SFLR-20260512-1100

Will the Senate please come to order and will members please signify your presence by voting.

The roll shows 20 members present. Thank you, Madam Secretary. With 20 members shown as present, we have a quorum to conduct business. The invocation this morning will be given by Pastor Anton Farrell with the Calvary Baptist— I'm sorry, Calvary Fellowship, Juneau members, please rise.

With deep respect for all religious beliefs of all Alaskans, I offer the following prayer. Almighty God, we gather today mindful of the clouds over our nation, but thankful for the sunshine here in Juneau. As our country faces harsh realities— wars, fractured economies. Lord, we witness the deep fractures within our federal government and await the world fears. Lord, we ask you to bring much-needed joy and compassion and understanding to this chamber today.

No matter the storms raging beyond our borders, we are first Alaskans, and we know the vital and heavy lifting of that duty so often happens behind committee doors. For the senators wrestling with resources and energy and fisheries, grant them profound clarity as they steward our working lands. For those sitting through deep emotional testimony in health and education and veterans affairs, keep their empathy alive and root their decisions in true compassion and understanding. And for those pouring over ledgers and finance or navigating the fine print of the judiciary and state affairs, give them a fresh burst of focus when the coffee goes cold and the binders grow heavy and the hours get long. Where party lines and philosophical divisions threaten to pull us apart, Give us grace to bridge the gap.

Remind us that beyond our differences, we share a single unified purpose: discovering what is truly best for all Alaskans. Help us to see the hope. Give these leaders the courage and the consistency to believe the very best in all, and especially in one another. And we ask for a radical shift in perspective today for everyone and everything that we see in a colleague we do not like or appreciate or agree with. May we intentionally seek out 10 things that are valuable, lovely, and admirable.

And may we appreciate our differences not as obstacles, but as the very foundation of our strength. We ask for your continued guidance blessing upon this Senate session today. In your glorious and wonderful name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Thank you, Pastor Farrell. Senator Yorkman, would you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Senator Bjorkman. Will the Secretary please certify the journal? I certify as to the correctness of the journal for the 112th legislative day. Thank you, Madam Majority Leader. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the journal be approved as certified by the Senate Secretary.

Hearing no objection, the journal has been approved. Senator Hoffman. Good morning, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent that the.

Prayer be spread on the journal. Thank you. Seeing no objection, the prayer has been spread upon the journal. At this time, are there guests for introduction?

Senator Gray Jackson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today I have the pleasure of introducing a friend, Sue Johnson. She's not my constituent, but anyway, she's a good friend and she's also the executive director of Alaska's Alaskans Against the Death Penalty. Please stand, Sue.

Migali? I thought she was.

Hmm. Well, I'm going to continue, Mr. President. Please. Sue has been a dedicated advocate for many years and has made a meaningful impact through her work educating Alaskans and policymakers on issues surrounding the death penalty. She's long been involved in advocacy efforts across Alaska and has testified before the legislature on criminal justice issues and the death penalty.

She traveled to Juneau today to visit the Capitol, and I would like to ask my colleagues, when she does arrive here, to welcome her to the Senate chambers. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Grey Jackson. We will do that when she arrives. Further guests for introduction?

Are there messages from the Governor, Madam Secretary? I have no messages from the Governor this morning, Mr. President. Thank you. Are there messages from the House? A message dated May 11th stating the Speaker has appointed the following members to a conference committee to meet with the like committee from the Senate to consider the following: CS for House Bill 263 Finance Amended and Senate CS for CS for House Bill 263 Finance Amended Senate Operating Budget Funds Supplemental.

Representative Josephson, Chair, Representative Schrag, Representative Stapp. Another message dated May 11 stating the Speaker has appointed the following members to a conference committee to meet with the like committee from the Senate to consider CS for House Bill 265 Fin Am, namely Senate CS for CS for House Bill Senate Bill Number 265, Finn Appropriations Mental Health Budget. Representative Josephson, Chair, Representative Schrag, Representative Stapp. A message dated May 11 stating the House has passed and returned Senate Bill Number 63, amended Local Boundary Commission. The bill has been referred for enrolling.

