Long list of bills from budget to snow classics before legislators on final day of regular legislative session

Mark Sabbatini
5 hours ago
3 min read

Lawmakers have until midnight to pass legislation introduced during the past two years; will return under governor’s orders Thursday to consider a single bill on gas pipeline

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

The only thing that really needs to be done is for the Senate to pass next year’s budget, since the House did so late Tuesday night. But state lawmakers will be rushing to do far more before midnight on Wednesday, when bills introduced since January of last year will die as the two-year legislative session ends.

The first item on the Senate’s calendar, for instance, is a bill introduced at the beginning of last year’s session by Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, allowing organized betting on snowfall amounts (referred to as "snow classics"). She introduced it last year at the request of the Juneau Nordic Ski Club which hopes to use such events as fundraisers and the House passed the bill in April of 2025.

It lingered in a Senate committee during this year’s session, with a single hearing on March 2, until being rushed to a floor vote the past few days.

There are 27 other bills on the Senate’s calendar for Wednesday and more may be added. The House as of 9 a.m. Wednesday has a relatively light calendar of six items after that chamber worked late Tuesday night passing a range of bills.

Those bills included the roughly $13 billion operating budget that contains a $1,200 total dividend payment for residents this fall and a $144 boost to education spending that was a compromise between the budgets passed earlier in the session by the House and Senate. The House passed the compromise plan by a 21-19 vote along majority-minority caucus lines.

Legislators in the final days have also been working on "package" bills combining various components of other legislation on matters such as crime and education.

A typical regular session sees legislators work up until the midnight deadline on the final day, offer closing words of congratulations as they adjourn, and then quickly pack their offices and rush back to their hometowns. But this year lawmakers will be in town at least a little bit longer due to Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday issuing a proclamation for a special session beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday to consider legislation advancing a gas pipeline.

The Alaska LNG Project, which has been pursued by policymakers for many years, became the governor’s top priority during his final year in office. He introduced a bill giving the developer significant tax breaks and other incentives, which he said were needed to make the project economically viable, which encountered resistance from many legislators who said it shortchanged the state and municipalities affected by the pipeline’s presence.

A deal to advance pipeline legislation if the governor signed a bill restoring a pension system for public employees collapsed Monday night, resulting in Dunleavy vetoing the pension bill.

One item that was a top-declared priority by Dunleavy — a long-range fiscal plan that also has been the topic of debate for many years at the Capitol — has fallen by the wayside for another session. He introduced a bill in January with a range of proposals including a sales tax, 1% cap on state spending hikes, some higher oil taxes and eventually eliminating corporate income taxes, but legislators differed widely on what components they felt should be included in such a plan.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.