By BEN CARPENTER
If you want to know what really matters to the Alaska State Legislature, don’t listen to the speeches or read the press releases. Watch the bills. The ones that move—especially those that make it to the Finance Committees or beyond—tell the story of where the majority’s heart lies.
Forty-five days into this session, I sat down with Rep. Sarah Vance of Homer, District 6, on the Must Read Alaska Show to peel back the curtain on what’s happening in Juneau. What we found is a Legislature that’s doubling down on government growth while leaving everyday Alaskans to wonder, “Where do I fit in?”
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Let’s start with the evidence. The first bill to clear the House and land on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s desk this year was HB 65, the Railroad Corporation Financing bill. It gives the Alaska Railroad authority to bond for repairs to the Seward dock—a win for the corporation and its user groups. Fair enough. Infrastructure matters. The governor’s already signed it, so that’s one in the books. But then you look at what’s piling up in House Finance, the choke point for bills with fiscal impact (which is most of them), and a pattern emerges.
There’s HB 48, setting up a Civil Legal Services Fund to increase funding for court-appointed lawyers. HB 31 exempts commercial fishing vessels from duplicative registration. HB 17 tweaks PERS to benefit disabled veteran retirees—worthy, but still government-focused. HB 110 adds a faculty member to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. HB 23 fiddles with the Human Rights Commission. HB 34 spins up the Alaska Innovation Council. And don’t forget the e-cigarette tax bill, poised to fill state coffers. Notice anything? These bills cater to public sector employees, nonprofits chasing grants, or government itself. Even the exceptions—like HB 36 and HB 73, helping kids in psychiatric care and folks with behavioral health issues, or a commercial fishing bill—still lean on government solutions or spending.
Rep. Vance put it bluntly: “The people leading the conversation in the majority really like the self-licking ice cream cone. Let’s keep things going the way they are.” She’s right. This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans—though it’s tempting to point fingers. Both sides have their hands in perpetuating the same old game. I asked her how the Legislature picks its priorities, and her answer cut to the chase: “I can’t tell you how they choose other than we keep pushing through to keep the business of government going.”
Take education funding, the 800-pound gorilla in the room. HB 69 proposes a $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA)—the per-student funding formula – with additional increases in the years to come. Sounds simple, right? Except the House Education Committee refused governor or minority requested policy reforms, leaving it a straight cash dump. Vance crunched the numbers: over three years, this balloons the education budget by 43%, or $1.47 billion. And that’s not just a one-time bump—it’s tied to inflation-proofing via the Consumer Price Index, locking in automatic increases the Legislature can’t control. Who pays? You do. Likely through a shrinking Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) or new taxes. The fiscal note’s a fantasy when you look at our budget reality.
Meanwhile, education policy reforms—like tying funding to student outcomes or tackling our dismal academic results—aren’t moving. Vance said the majority’s betting more money fixes everything. “They think adding more to the system will help our students succeed,” she told me. “That’s a big fat no.” She’s not wrong. Throwing cash at a broken system without demanding results is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. Where’s the accountability? Where’s the innovation? Where are parents being enabled – the real key to better results? The public’s not getting that conversation because the majority’s not having it.
Then there’s HB 78, the defined benefits bill for public employees. It never even hit a policy committee—just slid straight to Finance. No clear fiscal note yet, though speculation from last August pegged it at a billion dollars. Add that to the $6 billion in unfunded liabilities from the last defined benefits mess, and you’ve got a taxpayer time bomb. Vance nailed it: “It’s going to be our children and their grandchildren” who pay. The majority’s promising security—guaranteed pensions, guaranteed school funding—while ignoring the reality that nothing’s free. Death and taxes, folks. That’s what’s guaranteed.
So what does this tell us? The Legislature’s priorities are clear: protect the government ecosystem. Railroad corporations, public sector unions, the education establishment, court-appointed lawyers—they’ve got a voice in Juneau. But what about the family in the Bush counting on a PFD to buy groceries? Or the young couple in Anchorage trying to build a home? I hear from folks who say, “The PFD doesn’t matter to me—I’m fine.” Good for them. But for thousands of Alaskans, that resource wealth isn’t pocket change—it’s a lifeline. And it’s shrinking to prop up government.