A message dated May 11 stating the House has passed and is transmitting for consideration House Joint Resolution Number 28 by Representatives Aishide, Underwood, Elam, Galvin Josephson Shragi, calling on the United States Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. Thank you. House Joint Resolution number 28 will be referred to the Education Committee. Those are all the messages from the House this morning, Mr. President. Thank you, Madam Secretary.

Are there communications? I have no communications today. And are there reports of standing committees? The Resources Committee considered House Bill number 93, Residency Requirements, Hunting, Trapping, Fishing, Previous Zero Fiscal Notes, Signing to Pass. Senator Giesel, Chair Senators Dunbar, Wilkowski, Signing do not pass, Senator Rauscher.

Signing no recommendation, Senator Clayman. Signing amend, Senators Kawasaki, Myers. The bill has no further referral. It is in the Rules Committee. The Finance Committee considered CS for House Bill 173, Labor and Commerce Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, and recommended it be replaced with a Finance Senate Committee substitute, new title, SCR forthcoming, new fiscal note.

Signing do pass, Senators Olson, Hoffman, co-chairs. Signing no recommendation, Senator Steadman, co-chair, Senators Kaufman, Cronk, Merrick, Keel. The bill has no further referral. It is in the Rules Committee. The Finance Committee considered House Bill 314 amended, Architects, Engineers, Surveyors Register, Interior Designers, previous zero fiscal note, signing do pass, Senators Olson, Hoffman, co-chairs, Senators Kaufman, Cronk.

Signing no recommendation, Senator Steadman, co-chair, Senators Merrick, Keel. The bill has no further referral. It is in the Rules Committee. Those are all the standing committee reports this morning, Mr. President. Thank you.

Brief at ease.

Will the Senate come back to order, please?

Madam Secretary, are there reports of special committees?

Report dated May 11th stating the Conference Committee considering CS for House Bill 263 Finance amended and Senate CS for CS CS for House Bill 263 Finance amended Senate operating budget and CS for House Bill number 265 Finance amended and Senate CS for CS for House Bill number 265 Finance mental health budget respectfully requests limited powers of free conference on the appropriations and language that are not identical in the House and Senate versions of House Bill 63 and the House and Senate versions of House Bill 265. Signing the report, Senator Hoffman, Chair, Senators Steadman, Cronk, Representative Josephson, Chair, Representatives Schraggy, Stapp. Thank you. This time I'm granting limited powers of free conference as requested.

Madam Secretary. I have no further reports of special committees today, Mr. President. Thank you. Are there introductions of Senate resolutions? I have no Senate resolutions for introduction today.

And are there Senate bills for introduction? There are no Senate bills for introduction today. So, Madam Secretary, please read the first item on today's calendar. Senate Bill 178 by the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, an act relating to early intervention services for certain children relating to optional services under the Medical Assistance Program and providing for an effective date. The Health and Social Services Committee considered the bill, new fiscal notes, Signing do pass, Senator Dunbar, Chair, Senators Clayman, Tobin, Giesel.

Signing no recommendation, Senator Hughes. The Finance Committee considered the bill, recommended it be replaced with a Finance Committee substitute, new fiscal notes. Signing do pass, Senators Olson, Hoffman, Co-Chairs, Senator Keel. Signing no recommendation, Senator Steadman, Co-Chair, Senators Kaufman, Cronk, Merrick. There is a Finance Committee substitute.

Thank you, Senator Hoffman. Thank you, Mr. President. Excuse me. I move and ask unanimous consent that the Senate Finance Committee substitute for Senate Bill 178 be adopted in lieu of the original bill. Thank you, Senator Hoffman.

