Pre-filed bills released and there are big ones: Repealing Ballot Measure 2, gold and silver as legal tender, and more

The first release of bills is now available for the public to see in advance of the Legislature, which convenes next week in Juneau. The list includes all manner of legislation, from making gold and silver coins acceptable as legal tender in Alaska, to prohibiting discrimination against Israel in state contracts, to making gay marriage legally recognized through a constitutional amendment, and moving the legislative session to the road system.

Two bills in the House would repeal 2020’s Ballot Measure 2, which dismantled the normal primary voting in Alaska and enacted ranked choice voting in the general election, leading to the lowest voter turnout in decades in Alaska. Reps. George Rauscher of Sutton and Sarah Vance of Homer offered similar bills, here and here. Sen. Mike Shower introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

Democrat Rep. Andy Josephson has a joint resolution, HJR 1, proposing voters be given the chance to repeal Article I, sec. 25, of the Alaska Constitution. Section 25 was added by voters in 1998 and says that same-sex marriages are not recognized by the State.

Sen. David Wilson has filed SB 8, a bill to remove the “certificate of need” clause from law, which inhibits competition in health care in Alaska. Certificates of need prevent hospitals and clinics from providing care.

SB 19 by Sen. Scott Kawasaki of Fairbanks would move Alaska to a mail-in election system. Kawasaki has another bill, SB 17, that would limit campaign contributions to certain political entities to $700 a year.

SJR 1 by Sen. Bill Wielechowski would ask voters if they want to put the Permanent Fund dividend in the Alaska Constitution under one of the Constitution’s guaranteed rights.

SJR 2 by Sen. Shelley Hughes would ask voters to make it clear that they don’t want the state paying for abortions: “To protect human life, nothing in this constitution may be construed to secure or protect a right to an abortion or require the State to fund an abortion.”

Check back at Must Read Alaska for stories about these bills and others in coming days.

Other bills filed: