Making the argument that it’s impossible to find people to work for the State of Alaska, House Democrats (and their allies) passed a bill on Monday that gives special privileges to State workers and public school teachers — privileges that other Alaskans will not get.
House Bill 28 would offer up to $24,000 in student loan forgiveness to former Alaskan students who return to the state to work in government jobs. It passed the Alaska House in spite of arguments made about fairness to other Alaskans — police officers, health care workers, veterans, or people in the trades.
HB 28, sponsored by Rep. Andi Story of Juneau, establishes a three-year pilot program to reimburse student loan payments for individuals who work as teachers or state employees. The program would grant up to $8,000 per year in student loan repayment for qualifying Alaskans who left the state for education or were out of state for at least a year after earning their degree.
The pilot program would be funded through the Higher Education Investment Fund — a state resource originally intended to support broad access to higher education, not a specific segment of workers.
Higher Education Investment Fund already supports the Alaska Performance Scholarship, a merit- and need-based aid program for Alaska students pursuing postsecondary education in-state. Redirecting money from the HEIF to support a narrowly tailored forgiveness program has raised concerns about eroding existing, more inclusive programs like the APS, and sucking dry the fund.
Rep. Story argued that one of the areas that the State needs help in filling jobs is for workers who help with social service entitlement benefits for Alaskans.
“That is really, really important,” she argued, adding that it will help Alaska get more out of school performance because it will create better teachers, as they won’t leave the state so soon.
Over the weekend the legislature’s budget Conference Committee set the Higher Education Investment Fund as a backstop for the budget, should other procedural votes fail.
While the bill’s intent is to combat Alaska’s persistent out-migration, especially among young, educated residents, opponents on the conservative side of the house, such as Rep. Dan Saddler and Rep. Kevin McCabe, argued it unfairly prioritizes government employment over private-sector jobs and ignores those who do not attend college at all.
Alaska’s private sector is also experiencing significant out-migration and labor shortages, but no equivalent loan forgiveness or incentive program exists for that portion of the workforce. Opponents of HB 28 see the Legislature is favoring the growth and retention of government employment over building a balanced economy.
Rep. Story represents Juneau and northern Southeast Alaska, a region with one of the highest concentrations of State employees in Alaska, which means she is bringing home the bacon for her constituents.
The pilot program does little for the broader population of residents struggling with economic and educational barriers, particularly those who enter the workforce straight out of high school or attend vocational training without amassing significant debt.
HB 28 passed on a vote of 23-17.
This is not right . Just give them an incentive like a sign on bonus $10,000 but need to fulfill the contract for three years.
Everyone is important! Not just teachers they also need to perform
Jealousy is such a bad look.
You come.pay for it..
You pay almost zero taxes in Alaska.
Whidbey the hand out king. Jealous??? In your opinion the people that stock the shelves in the grocery store and the people that build houses and roads are not important, only government employees. That hasn’t worked well in any other country. The smart tax payer would privatize everything except military, and police.
Jealous that leftist want to handout government funds to support one class of citizen over another? Nah no one is jealous over class based and structural discrimination by our government.
In fact Article I of the Alaska Constitution states “that all persons are equal and entitled to equal rights, opportunities, and protection under the law”. Not jealousy by any means just constitutional legal equality under the law, which this House Bill clearly disregards.
That whidbey is a Marxist. Loves big government.
I like a government that works, and that is not one that is starved of money.
And implementing a pension scheme will increase revenue and decrease expenditures in your world? Defined benefits starve governments of money.
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Tell you what. Prove me wrong. Show me a city or state with a pension for their government workers that is not struggling to pay the bills? Name one please. Oh, and that one also has to pay the bills without implementing crushing taxes on their residents, or considering bankruptcy.
Alaska government hasn’t “worked” properly in years. (Nice raise they gave themselves.) The budget doubled in 10 years and tripled in 16. With no major capital investment or infrastructure projects and only a 10% increase in population, there’s no logic to your statement. In fact, it’s ridiculous.
Anything for our “servants” ….. we worship them.
Now get back to work, the rest of you peons.
I might agree that jealousy might be a factor, IF, and only if, you can point to a single city or State where a pension scheme has not resulted in fiscal difficulties, higher taxes, and bankruptcy.
Another crappy idea! Where do these morons come from?
They’re voted in by dumb Alaskans who don’t vote.
you are exactly right John…by Alaskans that dont vote who complain the loudest
This Alaskan votes and I’m yelling loudly about this insanity.
state workers have become the modern version of Soviet party members.
this ends poorly.
People are leaving here because the state has lost its mind.
I do not think so.
DOGE all state departments, require a time clock that must be punched at the beginning of work and the end of work, hold state public servants accountable for what they did at work the prior week.
Summarize; Discipline. Work ethic.
100% DOGE ALL state departments and cut state employee travel to the bone…most travel by state employees are boondoggle trips.
Don’t forget to include special assistants, directors, assistant directors, deputy commissioners, commissioners (all executive branch staff & supervisors union) for each department to be held to the same standard as the worker bees in the trenches.
Cookies, please.
We need less state workers – not more.
Working for the “State” should not be viewed in the same way as working in the private sector.
This does not include police, fire, and infrastructure workers.
After ACES was replaced by the lies that gave us SB-21, Alaska has been sinking ever since. Dividends are much lower, Alaskans have been leaving for almost 11 years, we have eliminated most capital budget spending except for what we need to get the federal match. We have structural deficits, and a Permanent Fund that is not being properly inflation proofed. Alaska is not a good bet any more, and the ship of state is sinking.
Who will pay off the $7 billion dollar debt to the old PERS/TRS system? And Alaska’s largest city is a filthy, with drug users sleeping all over the city in trash and excrement.
So basically stealling the pfd monies from the kids past 9 yrs to give to only state or teachers if you come back. How’s that helping all the others. Where’s this money coming from since we were out of money in 2-3 yrs
The money supporting this should go to our own corruption/fraud finder DOGE
Have you ever tried to get a call back from a State worker?
Ever dealt with a State worker in person?
State workers are people who could not make it in private industry.
Unions, government especially, should not be allowed to contribute any money to candidates or political causes. They should be negotiation only on behalf of members not political funding troughs for very unscrupulous and morally bereft representation.
The real cream of the crop of college graduates are those who work their a$$ off and graduate without student debt. Those people really have ambition and work ethic. Rep Story apparently doesn’t want that type of State employees.
There are some stellar state employees. Stop the generalizations. Its the structure of the employer and the actual departments that should be in question. Many government services just need to go. Primarily hand outs to the lazy. Give Education vouchers to parents, let them choose thier own schools for THIER children. Dump all ideas of pensions. Honor historical promises and sunset it. Balance the freaking budget. Move the Capitol like we voted for the first time. Drop the bridge from Anch to Valley. Audit the railroad. If it can’t support itself cut it. Dump all utility subsidies. Dump ALL green subsidies. Move all those to agriculture and let’s get farming done properly here. There is so much foolishness and waste.
Nothing like a little bribe to make you day complete, but ONLY for those who will go to work for the government which is already waaay to big! Hmmm. Need to fill all those budgeted for positions that have been empty for years before the general public finds out what you are doing?