Structure

The Alaska State Legislature is bicameral, consisting of a 20-member Senate and a 40-member House of Representatives, for a total of 60 lawmakers — making it the smallest bicameral state legislature in the United States. There are no term limits for either chamber. The Legislature meets in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. Senators serve four-year terms; House members serve two-year terms. Members are elected through a nonpartisan blanket primary with ranked-choice voting.

The current body is the 34th Alaska State Legislature, which convened January 21, 2025. The Senate is led by President Gary Stevens (R) and operates under a majority coalition caucus of 14 members (9 Democrats, 5 Republicans), with a 6-member all-Republican minority. The House is led by Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I) under a majority coalition caucus of 21 members (14 Democrats, 5 Independents, 2 Republicans), with a 19-member all-Republican minority. Both chambers are governed by bipartisan or multipartisan coalitions — a recurring structural feature of Alaska politics.

The 34th Legislature's 1st Regular Session ran January 21 – May 20, 2025, followed by a 1st Special Session August 2–31, 2025. The 2nd Regular Session ran January 20 – May 20, 2026, and Governor Dunleavy called a 2nd Special Session beginning May 21, 2026.

2025 Session — Legislative Highlights

Education Funding: A Historic Battle

Education funding dominated the 2025 session and produced one of the most consequential legislative outcomes in decades. The session opened with House Bill 69, introduced by Independent Rep. Rebecca Himschoot of Sitka, which proposed boosting the base student allocation (BSA) — the core per-pupil input in the state's school funding formula — by $1,000 in year one, with two additional $404 increases over the following two years, plus an annual inflation adjustment. The BSA at the time stood at $5,960.

HB 69 passed the House 24-16 in March, representing the largest nominal increase to school formula funding in state history, at an estimated cost of roughly $275 million per year. Governor Dunleavy vetoed HB 69 in April and countered with a proposal that included a $560 BSA increase paired with charter school reforms, year-round charter application windows, and other policy changes.

Following the failed veto override of HB 69, the Senate passed a compromise bill — House Bill 57 — by a 19-1 vote in late April. HB 57 boosted the BSA by $700 and included a 10% increase in student transportation funding, a requirement for school districts to regulate student cell phone use, and provisions to simplify charter school creation and renewal. It also created an education task force and a grant program rewarding schools for reading proficiency gains.

Dunleavy vetoed HB 57 as well. In a joint session on May 20, 2025, the Legislature voted 46-14 to override the veto — the first time since 1987 that Alaska lawmakers had overridden an appropriations veto by a sitting governor. The $700 BSA increase added approximately $50.6 million in sustained per-pupil education funding.

August 2025 Special Session

Dunleavy called a special session in August to advance his education policy priorities — including charter school reforms, reading incentive grants, and teacher retention bonuses — but the Legislature took no action on those items beyond overriding two additional Dunleavy vetoes.

The Alaska Reads Act — Progress

The Alaska Reads Act, signed in June 2022, targets early literacy in grades K–3. By 2024, outcomes showed that the share of students reaching early literacy benchmarks grew from 41% at the start of the year to 57% by year-end. Among kindergartners, the rate rose from 24% to 60%. Reading performance and grant incentives tied to reading scores remained a central policy debate throughout 2025.

Federal Funding Uncertainty

2025 also saw Alaska schools ride a federal funding rollercoaster as federal funds were frozen, released, disputed, and appealed — creating significant budget uncertainty for districts already under financial strain. Western Alaska schools additionally faced disruption from Typhoon Halong, which displaced hundreds of students and teachers.

2026 Session — Legislative Highlights

Entering the 2026 session, Governor Dunleavy signaled he would not pursue the education policy changes that had consumed 2025, instead focusing on a state fiscal plan and the proposed Alaska LNG gas pipeline. Lawmakers were expected to prioritize an inflation adjustment to the BSA, school maintenance funding, and a tribal compacting pilot program for Alaska Native-run schools.

The 2026 session reflected less appetite for a major education funding battle. Competing legislative priorities included elections reform and reviving a state pension system — both of which Dunleavy vetoed.

The House passed a bill in May 2026 that would add more than $140 million annually to education spending by basing school funding on prior-year enrollment rather than current attendance — a significant structural change intended to stabilize budgets in the face of Alaska's declining enrollment trends. The bill passed 31-9 with bipartisan support but was considered unlikely to clear the Senate before the session's end.

Ultimately, lawmakers approved a package of one-time K-12 funding and energy relief. The bill included provisions for homeschooled students to retain textbooks and equipment, regional resource center support, and one-time funds for energy costs — a major issue for rural districts.

Assessment-Specific Legislative Context

Assessment results and their policy implications were actively discussed in the legislature throughout 2025-26. In April 2026, legislators heard testimony from DEED officials including AK STAR Assessment Coordinator Kelly Melin and Innovation Director Kelly Manning, who walked lawmakers through a practice AK STAR test and presented data showing approximately 33% of students at or above grade level in language arts and 32% in math statewide. Officials tied performance gaps directly to socioeconomic factors. The reading proficiency grant program embedded in HB 57 — which pays school districts $450 per student in grades K-6 who reads at grade level or demonstrates improvement — represents the most direct legislative linkage between AK STAR/assessment outcomes and funding incentives to date.