Alaska legislators are filing early bills and resolutions for the coming legislative session, which begins Jan. 21, 2025 in Juneau.
On Tuesday, Dec. 31, they’ll have their first deadline for the pre-filed bills, which will then be then published by the Legislative Affairs Agency on Jan. 10.
A second pre-file deadline is Jan. 14, for release to the public on Jan. 17.
The 34th Alaska Legislature will gavel in on Tuesday, Jan. 21. That means for the next three weeks, legislators and their staff will be packing personal belongings and office materials to be sent to Juneau, and legislative staff in Juneau will be preparing for the major move of offices. With the House having been taken over by the Democrat-led majority, most, if not all members’ offices will be moving, with Republicans issued the smaller offices to accommodate the smaller staffs that they will be afforded this session.
Meanwhile, the Alaska House Democrats will have a fundraiser in Anchorage on Jan. 9 to start protecting their majority in the next election, two years away. Sponsors for the House Democrat Majority fundraiser include Rep. Calvin Schrage, who has been the Democrat minority leader the past two years, while he presents himself to voters as an unaligned legislator.
The Republicans will have a joint House and Senate Leadership Fund fundraiser when they get to Juneau, with the annual event scheduled for Jan. 20, the night before the legislative session starts. Once the legislative session starts, all fundraising by incumbent legislators must end, whether in Juneau or elsewhere in the state, until the end of session.
On Jan 15, 16, and 17, freshmen legislators will attend all-day orientations in Juneau, so they know how the bill process works, legislative protocols, and where the bathrooms are.
Jan. 21 marks the annual legislative welcome reception by the City and Borough of Juneau and the Alaska Committee, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Centennial Hall. After that, there will be one legislative fly-in and reception after another for the first few weeks of the legislative session, as everyone from fishermen to oilmen visit Juneau and meet with lawmakers and their staff.
I don’t expect anything good from the uni-party in Juneau. The GOP in Alaska is dead and they don’t seem to care. We vote hoping for the best but the candidates have there own agenda. I give up!
More loss of freedoms brought to you by politicians.
The GOP is not dead! We worked really hard to elect conservative Republicans! Not sure I am familiar with what you did in this last election!!
More conflict for the Governor. With a democrat-led legislature he will have the usual Everest to climb to get anything done. With Geissel and Stevens in charge, good luck with that.
As Must Read pointed out in earlier articles the so-called Social Security Fairness legislation, now awaiting Biden’s decision (presented to the White House yesterday), obviates the need for reverting Alaska public employee retirement plans PERS and TRS, to defined benefit but I still expect there will be a bill introduced again to do that. I am very curious to see what the administration produces that supports creating a state department of agriculture. I am hopeful that there will be legislation that encourages people on SNAP and other programs to seek employment. With the inflation of the past 3 years and the ease of finding jobs there is a dire need in Alaska to force noncustodial parents in divorce rulings and agreements to work more of the time, but I would be surprised to see that legislation. I would be interested in seeing this state take on the Jones Act in some fashion given the outcomes of the national elections last month. There is quite a bit of state gun legislation that could be enacted to keep Alaska up to date with the pro-Second Amendment court rulings we now regularly see, and I predict if we see that legislation it will come from the incoming minority caucuses. Finally, I would like to see legislation that clearly authorizes coastal communities to send homeless individuals south on the Alaska Marine Highway.
I hope the legislature does not introduce an anti-discrimination bill for the LGBT category, such as HB-99 from the last session (which fortunately, did not pass). I have nothing against LGBT people, but all anti-discrimination laws directed at the private sector, take away fundamental human freedom (the freedom to choose what we want). They also can be harmful to the very people that they supposedly “protect”. Such laws only help predatory lawyers, and left-wing activists who are trying to transform our country into a utopian, heavily regulated bondage society.
Amen to that the laws against discrimination was covered when it said sexual orientation. Why do they want to keep beating a dead horse. Yes blood sucking lawyers to establish new presidents.
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