Would you please explain the changes? Yes, Mr. President. The committee substitute for Senate Bill 178 Finance makes the following changes in the bill language. Changes extends the conditional effective date from July 1st, 2026 to July 1st, 2028, and adds conforming language for the Department of Health to pursue approval of an amendment to the state plan for medical assistance coverage. And there are no fiscal changes.

Thank you, Senator Hoffman. Hearing no objection, the Senate Finance Committee substitute has been adopted and this bill will advance to our third reading our next legislative calendar. Madam Secretary.

Senate Bill 208 by Senator Bjorkman, an act relating to leases of state land for agricultural purposes and providing for an effective date. The Resources Committee considered the bill, recommended it be replaced with a Resources Committee substitute, new zero fiscal note, Signing do pass, Senator Giesel, Chair, Senator Myers. Signing no recommendation, Senators Dunbar, Clayman. Signing amend, Senator Kawasaki. The Finance Committee considered the bill and recommended the adoption of the previous Resources Committee substitute, new zero fiscal note.

Signing do pass, Senators Olson, Hoffman, Co-chairs, Senator Keele. Signing no recommendation, Senator Steadman, Co-chair, Senators Kaufman, Cronk, Merrick. There is a Resources Committee substitute. Thank you. Senator Giesel.

Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Senate Resources Committee substitute for Senate Bill 208 be adopted in lieu of the original bill. Thank you, Senator Giesel. Would you please explain the changes? Yes, Mr. President. The bill changes 3 items.

First, it adds an optional merit-based process that the Department of Resource— Natural Resources may use for bulk sales of agricultural land. Second, it makes refining changes to the leasing program established in the bill based on stakeholder and department feedback. And third, it adds language allowing the department to assess civil penalties for violations of agricultural covenants and other requirements for agricultural land. There were no fiscal note changes. Thank you, Senator Giesel.

Hearing no objections, the Senate Resources Committee substitute has been adopted, and this bill will advance to third reading on our next legislative calendar. Madam Secretary, please read the next item on our calendar. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE].

282 State Affairs, an act relating to the Joint Armed Services Committee and providing for an effective date before the Senate in third reading on final passage. Thank you. Brief at ease.

Will the Senate come back to order, please? We are now under Senate Bill 282. Uh, Senator Kawasaki to carry the bill. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm pleased to be able to bring Senate Bill 282 before you on behalf of the Joint Armed Services Committee members.

Senate Bill 282 modernizes the Joint Armed Services Committee statutes to ensure the community committee works as effectively as possible. The committee was first created by then-Senator Lisa Murkowski back in early 2000s to react to the base realignment and closure that were happening across the state. The last BRAC round was actually in 2025. So while BRAC might still be a concern, the legislation would expand the duties to also include support for the state's central role in military defense, review and recommend state policies that are in response to national defense and Arctic security initiatives, and convene hearings and stakeholder consultations on emerging defense issues like we had just this weekend in which the Rear Admiral for the 7th District came up from the U.S. Navy, which we have not had a visit from the U.S. Navy in a long time. This splits— this has a couple different technical changes.

One is it splits the current seat shared by AFN, the Alaska Federation of Natives, and the Alaska Municipal League into two separate seats. So it would include one extra person. This 19-member commission meets at least once a year, but tries to meet fairly frequently. Most of the tasks are relegated to the Legislative Affairs Agency, as well as staff to the chair in both the House and the Senate. I would ask for the support for Senate Bill 282.

Thank you, Senator Kawasaki. Is there discussion? Seeing none, are you ready for the question? The question being, shall CS for Senate Bill 282, State Affairs, pass the Senate? Senators may proceed to vote.

The secretary will lock the roll. Do any senators wish to change their vote? The Secretary will announce the vote. 20 Yeas, 0 nays. And so by a vote of 20 yeas, 0 nays, CS for Senate Bill 22, State Affairs, has passed the Senate.

There is an effective date. Madam Majority Leader. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the vote on the bill be considered the vote on the effective date clause. Thank you. Hearing no objection, the effective date clause has been adopted.

