Labor & Employment in Alaska

in committee · Alaska · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 154: An Act establishing the Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board; relating to payment for personal care services; and providing for an effective date.

SB 154 establishes a Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board within Alaska's Department of Health to address payment and working conditions for personal care services. The board, composed of 8 appointed members representing home care providers, direct care workers, enrollees, rate reviewers, seniors, and disability groups, will advise the department on payment rates for covered services and investigate workforce issues like wages and benefits. It requires the board to meet at least three times yearly, hold public hearings, and report on payment adequacy to comply with federal requirements. This bill directly affects home care workers and agencies providing personal care services by creating a formal process for reviewing compensation and service standards.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

vetoed · Alaska · House Jul 3, 2026

HB 96: An Act establishing the Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board; relating to payment for personal care services; and providing for an effective date.

HB 96 establishes a Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board within Alaska's Department of Health. The board, composed of 10 members representing home care providers, direct care workers, home care recipients, rate reviewers, seniors, and disability advocates, will advise on payment rates for home care services and investigate workforce conditions like wages and benefits. It requires the board to meet at least three times yearly, include public testimony, and focus on ensuring payment rates meet federal requirements and support a stable workforce. The bill directly affects home care workers, providers, and recipients of home care services in Alaska by creating a structured process to address payment adequacy and working conditions.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Alaska · House Mar 5, 2025

HB 127: An Act relating to the overtime pay exemption for certain newspaper employees.

HB 127 amends Alaska's overtime pay law to exempt employees at smaller newspapers from overtime requirements. Specifically, it adds a new exemption for workers employed by newspapers with a circulation under 4,000 (increasing the previous threshold from 1,000). This change directly affects employees at weekly, semiweekly, or daily newspapers in Alaska that meet this circulation size limit. The bill is currently pending in committee and would alter which newspaper workers are not entitled to overtime pay for hours worked beyond 40 per week.

Topics ✗ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Labor Standards

passed · Alaska · House May 8, 2026

HB 130: An Act relating to flexible time credit for classified employees in the executive branch who are not eligible for overtime compensation.

HB 130 creates a "flexible time credit" system for executive branch classified employees in Alaska who are not eligible for overtime pay. It allows these employees to earn paid time off for hours worked beyond their standard workweek, accruing in 15-minute increments. The time credit has no cash value and is forfeited if the employee leaves state service, excluding hours covered by special pay plans for extended on-site work. This policy directly affects non-overtime-eligible state workers in executive branch roles, replacing overtime compensation with flexible paid time off.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Public Employees

in committee · Alaska · Senate Jan 22, 2025

SB 10: An Act relating to family leave wage replacement coverage.

SB 10 establishes a state-run paid family leave program in Alaska, providing wage replacement coverage for eligible workers. It directly affects state employees (covered at no cost), employees of participating local governments or private employers who join the program, and individuals using a state purchasing pool. Key provisions include 100% wage replacement up to $3,000 weekly (based on recent earnings), a minimum 6-week coverage period for non-state workers, and requirements for employers with 50+ employees to handle payroll deductions. Enrollment requires 7 days of prior participation and either 35 hours/week for six months or 17.5 hours/week for 12 consecutive months with the employer.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Paid Leave

in committee · Alaska · Senate May 2, 2025

SB 189: An Act relating to minimum paid sick leave requirements; and providing for an effective date.

SB 189 requires employers with 50 or more employees in Alaska to provide paid sick leave, mandating 1 hour of leave for every 30 hours worked (capped at 56 hours annually). Smaller employers (fewer than 15 employees) must offer 1 hour per 30 hours worked but are capped at 40 hours annually. The leave can be used for personal illness, family care, preventative health, or safety-related needs like domestic violence, and accrues from hire or July 1, 2025, carrying over yearly. Employers with existing paid leave policies meeting these standards are exempt from providing additional leave.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Paid Leave

in committee · Alaska · Senate Apr 8, 2026

SB 78: An Act relating to disclosure of information regarding employee compensation by employers, employees, and applicants for employment.

SB 78 requires Alaska employers to include salary ranges in all job postings and prohibits them from banning employees or applicants from discussing or asking about wages. It also bans employers from requesting previous salary information during hiring. The bill protects workers from retaliation for discussing pay or filing complaints, with penalties including fines up to $2,000 per violation for non-compliance. This law directly affects all employers (including state entities), employees, and job applicants in Alaska by increasing pay transparency and preventing wage suppression.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Labor Standards

in committee · Alaska · House May 2, 2025

HB 192: An Act relating to the payment of unemployment compensation benefits; relating to a penalty for late unemployment benefit payments; relating to inflation adjustments to unemployment benefit amounts; relating to an insured worker's availability for work; and providing for an effective date.

HB 192 updates Alaska's unemployment compensation system by requiring the Department of Labor to pay benefits promptly, imposing a 10% daily penalty for late payments (including holidays), and mandating payment within 24 hours after an appeal is approved. It also creates a contingency plan to prevent disqualification when call centers exceed capacity due to high call volume. The bill adjusts the weekly benefit amount table based on previous earnings, with specific rates (e.g., $56 for base period wages of $2,500-$2,750). These changes directly affect unemployed workers receiving benefits and the state agency administering the program.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Unemployment Workers' Compensation

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 27, 2026

HB 161: An Act relating to minimum paid sick leave requirements; and providing for an effective date.

HB 161 requires most Alaska employers to provide paid sick leave: businesses with 50+ employees must offer 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (capped at 56 hours yearly), while smaller businesses (fewer than 15 employees) must offer 1 hour per 30 hours (capped at 40 hours yearly). Employees can use this leave for their own medical care, family health needs, or domestic violence situations, with accrual starting at hire or July 1, 2025. Unused leave carries over annually but cannot exceed the yearly caps. The law applies to private sector workers and allows cashing out accrued leave upon request.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Paid Leave

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 6, 2025

HB 61: An Act relating to employment; relating to voluntary flexible work hour plans; relating to the employment of minors; and relating to hours worked by minors employed in the state.

HB 61 updates Alaska's employment laws for two key groups. For adult workers, it creates a new "voluntary flexible work hour plan" allowing up to 40 hours weekly (with written agreements and state approval), requiring overtime pay for hours beyond that. For minors under 16, it reduces the daily work limit from 10 to 9 hours (including school time), sets weekly caps of 23 hours during school and 40 hours when school is out, and exempts family-owned businesses from needing special permits for minor employees under direct family supervision. The bill also removes outdated requirements for minor employment authorizations.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Child Labor Labor Standards

All labor & employment bills