Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Campaign Finance Hb16 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
First hearing on HB16: lawmakers consider reinstating campaign contribution limits, indexing to inflation
Summary
House Bill 16 would reinstate statutory campaign contribution limits in Alaska — raising an individual-to-candidate cap to $2,000 per election and indexing limits every 10 years — to replace limits struck down by courts in 2021; the committee held extensive testimony and reserved further action.
Representative Calvin Schrage introduced House Bill 16 on May 1 to reestablish state campaign contribution limits after a federal appeals court decision voided Alaska’s prior statutory caps in 2021.
Representative Calvin Schrage told the Senate Finance Committee that HB16 would move Alaska’s limits from a per-year basis to per-election-cycle, raise the individual-to-candidate limit to $2,000 per election and require the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) to adjust contribution limits every 10 years for inflation. Schrage said the bill is designed to address the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ concerns about Alaska’s previous $500 limit and hit constitutional thresholds used by courts while preserving voter intent reflected in past ballot initiatives.
Members of the committee questioned historical context and legal constraints. Senator Stedman and others asked why the Legislature would act now rather than letting a certified citizen initiative appear on the 2026 ballot. Representative Schrage and supporters said legislative action could place limits in law in time for upcoming election cycles and fulfills a constitutional mechanism that allows the Legislature to adopt substantially similar measures to ballot initiatives.
The hearing included invited and public testimony from several witnesses. Bruce Patello, co-chair of Citizens Against Money in Politics, said the ballot initiative effort that led to a certified measure gathered approximately 33,000 signatures and widespread statewide support in polling. Nathia Theroux of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group and representatives from other advocacy organizations also testified in support. Opponents included a public caller who argued limits would infringe on First Amendment rights and characterized the bill as inconsistent with U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
Representative Schrage and witnesses discussed legal limits on the Legislature’s powers to restrict out-of-state contributions and independent-expenditure groups; the transcript records counsel’s reference to a Ninth Circuit decision (including Thompson v. Hebdon in the discussion) and prior Supreme Court precedent such as Buckley v. Valeo. Committee members asked how HB16 would treat party contributions and independent expenditure groups; Schrage said limits on individuals would be uniform regardless of residency, group-to-candidate limits would change (for example, group limits described in testimony would move from $1,000 per year to $4,000 per campaign), and existing statutory limits for political parties remain in place (testimony cited party-to-candidate limits such as $10,000 for a House candidate, $15,000 for a Senate candidate and $100,000 for a joint gubernatorial ticket).
No committee vote was taken. The Alaska Public Offices Commission provided a fiscal note recorded as zero net cost; the committee set the bill aside for additional consideration and discussion through the end of the legislative session.
