May 9, 2025 — The Alaska House Finance Committee heard introductory testimony on House Bill 90 on May 9, 2025. Sponsor Representative Ted Eisheide (House District 22, Northeast Anchorage) told the committee the bill would add a half‑credit financial literacy requirement for students in grades 9 through 12 and direct the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) to prepare and approve a list of open educational resources that meet the standard.

"My hope in introducing this bill is that Alaskan families might benefit from better preparation to save, avoid debt, pay off necessary loans like mortgages, be able to achieve their dreams and their goals for their families, and retire safely and financially secure," Representative Ted Eisheide said.

The bill would require instruction equivalent to a half credit (60–90 hours) on topics such as opening and managing accounts, budgeting, credit scores, debt management and loan applications. The draft sectional analysis presented by DEED staff to the committee states the bill adds a new section to "AS 14.3" and creates a limited exemption for transfer students who cannot reasonably complete the coursework. The bill sets an applicability date for graduates of 01/01/2027 and an effective date of 07/01/2026.

DEED’s fiscal note, read for the record, requests $76,000 of unrestricted general funds for start‑up work. "Thirty thousand will be used for the stipends of the 20 members that will get together to create the course and rubric. Forty thousand will be assigned to contracting with an education professional expert, and then $6,000 will be used for regulation changes," said Bridal Anderson, staff to Representative Neil Foster, summarizing OMB component 2,796.

Committee members asked about existing programs and implementation. Representative Tomaszewski noted that some schools historically offered economics classes that covered similar topics. Eisheide and his staff emphasized the bill’s intent is to standardize financial literacy statewide while preserving local flexibility: districts may incorporate the required instruction into existing classes (for example, applied math, CTE, health or algebra) or create a standalone course.

Meredith Trainor, staff to Representative Eisheide, described the working‑group proposal in the fiscal note: a 20‑member group that would develop an Alaska‑specific rubric and vet available free resources for posting on the DEED website. "The working group's goal is to develop a rubric, based on Alaska standards, and then apply that rubric to the various financial literacy resources that are available out there for free," Trainor said.

Committee members raised implementation concerns, including whether the fiscal note expenses could be avoided by DEED performing the work internally. Representative Galvin asked whether the requirement would be in statute or administrative code and whether the credit requirement would be practicable for districts. Representative Bynum said he supported the bill’s goals but urged the sponsor to consider options that reduce or eliminate the fiscal note as a barrier to passage.

No public testimony was offered at the hearing. After roughly 30–40 minutes of discussion the committee set the bill aside for later consideration and invited written testimony by email to house.finance@akleg.gov. No motion or vote on HB 90 was taken at the May 9 session.

If enacted as written, House Bill 90 would add a half‑credit financial literacy requirement, require DEED to publish vetted instructional resources, and apply to students graduating after Jan. 1, 2027. The committee did not take formal action on the bill at the May 9 introductory hearing and indicated it will revisit the item at a later meeting.