Alaska Beacon state and legislative daybook for the week of Mar. 2, 2026
- Mark Sabbatini
- Mar 2
- 4 min read
Here’s what’s happening in the Alaska Capitol and elsewhere across the state
By Alaska Beacon staff
At the Alaska Beacon, we’re constantly trying to figure out where we should put our attention. There’s always more news than there are people to report it.
Every Thursday, the Alaska Legislature publishes its committee schedule for the coming week. Public notices alert us to meetings and events. The governor’s office occasionally lets us know ahead of time that something’s coming down the pike, too.
Here’s what we know about for the coming week. If you know of something that’s coming up that you should think we should pay attention to, email us at info@alaskabeacon.com.
We can’t cover everything on this list, but we’re interested in them and we think you should know about them in case you’re interested in them, too.
This list is ripped from our notebooks, and it is likely to change over the course of the week. We’ll update it when we can.
Are you trying to keep track of when to testify on a bill? The Legislature has a website for that.
Monday, March 2
House/Senate floor sessions in the morning
8 a.m. – House Education Committee considers a resolution calling for the Trump administration to waive a $100,000 visa fee for H-1B visa holding teachers
9 a.m. – House Finance continues hearing the supplemental budget
12 p.m. – AIDEA lunch and learn
1 p.m. – Alaska Division of Elections talks in House Judiciary about its decision to share data with the federal government
1 p.m. – AIDEA gives an update on its work to House Resources
1 p.m. – House Judiciary holds a joint hearing with the House State Affairs committee on the Alaska Division of Elections sharing voter data with the Trump administration’s Department of Justice
1:30 p.m. – Senate Finance hears a bill on the defined retirement benefit system
1:30 p.m. – Senate Judiciary hears a bill to repeal the Worker’s Compensation Appeals Commission
3:15 p.m. – House Labor and Commerce hears a presentation on the rising cost of healthcare
Tuesday, March 3
Southeast Alaska Landslide Preparedness and Partnership Conference takes place in Sitka
9 a.m. – House Finance Subcommittee holds a close out hearing for the Department of Correction’s budget request
9 a.m. – Senate Finance continues hearing the supplemental budget, and a bill to create civics education curriculum
10 a.m. – AOGCC public testimony meeting on carbon wells
3:30 p.m. – Senate Health and Social Services hears a presentation from the Office of Children’s Services
Wednesday, March 4
Southeast Alaska Landslide Preparedness and Partnership Conference takes place in Sitka
House/Senate floor sessions in the morning
8 a.m. – Senate Public Safety Committee hears a budget update from the Department of Public Safety
8:30 a.m. – Special Education Service Area board meeting
9 a.m. – The Division of Oil and Gas opens bids for the annual state Cook Inlet and Alaska Peninsula area wide lease sales
9 a.m. – Senate Finance hears a bill that would change the state funding formula for pre-K students to a full-time student instead of one-half of a student in the count for state budgeting. They will also hear a bill to expand funding for infant learning programs and early intervention services.
9 a.m. – Cook Inlet areawide state oil and gas lease sale results available
10 a.m. – Alaska Supreme Court oral argument in Legislative Council v State of Alaska
1:30 p.m. – Alaska Supreme Court oral argument in Sagoonick v State of Alaska (Lower court dismissed it, plaintiffs are appealing)
1:30 p.m. – Senate State Affairs will hold a joint hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee on sharing Alaska voter information with the U.S. Department of Justice
3:30p.m. – Senate Education will hear a bill related to changing graduation requirements
Thursday, March 5
8 a.m. – House Tribal Affairs will hear presentations on local investment and owning Indigenous small businesses
9 a.m. – Board of Massage Therapists board meeting
1 p.m. – Mental Health Trust board meeting
1:30 p.m. – House Finance will hear a presentation on federal changes to SNAP and Medicaid benefits, implemented by the Department of Health
1:30 p.m. – Senate Special Committee on Arctic Affairs discusses a resolution that would support “mutual respect” and cooperation with Greenland
3:15 p.m. – House Health and Social Services will continue drafting a resolution on the Rural Health Transformation Fund. They will also hear a bill that would allow minors 16 or older to obtain mental health services without parental consent.
3:30 p.m. – House State Affairs will continue hearing a bill prohibiting law enforcement to wear masks
3:30 p.m. – Senate State Affairs will continue hearing a bill that would send Alaska inmates with extended sentences to out of state facilities
Friday, March 6
House/Senate floor sessions in the morning
8 a.m. – Senate Corrections will hear an update on the proposed budget for the Department of Corrections
9 a.m. – State psychologists board meeting
10 a.m. – Alaska Municipal Bond Bank Authority meeting
10 a.m. – DNR hosts Cache Creek timber sale at the DNR office in Fairbanks
1 p.m. – House Resources considers the governor’s commissioner-designees for the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Enviromental Conservation
Saturday, March 7
10 a.m. – Center for Artistic Activism workshop on incorporating art into Alaska political campaigns