Vance sees it too. “When we shrink the size of government, it leaves more room for the private sector,” she said. “That’s what builds the economy.” She’s pushing bills that don’t feed the government beast—like one to fight human trafficking and another to crack down on obscene child sex material. Real-world safety stuff. Yet they’re stuck in Judiciary and Community and Regional Affairs Committees, waiting for a hearing. Meanwhile, the Alaska Innovation Council gets a fast track. Priorities, right?
Here’s the kicker: this isn’t just about money. It’s about freedom. Vance tied a stifled economy to social ills like domestic violence, citing a Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault report. During COVID, it wasn’t the virus driving up abuse—it was job losses and cash shortages from government restrictions. When people can’t work, can’t thrive, the ripple effects hit hard. A Legislature obsessed with growing government isn’t solving that—it’s making it worse.
So where’s the hope? It’s with you, the public. Vance ended our talk with a plea: “We need your engagement. Don’t give up.” She’s dead-on. Last year, I carried a bill to cut $250 million from the budget by axing unfilled positions—some vacant for over a decade. The pushback was fierce: “Oh, it won’t really save anything.” Tell that to Americans watching Congress pile on $2 trillion in debt yearly. Alaskans would be disgusted, but Juneau’s insulated. The will to change isn’t there—yet.
The feds are another layer. Some leaders whine, “Don’t cut our federal dollars—it’ll hurt!” Hurt who? My grandkids are born owing $200,000 each to Uncle Sam’s debt machine. That’s bondage, plain and simple. Alaska’s resource-rich—we can stand on our own. But instead, we’re begging, scared to lose a dime from D.C. Vance hit the nail on the head: “If we consider ourselves independent Alaskans—hardworking, entrepreneurial—then we need to think that way in government.”
What can you do? Pay attention. The bills moving now—railroads, pensions, taxes—show a Legislature comfy with the status quo. Compare that to what’s stalled: Vance’s safety bills and anything shrinking government or boosting liberty. Then speak up. Call your reps. Email Rep. Sarah Vance at [email protected]. Hit her up on X or Facebook at @RepSarahVance. Tell them you want a government that prioritizes you, not itself.
Alaska’s capital is a trek—time and money most folks don’t have. That’s why I do this show, why I peel the onion on “Stinky Juneau.” If you liked this dose of reality, swing by mustreadalaska.com and click “donate” to keep us rolling. The Legislature’s priorities are crystal clear in the bills they move. Question is, are they yours? If not, make some noise. Your kids—and their kids—deserve better than chains of debt and a government that forgets who it serves.
Stay frosty, Alaska.
Ben Carpenter is a former Alaska State Representative, combat veteran, small business owner, and the host and editor of the Must Read Alaska Show podcast.
Finally. Common sense revealed. The business of government is self-perpetuation, and continued government growth. Now that it has been exposed through this outstanding article, the necessity of DOGE is exemplified. We NEED
DOGE at the state level in Alaska. Too much government IS the problem. The clowns in the Legislature who seek government expansion conduct their work in Juneau, where the common man and woman Alaskan don’t see the “behind the scenes” operation. Thanks to MRAK and fantastic guest writers and commenters, the light is starting to shine through on the corruption.
Thank you Ben for your service to the people of this country and this state.
The $250 million you proposed to cut from the budget for unfilled and unneeded positions is in the ballpark of what was at one time proposed as a state income tax, if I recall. So when people say “Oh, it won’t really save anything” what they are saying is we don’t need an income tax, because if $250,000,000.00 is nothing then they certainly don’t need to tax the productive members of society since it’s nothing to the big government crowd anyways. And if 5% of the budget isn’t anything then why are we spending it, let’s save it and refill our constitutionally required savings accounts.