Alaska Legislature

Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) speaks to the joint Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce at a luncheon Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Giessel spoke about Senate Bill 112, a comprehensive workers’ compensation reform bill, which was introduced last session and will go before the Legislature again this upcoming January. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Legislature to consider worker’s comp overhaul

A bill before the Legislature in the upcoming session would overhaul workers’ compensation to lessen the overall cost of the program in the state. Senate… Continue reading

Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) speaks to the joint Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce at a luncheon Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Giessel spoke about Senate Bill 112, a comprehensive workers’ compensation reform bill, which was introduced last session and will go before the Legislature again this upcoming January. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula legislators preview next session

With a month until legislators head back to Juneau for the next regular session, the House and Senate majorities are as far apart as last… Continue reading

Walker touts trade relations with China after gasline talks

Gov. Bill Walker is hopeful the inroads his administration has made with top-level officials in the Chinese government through cooperation on the Alaska LNG Project… Continue reading

A look at the changes in SB54

One week ago, Gov. Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 54 after an extended special session. Crafted by lawmakers in response to a statewide crime wave,… Continue reading

Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file

Legislators launch secret internal investigation

The Alaska Legislature’s internal Legislative Council is opening an internal investigation, but after a six-hour closed-door meeting, lawmakers on Tuesday refused to reveal the subject… Continue reading

Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file

Budget cuts hit prosecutors hard

To see how state budget cuts are affecting Alaska’s legal system, head to Juneau’s courthouse and search the court calendar for misdemeanor drug crimes. You’ll… Continue reading

Special legislative session staggers toward end

JUNEAU — The special legislative session is staggering toward its end scheduled for Tuesday, with a small contingent of lawmakers holding so-called technical sessions to… Continue reading

The Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 6, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Anchorage Republicans seek to move Legislature from Juneau

A pair of Anchorage Republicans have announced their intentions to begin raising money for a 2020 ballot initiative that seeks to move the Alaska Legislature… Continue reading

The Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 6, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Alaska State Troopers investigate man who threatened lawmakers for ‘coddling the guilty’

House floor debates over Senate Bill 54 enter their fourth day today after a tumultuous weekend that saw the Speaker of the House warn Alaska… Continue reading

Alaska House starts voting on rollback of criminal justice reform

As voting began Saturday morning on floor amendments to Senate Bill 54, members of the Alaska House of Representatives found themselves divided into two camps.… Continue reading

Analysis: ‘0 percent’ chance Legislature addresses deficit this year

On taxes, the gap between the coalition majority that runs the Alaska House of Representatives and the predominantly Republican Senate Majority can literally be measured… Continue reading

Alaska mayors again plead for Legislature to fix deficit

For the past two years, mayors across Alaska have pleaded for the Alaska Legislature to do something — anything — to solve the state’s multibillion-dollar… Continue reading

Senator, former backer of SB91, seeks its repeal

Sen. Mia Costello has heard enough. Seventeen months ago, the Anchorage Republican was among the co-sponsors of Senate Bill 91, a sweeping reform of Alaska’s… Continue reading

Overdose-reducing drug could come to schools

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has the opportunity to obtain Narcan, a brand of the drug naloxone which temporarily blocks or reverses the effects… Continue reading

Walker to call fourth special session

The Alaska Legislature will try to find a new hope in the fourth special session of the year. On Thursday morning, lawmakers were informed by… Continue reading

Cody Schaefer, left, and Shayla Smith compete against each other in a net pull at Industry Appreciation Day on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Walker celebrates industry, talks diversification

While celebrating the industries that fuel the Kenai Peninsula, Gov. Bill Walker stressed the importance of diversifying Alaska’s commerce. “You look at the career opportunities… Continue reading

Cody Schaefer, left, and Shayla Smith compete against each other in a net pull at Industry Appreciation Day on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Footing Alaska’s bill: Legislators talk about state budget

The Kenai Peninsula’s three legislators spoke Wednesday to an audience of Kenai and Soldotna Chamber of Commerce members about the legislative session that concluded last… Continue reading

Kenai Peninsula gets 6 projects in capital budget

The Kenai Peninsula will get a few projects funded in the Legislature’s fiscal year 2018, the majority of which are in Seward. The Legislature approved… Continue reading

House passes $1.4B capital budget

In a one-day special session Thursday, the Alaska Legislature passed a $1.4 billion capital construction budget, then adjourned without taking action on Alaska’s larger fiscal… Continue reading

Recent high school graduates from throughout Alaska are working closely with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski through the summer internship program, which lasts until August 4 and exposes the interns to the day-to-day life in a senator’s office. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office)

Young Alaskans shadow Murkowski on Capitol Hill

From the outside, Capitol Hill seems like a hectic place this summer, but a group of ten recent Alaska high school graduates are experiencing it… Continue reading

Recent high school graduates from throughout Alaska are working closely with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski through the summer internship program, which lasts until August 4 and exposes the interns to the day-to-day life in a senator’s office. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office)