Madam Secretary. Please read the next item on today's calendar. CS for Senate Bill 249, Judiciary—. Oops, I'm sorry. Refetti.

I come back to order, please. Uh, Senator Rauscher. Mr. President, I move up, uh, I move, I bring up reconsideration Senate Bill 170. Thank you, Senator Rauscher.

Hearing no objection, we are under reconsideration. Is there discussion?

Seeing no discussion, brief at ease.

Gonna come back to order, please. We are considering reconsideration of CSU Senate Bill 170. Is there discussion? If not, are you ready for the question? The question being, shall CS for Senate Bill 170 finance pass the Senate on reconsideration?

Senators may proceed to vote.

The secretary will lock the roll. Do any senators wish to change their vote? The secretary will announce the vote. 17 Yeas, 3 nays. And so by a vote of 17 yeas to 3 nays, Senate Bill— CS for Senate Bill 170 Finance has passed the Senate on reconsideration.

Brief at ease.

Backorder, please. Madam Majority Leader. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the vote on the bill be considered the vote on the effective date clause. Thank you. Hearing no objection, the 50-day clause has been adopted.

Madam Secretary, please read the next item on today's calendar.

CS for Senate Bill Number 249, Judiciary, an act relating to virtual currency kiosks, relating to transactions involving virtual currency, relating to unfair trade or deceptive acts or practices, and providing for an effective Before the Senate in third reading on final passage, there is an amendment number 1 by Senator Tilton on members' desks. Thank you, Senator Tilton. Senator Tilton, please. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent to return to second reading for the purposes of amendment number 1.

Thank you. Hearing no objection, the bill, Senate Bill 249, Judiciary, is back in second reading and will remain in second reading until all amendments have been considered. Senator Tilton. Thank you, Mr. President, and I want to say thank you to our rules chair for bringing this amendment to my attention. Amendment number 1 is a conforming amendment, SB 249, cryptocurrency kiosks, and it conforms to SB 86, money transmission virtual currency, which is from our member from Juneau, which is sitting in third reading over in the other body.

Once the bills are adopted. Senator Tilton, have you moved Amendment Number 1? Oh, excuse me, I move Amendment Number 1. Thank you. Amendment Number 1 has been moved.

Senator Tilton. I was just so excited to go right into what this was all about. So what it is is a conforming amendment that would conform SB 249 to cryptocurrency kiosk to SB 86 money transmission virtual currency. That way there would not be different definitions sitting in statute. The reason that it is— the amendment is to SB 249 is because there are different effective dates, and SB 249 would be the first bill, should it pass, to go into statute.

Once the bills are adopted, they will overlay and make sure that we're not putting different definitions into statute. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Tilton. Is there a discussion?

Hearing no objection, the amendment number 1 then has been adopted. Madam Secretary, that brings the bill as amended back before the Senate in third reading on final passage. Thank you. Senator Tilton to carry the bill. Thank you, Mr. President.

I think I'll get the process right here now. Um, thank you to, uh, for bringing this, uh, bill, SB 249, to the floor today. This is a straightforward consumer protection bill. It doesn't ban cryptocurrency or any new technology. Um, it doesn't deal with that at all.

It simply closes some dangerous regulatory loopholes that scammers are using to exploit and steal money from our most vulnerable Alaskans. I think many of you remember the personal story that I talked about at the beginning of the session where my own mother was scammed. I hate to ever call her a victim. My mom's really tough. She's not really ever a victim, but unfortunately, uh, the— it was an AI generation of my voice that led her to believe that it was me, and then the lawyer came on the phone and told her that she needed to go get her money out of her savings account and directed her to the crypto—.

Crypto—.

Currency kiosk, which is something that many of us weren't aware of until I think this session. She did that and she was directed to purchase many different wallets and put money in, and they did this whole thing. The challenge for this is, you know, not just my mom but several seniors are being preyed upon, and it seems to be the elder population, although it's happening to everyone. It's not just the elder population. In 2024 alone, Alaskans lost more than $26 million to online fraud.

Now, in my mom's case, it was a year's worth of house payments. Is she going to be okay? Sure. But is she ever going to get that money back? No, she is not.

So seniors have accounted for what— roughly a third of the losses that we see in regards to online fraud. And the virtual currency kiosk has become the scammers' favorite tool because The transactions are instant, they're irreversible, and they're largely untraceable. So these machines currently operate in kind of a regulatory black hole, Mr. President, with no meaningful safeguards or accountability. Scammers use high-pressure tactics when they're calling or they're texting you, making, you know, making your emotions run high and sometimes maybe not making the best choices. And that's why we feel like there needs to be some guardrails, Mr. President, on these kiosks.

So what the bill does, it is simply apply some common sense protections that we expect from every other financial institution. It requires licensing, which operators must obtain their money transmitter license through the Department of Commerce. Clear warnings, conspicuous on-screen and posted notices about common scams that are happening right now. ID verification, which are government-issued photo ID to kind of act as a speed bump. Transaction limits, and that's kind of one of the things that have had the most discussion about what should those limits be set at.

So in this bill in front of us today, it's set at a $1,500 daily transaction with a $10,500 monthly transaction. That, Mr. President, is coming. There's, you know, AARP has been really a proponent of this bill. It's not exactly what AARP had asked for. They were looking at $1,000, but— and the cryptocurrency kiosk owners were looking at $2,000.

So it's somewhere in the middle ground. Mr. President, there are people who do use cryptocurrency kiosks that are the underbanked and the unbanked. What we found is their average daily transactions are about $400 to $500. So, and the $10,500 would be the limit that you have to have to report to the federal government. There's fee caps and having a reasonable limit on what the owners of the cryptocurrency kiosk can charge.

Now, in this case, with this bill, there's fraudulent protections, and with those protections, the person would receive their fee back if they were found to— found that this was a fraudulent transaction. There is fraud blocking, and that is the operators must use blockchain analytics to block the fraud. Of course, I just mentioned refunds, and there is receipts and reporting. Violations are treated as unfair or deceptive trade practices, the same standards we apply everywhere else, like with ATMs that you use with a bank. So, Mr. President, SB 249 does not stop legitimate uses of virtual cryptocurrency.

It simply brings the same level of transparency and accountability to the kiosk that we already require from banks and traditional money transmitters. Um, our seniors have spent decades building their life savings, and they deserve the same financial guardrails in the digital age that every other sector has. This bill passed judiciary with strong bipartisan The court has a zero fiscal note, and it protects Alaskans without killing innovation. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on SB 249. Let's give our constituents, especially our elders, the protection they deserve.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Tilton. Under discussion, Senator Kawasaki. Thank you. I thank you, Mr. President.

I appreciate the bill sponsor and her description of the bill, and I, I just move and ask unanimous consent to be shown as a co-sponsor on the Senate bill. 249. Without objection, so ordered. Senator Kawasaki, along with Senator Giesel, Senator Gray Jackson, Senator Rauscher, Senator Kaufman, Senator Steadman, and Stevens. Thank you.

Hearing no further discussion, if you are ready for the question, the question being, shall CS for Senate Bill 249 Judiciary as amended pass the Senate? Senators may proceed to vote.

The Secretary will lock the roll. Do any Senators wish to change their vote? The Secretary will announce the vote. 20 Yeas, 0 nays. And so by a vote of 20 yeas to 0 nays, CS for Senate Bill 249, Judiciary, as amended, has passed the Senate.

Madam Majority Leader. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the vote on the bill be considered the vote on the effective date clause. Hearing no objection, the 30-day clause has been adopted. Madam Secretary, the next item on today's calendar.

See us for House Bill Number 1, State Affairs, an act relating to specie as legal tender in the state and relating to borough and city sales and use taxes on specie before the Senate in third reading on final passage. Thank you. Senator Cronk to carry the bill. Thank you, Mr. President. Good morning.

I appreciate the opportunity to present HB 1 on behalf of the member from the body from the other house, District 30. Many members have seen this legislation before as I carried this in Senate Bill 162. House Bill 1 comes from the Senate today with changes adopted by the other body after extensive collaboration with municipalities, stakeholders, and Alaskans across the state. To recap, HB 1 is about constitutional fidelity, financial freedom, and individual choice. Article 1, Section 10 of the United States Constitution recognizes gold and silver as legal tender.

HB 1 aligns Alaska statute with that constitutional authority. Specifically, what this bill does, it recognizes gold and silver specie as legal tender in Alaska to the fullest extent allowed under the state law or federal law, ensures money itself is not taxed as a commodity, and protects the freedom of Alaskans to choose whether to use it or not. Just as importantly, HB 1 does not create a state currency, does not mandate acceptance by any business or any individual, and does not eliminate municipal taxing authority. Across the country, states are revisiting sound money policy. As of today, 46 states provide some sort of sales tax exemption for precious metals, and multiple states have acted to recognize gold and silver as legal tender in some form.

With passage of HB 1, Alaska would join a growing number of states reaffirming the constitutional role of gold and silver as lawful money. This bill does not attempt to reform federal monetary policy. It simply provides Alaskans with an additional lawful option to exchange currency and treats money as money. Mr. President, I respectfully ask for your support on HB 1 so we can capitalize on this golden opportunity for our state. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Cronk. Is there further discussion?

Seeing none, if you are ready for the question, the question being: Shall CS for House Bill 1, State Affairs, pass the Senate? Senators may proceed to vote.

The Secretary will lock the roll. Do any Senators wish to change their vote? The Secretary will announce the vote. 19 Yeas, 1 nay. And so by a vote of 19 yeas to 1 nay, CS for House Bill 1, State Affairs, has passed the Senate.

Madam Secretary, please read the next item on today's calendar.

Senate Joint Resolution No. 25 By the Senate State Affairs Committee supporting continuation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The Labor and Commerce Committee considered the resolution, recommended it be replaced with a Labor and Commerce Committee substitute. New zero fiscal note. Signing, no recommendation, Senator Bjorkman, Chair.

Signing, do pass, Senator Dunbar. Signing, amend, Senator Yunt, there is a Labor and Commerce Committee substitute. Thank you. Senator Bjorkman. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Labor and Commerce Committee substitute be adopted in lieu of the original bill.

Thank you, Senator. Would you please explain the changes? Absolutely, Mr. President. While being heard in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, the resolution was amended by making the following changes. On page 2, lines 19 through 28, we deleted all of that material.

And replace it with two new recitals. Whereas free trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico makes goods cheaper, expands markets, and creates opportunity for economic growth. And whereas smooth and efficient border crossings for commuters, regular travelers, and their pets will grow trust and mutual goodwill between North American countries. Also on page 3, following line 7, we inserted a new resolving clause Further resolved that this Alaska State Legislature supports the creation of a program that would simplify border crossing for trusted commuters, regular travelers, and their pets. And be it— then on page 3, we deleted any.

"Disruptive Tariffs on," and we inserted, "Work Toward a System of Free Trade With." Also, conforming changes were made to the title. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Bjorkman. Hearing no objection, the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee substitute has been adopted, and this resolution will advance to third reading on our next legislative calendar. Madam Secretary, please read the next item on today's calendar.

House Joint Resolution 39, amended by Representatives Galvin, Hannon, Edgeman, Hall, Freer, Mears, Eichide, Story, Gray, Josephson, Fields, Sadler, Kopp, Foster, Bynum, Stutes, Schragi, Mena, urging the federal government to waive the new H-1B visa fees for teachers in the state. The Education Committee considered the resolution, previous zero fiscal note, signing do pass, Senator Tobin, Chair, Senators Keel, Stevens, signing no recommendation, Senator Yunt. I have no amendments. House Joint Resolution 39 will advance to third reading on our next legislative calendar. Madam Secretary, please read the next item on our calendar.

