The bipartisan caucuses who will control the Alaska House and Senate have announced their committee chairs. The biggest changes will come in the House as it flips from a Republican-led coalition to one predominantly made up of Democrats and independents.
In its announcement, the multiparty House coalition made up of two Republicans, five independents and 14 Democrats spotlights a few committees especially critical to its agenda.
The House Education Committee will be co-chaired by two Southeast Alaskans with a background in the field, including retired teacher Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka.
"The caucus priority is also our priority, in terms of getting more of a stabilized funding stream to our schools," Himschoot said. "The sooner we can do that, the better."
Himschoot said passing a long-term education funding boost early in the session would allow school districts to avoid last-minute budget maneuvering — the kind that often requires school districts to temporarily lay off teachers and staff, some of whom do not return.
That was the idea last session, too. The House and Senate passed a bill with a nearly $700 boost to per-student funding early on — but Gov. Mike Dunleavy refused to sign it, and lawmakers fell one vote short of overriding his veto. Lawmakers eventually settled for an equivalent one-year boost in the state operating budget, but it wasn’t approved until the last day of the session in mid-May.
Lawmakers would have to raise the so-called base student allocation by at least $680 to match the current funding level. Himschoot said it’s not yet clear exactly what figure they’ll be aiming for.
"We also have to be aware that the price of oil is not not helpful right now, so it's going to be a lot of negotiation to arrive at a number, but I think that there's a lot of focus on getting to that number quickly," she said.
Himschoot said another focus for helping the state’s struggling schools is improving the retirement system for public employees. Many members of the majority campaigned on returning to a pension system from the current defined contribution system that’s akin to a 401(k) account.
Himschoot will share the House Education Committee gavel with Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, a former school board member. Story said she shares Himschoot’s urgency to pass an education funding increase early on.
"I certainly know it’s a priority for the House and the Senate, so I think everyone wants to just get to work on that right away, getting a bill out there, so our partners and parents and people can comment on it and keep it moving through the process," Story said.
Leaders say the majority is also focused on cutting energy costs. Key to that effort will be the co-chairs of the House Resources Committee, which for the first time in at least 30 years — maybe ever — will be two Alaska Native women, including Rep.-elect Robyn Niayuq Burke, D-Utqiagvik.
"I anticipate that oil and gas in Cook Inlet is still going to be a huge topic moving forward into this next session," Burke said. "It's not typical for Democrats to be pro-resource development, but I think that you can't be a Democrat on the North Slope without being pro-resource development."
Burke said concerns with the Biden administration’s restrictions on oil and gas drilling on federal land were a big part of why villages in the region shifted markedly towards Trump.
Burke said she’s opposed to importing liquefied natural gas to supplement the dwindling supplies in Cook Inlet, saying she’d rather lawmakers look closely at what they can do to support the construction of a long-dreamed natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. And she said she’ll prioritize consultation with tribal leaders on resource projects.
Burke will share the Resources chair with a fellow pro-development Democrat, Rep. Maxine Dibert of Fairbanks.
"We are a resource state, and Alaskans own these resources," Dibert said. "They want them developed, albeit responsibly."
Two Anchorage members — Democrat Donna Mears and independent Ky Holland — will chair the House Special Committee on Energy.
And the all-important House Finance Committee will have three co-chairs: Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, will tackle the state’s ongoing expenses in the operating budget, Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, will take on infrastructure projects in the capital budget, and Neal Foster, D-Nome, will handle non-budget bills.
Other House committee chairs include:
- State Affairs: Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks
- Health and Social Services: Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage
- Labor and Commerce: Zack Fields and Carolyn Hall, both D-Anchorage
- Committee and Regional Affairs: Donna Mears, D-Anchorage and Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka
- Judiciary: Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage
- Transportation: Ted Eischeid, D-Anchorage, and Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks
- Military and Veteran Affairs: Ted Eischeid, D-Anchorage
- Joint Armed Services Committee: Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage
- Fisheries: Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak
- Tribal Affairs: Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, and Maxine Dibert, D-Fairbanks
The House majority, according to the press release announcing the chairs of more than a dozen committees, stands at a fragile 21 — exactly as much as they need for control of the 40-member chamber.
Leaders say they’d like to attract some more support from across the aisle — and the failure of the ranked choice/open primary repeal blunts the threat of crossover Republicans being primaried from the right. But that hasn’t happened so far.
In the Senate, where the current bipartisan majority will maintain control, leaders say many committee chairs will remain unchanged. But the minority may be a bit bigger this time around — the Senate’s announcement lists 14 members, notably without prior coalition member Anchorage Republican Sen. James Kaufman. Sens.-elect Mike Cronk, R-Tok, and Robert Yundt, R-Wasilla, are also absent from the list.
There are some other notable modifications, too — including the revival of the Senate Special Committee on Arctic Affairs, co-chaired by Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage.
Other committee chairs will include:
- Finance: Lyman Hoffman (operating budget), D-Bethel, Bert Stedman (capital budget), R-Sitka, and Donny Olson (other bills), D-Golovin
- Legislative Budget and Audit: Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage
- Community & Regional Affairs: Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River
- Education: Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage
- Health & Social Services: Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage
- Judiciary: Matt Claman, D-Anchorage
- Labor & Commerce: Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski
- Resources: Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage
- State Affairs: Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks
- Transportation: Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski
- Legislative Council vice chair: Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak
- Joint Armed Services co-chair: Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks
- Special Committee on World Trade: Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage
