The Republican Party district committee for Alaska House District 27 has formally called on Gov. Mike Dunleavy to veto House Bill 57, citing concerns about government overreach, education spending, and potential violations of constitutional privacy rights.
In a resolution passed on May 2, the Wasilla Republicans argued that HB 57 undermines key principles of the Alaska Republican Party’s platform, particularly individual liberty, limited government, and parental rights.
District 27’s representative in the House, Jubilee Underwood, was a “yes” vote for HB 57. The Valley Republican Women of Alaska issued a statement after the vote, warning that “primaries are coming.”
Only eight Republican legislators in the House and three Republicans in the Senate voted against HB 57, which was the bill that became the Democrats’ funding mechanism for raising spending on schools.
Originally, it was a bill only about cell phone use in schools, but it now appears that Rep. Zack Fields, the lead sponsor, always intended it to be the vehicle for a major increase to the Base Student Allocation. Fields is the former communication director for the Alaska Democratic Party and field coordinator for AFL-CIO.
At the center of the District 27 committee’s opposition is a provision in HB 57 that would require the state to track Alaska’s high school graduates for 20 years after graduation, collecting data on their careers, education paths, and residency. The resolution characterizes this as “unprecedented government overreach” and a violation of Article I, Section 22 of the Alaska Constitution, which protects the right to privacy.
The resolution also criticizes the bill’s financial implications, pointing to more than $220 million in new education spending, including a $700 (12%) increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA), without what the committee sees as sufficient reforms or accountability measures. Alaska already spends over $21,000 per student annually, and District 27 Republicans argue that the state’s low educational performance rankings warrant structural reform rather than increased spending.
Another point of contention is the bill’s conditional grant funding, which is tied to the future passage of Senate Bill 113 — a tax proposal from Democratic Senator Bill Wielechowski. District 27 Republicans labeled this a political maneuver that aligns with Democrat and union interests, not with the conservative grassroots.
The resolution concludes by urging Dunleavy to veto the bill “in its entirety” and calls on all Republican legislators to support a veto override if necessary.
Here’s the resolution in its entirety:
Resolution Urging the Veto of House Bill 57
District 27, Alaska Republican Party
WHEREAS, the Alaska Republican Party stands for individual liberty, parental rights, limited government, and strict adherence to the Alaska and U.S. Constitutions, as clearly stated in its platform;
WHEREAS, House Bill 57 contradicts key principles of the Alaska Republican Party Platform, which surveillance and government abuse of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, and champions results-driven investment in public services, particularly education;
WHEREAS, HB 57 mandates the government to track Alaska’s high school graduates for 20 years after graduation, collecting career, education, and residency data—an unprecedented government overreach to be placed in state statute and a violation of the Alaska Constitution’s explicit right to privacy against unwarranted state intrusion (Article I, Section 22);
WHEREAS, HB 57 includes contingency provisions tying reading incentive and Career Technical Education grants to the future passage of Senate Bill 113, a tax bill put forward by Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage);
WHEREAS, HB 57 represents over $220 million in additional education spending, including a $700 (12%) increase to the Base Student Allocation, with little accountability or reform, at a time when Alaska ranks near the bottom in education outcomes despite already spending over $21,000 per student annually;
WHEREAS, Alaskan students need and deserve educational choice, empowered parents, and improved charter school access and effective accountability from school administrators and districts, HB 57 instead rewards and perpetuates the status quo;
WHEREAS, HB 57 was largely crafted and championed by Democrat legislators and union interests, despite clear opposition from the conservative base and grassroots Republican organizations across Alaska;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that District 27 of the Alaska Republican Party urges Governor Mike Dunleavy to veto House Bill 57 in its entirety, due to overt betrayal of core Republican values;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that District 27 of the Alaska Republican Party urges all Republican legislators to stand with the Constitution, the Republican Platform, and the people of Alaska by voting to uphold Governor Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 57.
Passed this 2nd of May 2025
Eli Graber
Chair District 27 Alaska Republican Party