Citations. In memoriam, Wan Thi Henrich Phap Son Zhiu Thien. In memoriam, Beverly Ann Bev Walters. In memoriam, Anton Tony John Weiss. In memoriam, Jerry Strong.

In memoriam, Sherry Ann Dunlap. In memoriam, Alexander Alex Monterosa. In memoriam, Richard Lee Glor. In memoriam, Linda Hull. Thank you, Madam Majority Leader.

Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the citations on today's calendar be approved. Thank you. Hearing no objection, the citations are approved. Madam Secretary, there are no further items for consideration on today's daily calendar. Thank you.

We are now under unfinished business, and at this time I'm adding a State Affairs Committee referral to House Bill 217, relating to auto— relating to autonomous vehicles.

A brief adies.

Will the Senate come back to order, please? Senator Hoffman. Thank you, Mr. President. I move that HB 278, Ireland Commission, be waived from the Senate Finance Committee. Without objection, so ordered.

Senator Hoffman. I also move that CSR-11 State Seal Commission be waived from the Senate Finance Committee. Without objection, so ordered. Thank you, Senator Hoffman. Senator Keehl.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent to be listed as a co-sponsor on Senate Bill 208, the Agriculture Lease Bill. Without objection, so ordered. Senator Keehl. And along with Senator Giesel and Senator Yunt and Senator Clayman and Senator Kaufman.

Is anybody else? All right. Senator Clayman. Thank you, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent to be added as a cross-sponsor to House Joint Resolution 39 relating to H-1B visas.

Without objection, so ordered. Along with Senator Giesel, Senator Steadman, Senator Tobin, Senator Dunbar, Senator Yunt, and myself, Stevens.

All right, Senator Croc. Thank you, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent to be shown as a cross-sponsor on House Bill 1, Speecie as Legal Tender. Thank you. Without objection, so ordered.

Along with Senator Tilton, Senator Bjorkman, Senator Yunt.

Thank you. Is there further unfinished business at this time?

Seeing none, are there committee announcements?

Moving on to other announcements. Senator Hoffman. Thank you, Mr. President. The conference committee on the operating budget HB 263 and HB 265 will be held this afternoon at 4 PM. Thank you, Senator Hoffman.

Additional other announcements? Moving on then to special orders. Are there special orders? Senator Tobin. Thank you, Mr. President.

I move and ask unanimous consent for the special permission of the floor to speak on myalgic encephalomyelitis. Without objection, so ordered. Thank you, Mr. President. Well, last year you all joined me in helping to recognize May 12th as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Awareness Day. That is also known as ME/CFS.

The bill was inspired by a constituent of mine who is suffering from ME/CFS and has been an incredible advocate to bring awareness to this condition. And this past week I have heard of awareness events from places like Homer and in Natsu and also in Anchorage, bringing much-needed acknowledgment of this debilitating disease. Now for those who need a refresher on what is ME/CFS, it is a serious chronic neurologic disease that affects over 9 million Americans of all ages. It is often a lifetime disability that causes 75% of those afflicted with it unable to work, or attend school. 25% Of those folks are housebound and unable to leave their homes.

Since 2020, we have seen a 5 times increase of ME/CFS due to cases of Long COVID affecting more than 56 million Americans, costing us over $3.7 trillion. It is an underfunded disease with very little awareness. And I am very thankful to all of you, and I extend my deepest gratitude for helping us establish today as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Awareness Day. For those who might remember, May 12th is the birthdate of Florence Nightingale, the English Army nurse who inspired the establishment of the International Red Cross and who was believed to have this illness. Once again, we honor her today, and we acknowledge all of those in our communities who are suffering from ME/CFS.

And I just want to say that we see you today and we are here to give you hope. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Tobin. Additional special orders at this time? Seeing none, Madam Majority Leader.

Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. That's Wednesday, May 13th, 2026. Thank you. Hearing no objection, the Senate is adjourned.