Incoming bipartisan Alaska House and Senate majorities take shape with similar policy goals

The incoming Alaska House and Senate majority coalitions recently announced key committee posts, and similar policy goals for the next legislative session.

That means for the first time in Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s six-year tenure, the House and Senate are both set to be governed by Democrat-dominated coalitions. Dunleavy is set to finish his second term in December 2026.

Senate President Gary Stevens said Friday that it would make “a tremendous difference” to have two bipartisan majorities that are largely aligned on legislative priorities.

“The only concern I have, of course, is they have a bare majority at this point,” Stevens said of the House coalition.

In the 40-seat state House, the bipartisan majority has 21 seats — the minimum needed to govern that legislative chamber.

Majority control of the House and Senate is critical for which legislation passes, and the spending priorities included in the annual budget. For the past two years, the House has been governed by a Republican-led caucus of 23 legislators.

Now, the incoming House majority coalition consists of 14 Democrats, five independents and two Republicans. The minority caucus has 19 Republicans.

The House majority’s stated priorities include stable education funding, public-sector retirement reform, affordable energy and balanced budgets. The Senate majority has announced similar policy goals.

The newly aligned Alaska House and Senate could increase the chances of more progressive and centrist measures becoming law.

The Legislature in March failed by one vote to overturn Dunleavy’s veto of a bipartisan education bill that included a historic school funding increase. House Republicans blocked a public-sector pension bill this year from advancing, and another measure to reform the state’s election system to make it easier to vote in rural Alaska.

However, the House’s one-seat majority could be fragile. Every majority member needs to be present for votes on major legislation. Additionally, every member effectively has veto power over bills and the budget.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Zack Fields said that a one-seat majority means lawmakers could face added “arm twisting” from the Dunleavy administration and interest groups on key votes.

”If one vote is always the margin, people are always going to look for leverage,” he said.

With Dunleavy’s veto power, lawmakers say working productively with the governor will be key to enacting their priorities over the next two years.

In a Monday interview on the Mike Porcaro show, a talk radio program, Dunleavy said that he was interested in working with the Legislature on education, resource development and getting more Alaska land into private hands.

“Governor Dunleavy is committed to working with all members of the Legislature, regardless of party affiliation, to advance policies that benefit Alaskans,” a spokesperson for Dunleavy’s office said in a prepared statement.

Dunleavy and House Republicans appear to share an interest in constructing a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. Incoming minority caucus members have said they are strongly opposed to importing natural gas as a way to address a looming shortfall from Cook Inlet.

Leadership roles decided

Stevens said he expects the bipartisan Senate majority will have 14 members, which represents a loss of three seats from the current 17-member supermajority. But the majority coalition would still hold two-thirds of the Senate’s 20 seats.

The new Senate coalition would consist of nine Democrats and five Republicans. The Senate minority would have six Republicans.

Key House and Senate leadership roles were announced on the day after the Nov. 5 election. Dillingham independent Rep. Bryce Edgmon was named as House speaker for a third time. Stevens will serve as Senate president for a fourth term.

The incoming House and Senate majorities recently met and decided on committee posts. Those positions play a critical role in the types of bills that advance through the Legislature.

All eyes were on the lawmakers named to the powerful House Finance Committee, which oversees the annual budget in that chamber: Anchorage Democratic Rep. Andy Josephson, independent Anchorage Rep. Calvin Schrage and Nome Democratic Rep. Neal Foster.

Josephson is set to manage the House’s operating budget, which funds government departments and countless state programs.

“Fundamentally, I view my job as carefully trying to figure out what the need is from the Alaska people and commissioners and directors, and then trying to accommodate that within our expected income,” he said by text.

Schrage is set to manage the capital budget, which funds infrastructure projects across Alaska. Foster will oversee legislation that comes before the House Finance Committee.

Legislators are expected to face a more strained budget environment next year. Alaska North Slope oil has consistently trended below the $78-per-barrel price projected for the fiscal year that started July 1.

Other committee posts announced by the House coalition Saturday include:

• Fairbanks Democratic Rep. Ashley Carrick as chair of the House State Affairs Committee.

• Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, will chair the House Judiciary Committee.

• Fairbanks Rep. Maxine Dibert and Utqiagvik Rep.-elect Robyn Burke, both Democrats, will be co-chairs of the House Resources Committee.

• Democratic Rep.-elect Carolyn Hall and Fields will chair the House Labor and Commerce Committee.

In the Senate, Republicans and Democrats are slated to chair an equal number of legislative committees. Assignments that were announced Tuesday include:

• Fairbanks Democratic Sen. Scott Kawasaki as chair of the Senate State Affairs Committee.

• Anchorage Republican Sen. Cathy Giessel will head the Senate Resources Committee

• Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, will chair the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• Nikiski GOP Sen. Jesse Bjorkman will chair the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.

House and Senate minority Republicans have not announced committee assignments for their members. Wasilla GOP Rep. Cathy Tilton, the current House speaker, and Palmer Republican Sen. Shelley Hughes did not respond to requests for comment.