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Senate President Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, has his picture taken by a fellow senator after being unanimously elected on the first day of the 32nd Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. (Peter Segall/The Juneau Empire via AP, Pool)

News

Clock ticking on local lawmakers’ bills

Some bills sponsored by local lawmakers are closer to becoming law than others.

Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, speaks to Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, before a floor session to debate a bill over a disaster declaration in the state on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. The debate would take lawmakers into the evening Wednesday, as over 40 amendments were submitted on the bill. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

Disaster debate drags out in Senate

Even if bill advances, governor might not sign it.

Mark Spano and Bob Loeffler hike in Chugach National Forest. (Photo courtesy Chris Beck/Alaska Trails Initiative)

News

Funding for 500-mile trail awaits lawmaker action

The proposed trail would run from Seward to Fairbanks.

The Alaska State Capitol remained closed to the public on Monday, April 26, 2021, but with high rates of vaccinations among staff, lawmakers have relaxed some of the health rules in place since the start of the session in January. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

With vaccines available, lawmakers relax rules at Capitol

Returning to normal.

Ron Gillham represents District 30 in the Alaska State House. (Courtesy photo)

Opinion

Voices of the Peninsula: Alaska, resource development, and an eye for the future

When Alaskans set their minds toward a project, no matter the difficulty, we do what others say, “can’t…

Lawmakers on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives discuss an amendment on an education funding bill on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. Some House members are trying to pass a budget specifically for education, a departure from past years. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

With deadlines looming, lawmakers try to speed up school funding

Forward funding formula.

Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, holds a press in front of the doors to the Senate chambers on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Reinbold called the conference to respond to a letter from Gov. Mike Dunleavy saying he would no longer participate with her as chair of the Senate Judicairy Committee. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

State Senate removes Lora Reinbold as judiciary committee chair

The committee change was approved 17-1, with Reinbold the lone no.

Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, speaks during a debate on a supplemental budget on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Courtesy photo | Brian Hild, House Majority Digital Media Specialist)

News

Bill prohibiting employers from mandating vaccine introduced

Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, introduced legislation Wednesday.

(Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion

Opinion: An idea to limit length of legislative floor sessions

Here’s the plan to help move along the baseball games, I mean legislative work, at a faster pace.

A person holds their thumb over a fingerprint sensor to log into an application. Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday introduced a bill that would make companies that collect and sell private information have to receive user’s consent first. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

New bill would allow Alaskans to know when data is collected

Governor introduced Consumer Data Privacy Act on Wednesday.

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, speaks at a town hall meeting on Monday, March 29, 2021, at Captain’s Coffee in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

News

‘Sip with Sarah’ at coffee shop covers topics from budget to pandemic response

Vance affirms support for rural DMV offices, opposes emergency declaration

Sens. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, left and Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, questioned acting Attorney General Treg Taylor about the administration’s approach to legal matters at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, March 23, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

AG defends pandemic emergency orders during hearing

Liberties can be limited.

Rep. Chris Kurka, R-Wasilla, leaves the chambers of the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, March 19, 2021, after an hour of delays concerning the wording on his mask. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

Mask rules standoff derails House floor session

The session was rescheduled for Saturday.

Rep. Christopher Kurka, R-Wasilla, seen here leaving the House chambers on Feb. 22, questioned masking rules on the floor of the House Monday and said there was political bias behind enforcement of rules. However, also on Monday two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 and 14 other people, including two House lawmakers, have gone into quarantine. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

New COVID-19 cases at the Capitol

Two cases, 14 close contacts.

Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor, foreground, appears before the House Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing on Monday, March 15, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. Republican Rep. Christopher Kurka, a committee member, is seen in the background. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

News

Alaska AG discusses plans, Clarkson in hearing

Dunleavy appointed Taylor as attorney general in January to replace Ed Sniffen.

Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold sits in a Senate gallery on Friday, in Juneau. The Alaska Senate voted Wednesday to allow leadership to restrict access to the Capitol by Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, over violations of protocols meant to guard against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, Pool)

News

Senate leaders accommodate Reinbold over virus rules

Two days earlier, senators voted to allow leadership to restrict access by Reinbold to the Capitol.

Senate President Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, speaks with Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, after being unanimously elected to the position on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire, Pool) Newly elected Senate President Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, speaks with Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, after being unanimously elected to the position on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire, Pool)

News

Local lawmakers pursue priorities in Juneau

Of the central peninsula’s three legislative representatives, only bills sponsored by Sen. Peter Micciche have been heard in…

Alaska Senate Secretary Liz Clark, right, holds a copy of the Alaska Legislature’s uniform rules as she talks to Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, center, while Senate President Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna and Senate Majority Leader Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Reinbold was excluded from most spaces in the Alaska State Capitol until she follows the Legislature’s anti-COVID policies. (James Brooks/Anchorage Daily News via AP, Pool)

News

Alaska Senate takes action against member over virus rules

Fellow lawmakers say Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold has refused to follow measures meant to guard against COVID-19.

The Department of Health and Social Services, its headquarters seen here in Juneau on Monday, March 8, 2021, could be split into two departments by an executive order from the governor. However, some lawmakers have raised concern about the legality of the order, saying it could lead to costly litigation. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

Lawmakers question whether proposed department split is legal

Governor maintains executive order is within his powers, others are less sure.

Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, chairs a Senate Finance Committee meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Stedman, who’s chaired the finance committee through multiple legislatures, said time is running out to fix the state’s finances. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

‘Time is running out’: Lawmaker warns of state finances

“The longer it takes to fix this, my concern is the smaller the dividend will be for the…