Committee hears testimony on bill to create state museum construction matching grants

The Senate Education Committee on April 2 held its first hearing on Senate Bill 110, legislation that would create a state matching grant program for museum construction, renovation and infrastructure improvements.

Sponsor staff described the bill as creating a fund to help museums “share our history and preserve our culture,” and cited a 2023 American Alliance of Museums survey claiming museums in Alaska had a combined financial impact of about $114 million. Dixie Clow, director of Museums Alaska, told the committee “a majority of Alaska museums are housed in buildings that haven't been updated in decades” and urged a matching grant program so projects could be prioritized and funded more equitably.

Museum leaders and cultural organizations gave invited testimony. Angela Lynn, senior collections manager at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, said facility needs are specialized and costly, noting the need for HVAC and environmental controls, seismic bracing and heavy-duty flooring for compact storage. “When our infrastructure fails, it's more than the building structure that will suffer. Our cultural... and natural heritage is at risk,” Lynn said. Emily Eden Shaw, president and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, described statewide demand from tribes and Alaska Native organizations seeking to build cultural centers and urged the Legislature to recognize cultural tourism and community needs.

Testimony from smaller and regional museums underlined urgent capital needs: the Museum of the Aleutians in Unalaska said its storage is roughly 80% full and listed security upgrades and expansion in planning; the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center in Fairbanks said it routinely seeks matching funds to pursue major maintenance and replacements.

Witnesses and the bill sponsor’s staff proposed several changes to the draft legislation, including: adding “major renovation” to the list of eligible work, removing a restrictive project-definition list, and altering the local-match threshold so eligible recipients provide at least a 50% match from any source rather than specifically local government funds.

Committee members asked about prioritization and whether an association could provide a ranked list for funding, as was done with library projects previously. Sally Raffson, staff for Senator Kawasaki, said Museums Alaska director Dixie Clow could address prioritization; Clow confirmed Museums Alaska has surveyed museums and provided data used in drafting the bill and asked the committee to consider the proposed amendments.

Senate staff indicated a committee substitute (CS) will be prepared; the chair said the bill will be held for a future meeting and committee members were invited to work with the sponsor on amendments.