Alaska Senate convenes, introduces more than 50 measures and accepts several joint‑session invitations

The Alaska Senate convened in Juneau on Jan. 23, 2025, with a quorum of 20 members present and approved routine items by unanimous consent before introducing more than 50 bills and several joint resolutions and accepting invitations to several joint sessions with the House of Representatives.

The introductions covered a broad range of topics — from appropriations for legal services and education matters to energy, public safety and retirement-system provisions — and were referred to standing committees for review. The Senate also received and placed on file multiple executive messages and statutory reports, including disaster declarations forwarded to finance co-chairs and agency annual reports required by statute.

Senate proceedings began with the secretary’s certification that the journal for the first legislative day was correct; the majority leader then moved that the journal be approved, and the Senate approved it by unanimous consent. Senator Hoffman moved that the day’s prayer be spread on the journal; that motion was also approved without objection. After guest introductions and several communications from the governor’s office — including disaster declarations and finance plans for communities affected by storms and utility failures — senators introduced a slate of resolutions (Senate Resolution 1 and Senate Joint Resolutions 2–5) and Senate bills numbered 1 through 50, each referred to the committees noted at introduction.

Messages from the governor included declarations of a disaster emergency and initial finance plans related to October 2024 West Coast storms (Northwest Arctic Borough and the Bering Strait regional education attendance area), storm damage on the Sterling Highway and other state roads in Nanilchik (Kenai Peninsula Borough), and a widespread water utility line freeze affecting the city of Kiana. Those declarations and related finance plans were copied to the finance committee co‑chairs as required under AS 26.23.020, according to the secretary’s reading of the messages.

Committee and agency reports placed on file included the Department of Public Safety’s 2024 report on untested sexual assault examination kits (AS 44.41.070), the Office of Children’s Services 2024 annual report on caseloads and staffing (AS 47.14.112), the Department of Health’s 2024 Medicaid reform report (AS 47.05.270), and multiple other statutorily required reports from agencies such as the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and the Office of Management and Budget.

Among the bills introduced were (number, sponsor, committee referral as read into the record): Senate Bill 1 (Dunbar) — Civil Legal Services Fund (Judiciary; Finance); SB 2 (Hughes) — AI/deepfake disclosure and interagency data transfer (State Affairs; Judiciary); SB 3 (Hughes) — school concealed‑carry assigned duty (Education; Judiciary); SB 10 (Dunbar) — family leave wage replacement coverage (Labor & Commerce; Finance); SB 21 (Walikowski) — Alaska Work and Save program (Labor & Commerce; Finance); SB 24 (Stevens) — tobacco and nicotine regulation and age limits (Labor & Commerce; Finance); SB 26 (Merrick) — petition to USDOT on Alaska time zones and exemption from daylight saving time (Community & Regional Affairs; State Affairs); and many others through SB 50 (Dunbar) as read. Where the transcript did not include additional bill text beyond the short title and referral, the substantive details of each measure were recorded as not specified during the oral introduction and will be available in each bill’s text at committee filing.

Senators also used unanimous consent to accept invitations from the House for upcoming joint sessions: for the governor’s state of the state address (Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.), Chief Justice Peter Mawson’s state of the judiciary address (Feb. 12 at 11 a.m.), a presentation by U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III (Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.), U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s annual address (Mar. 18 at 11 a.m.) and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan’s address (Mar. 20 at 11 a.m.). Each invitation was accepted after a motion by the majority leader and recorded as accepted without objection.

Several senators asked unanimous consent to be shown as cosponsors on specific bills during the floor session; those cosponsor additions were ordered without objection. The session closed after the majority leader moved, and the Senate approved, an adjournment until 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of the Senate journal for the first legislative day — Moved by the majority leader; approved by unanimous consent (no recorded roll call). - Motion to spread the day’s prayer on the journal — Moved by Senator Hoffman; approved by unanimous consent. - Acceptance of House invitations for joint sessions (governor; judiciary; Rep. Nick Begich III; Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Sen. Dan Sullivan) — Moved by the majority leader; accepted by unanimous consent. - Adjournment until 10:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 24, 2025 — Moved by the majority leader; approved by unanimous consent.

The Senate did not take roll‑call roll votes on substantive legislation during the session; all actions recorded on the floor record for this day were routine approvals, introductions, referrals to committees, guest introductions and reports placed on file.