, 2027.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill imposes 5% spending cap plus inflation/population adjustments, restricting annual budget growth and limiting state expenditure increases.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending State Budget

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in committee · Alaska · House Jan 23, 2026

HB 254: An Act relating to increases in property assessments.

HB 254 limits annual increases in property tax assessments to 5% unless based on a new improvement to the property or previously unknown information. This directly affects property owners in Alaska, as it restricts how much their assessed value (and thus tax bills) can rise each year. The bill amends existing law to add this cap, meaning assessors cannot raise values beyond 5% without meeting the specific exceptions. Previously, there was no such annual limit on assessment increases.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesCaps annual property tax assessment increases at 5%, limiting tax burden on property owners.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax

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in committee · Alaska · Senate Feb 18, 2026

SB 218: An Act relating to the taxation of electric cooperatives; relating to the taxation of electricity generation and electricity storage facilities; and providing for an effective date.

SB 218 exempts electric cooperatives from state and local ad valorem, income, and excise taxes. It also creates tax exemptions for new electricity generation and storage facilities (constructed on or after July 1, 2024) if operated by a public utility or joint action agency, or if they sell exclusively to public utilities or to end users not previously served by a public utility as of July 1, 2026. The bill repeals existing tax provisions for electric cooperatives and related facilities, effective July 1, 2026. This directly affects electric cooperatives and qualifying new energy infrastructure projects meeting the specified conditions.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExempts electric cooperatives and new facilities from state taxes, reducing potential tax revenue and weakening state budget resources.95% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyTax exemptions for new electricity generation/storage facilities incentivize investment in energy infrastructure, aligning with clean energy development goals per bill language.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Tax Incentives

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signed · Alaska · House Jul 30, 2025

HB 31: An Act relating to the registration of commercial vessels; and relating to the derelict vessel prevention program fund.

HB 31 modifies Alaska's commercial vessel registration rules and reorganizes funding for derelict vessel programs. It adds specific exemptions for commercial vessels (like those with valid U.S. Coast Guard documentation and state licenses) and adjusts how revenue from abandoned vessel sales is distributed. Crucially, it changes the order of payment so unclaimed funds from vessel sales now go directly to the general state fund instead of the derelict vessel prevention program fund (which is repealed). This primarily affects commercial vessel owners and state agencies managing abandoned boats, with the key change being the shift of unclaimed sale revenue to general state funds.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesDefunds derelict vessel prevention program by redirecting unclaimed vessel sale funds to general fund instead of dedicated program fund.90% confidence

in committee · Alaska · Senate May 14, 2026

SB 93: An Act relating to district-wide early education programs; and providing for an effective date.

SB 93 modifies how students in Alaska school districts' approved early education programs are counted for funding purposes. It changes the calculation to count each such student as "one-half" of a full-time equivalent student (previously specified with brackets), directly affecting school districts offering these programs. The bill repeals outdated funding calculation sections in state law (AS 14.03.120(h), 14.03.410, etc.) to implement this change. The new funding method takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill reduces funding for early education programs by changing student count from full to half-equivalent, directly decreasing state appropriations for school districts.92% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill changes student count for funding from full to half-EFT, reducing per-student allocation and defunding early education programs.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood

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signed · Alaska · House Jul 16, 2026

HB 14: An Act relating to health care insurance; relating to insurance reimbursement for health care services provided through telehealth; relating to telehealth; relating to workers' compensation coverage for disability from diseases for certain firefighters; repealing programs for catastrophic illness assistance and medical assistance for chronic and acute medical conditions; relating to occupational disability benefits and medical benefits available under the public employees' retirement system; providing for an effective date by amending the effective date of secs. 9 and 10, ch. 38, SLA 2022; and providing for an effective date.

HB 14 would repeal two medical assistance programs in Alaska: one providing coverage for catastrophic illnesses and another for chronic or acute medical conditions. The bill removes all references to these programs from state law by amending statutes related to medical assistance administration. This action would directly end eligibility for Alaskans currently enrolled in these specific healthcare assistance programs. The bill focuses solely on repealing the programs’ legal framework, not on creating new benefits or altering existing healthcare rules.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRepeals medical assistance programs, eliminating state funding for essential healthcare coverage, directly reducing public finance expenditures.90% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRepeals catastrophic illness and chronic/acute medical assistance programs, ending coverage for enrolled Alaskans and removing legal framework for these services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Pensions Telehealth

in committee · Alaska · House Mar 20, 2025

HJR 1: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to an appropriation limit.

HJR 1 proposes a constitutional amendment to limit Alaska's annual state spending to a percentage (capped at 15%) of the state's average real gross domestic product (GDP) over the previous five years. Certain spending, including permanent fund dividends, bond proceeds, disaster response, and specific public enterprise revenues, is exempt from this limit. To exceed the limit for capital projects or permanent fund appropriations, the legislature would need a three-fourths vote and voter approval, while regular spending beyond the limit would only be permitted for declared disasters. The amendment would apply to fiscal years starting in 2028 and requires voter approval at the next general election.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill imposes constitutional spending cap (15% of GDP), restricting state budget flexibility and requiring voter approval for exceptions, directly limiting government spending authority.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending State Budget

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in committee · Alaska · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SB 175: An Act establishing a net corporate income tax exemption for entities in Port MacKenzie; and providing for an effective date.

SB 175 creates a tax exemption for corporations primarily operating in Port MacKenzie, removing their requirement to pay Alaska's net corporate income tax. This directly affects businesses located within the Port MacKenzie area. The bill adds a new provision to Alaska's tax code (AS 43.20.012(e)) specifying this exemption, while repealing the existing related section. The exemption takes effect immediately, but the repeal of the old rule is scheduled for July 1, 2035.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesCreates corporate tax exemption reducing state revenue, weakening fiscal management without public benefit or offsetting measures.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Tax Incentives

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