Senate Floor Session, 4/22/26, 11am

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

There are 19 members present. Thank you. With 19 members shown as present, we have a quorum to conduct business. The invocation this morning will be given by Reverend Nancy Campbell with the Whitefields Church. Members, please rise.

Dear Heavenly Father, our Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him? Taken from Psalms 8:1, 3, and 4. Yet you are mindful of us, dear Lord, and you care about each one of us here today. You know what concerns us and the burdens we carry.

So Lord, I pray now that the senders, that you lift those concerns from their shoulders and grant them your peace that passes all understanding. May they complete their work set before them this day. Bless their labors and let your presence be here with them as they reason together. Bring refreshing to them, grant them good health, and strengthen them as they near the end of this session. Bless them now, Lord.

I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Reverend Campbell. Senator Kawasaki, 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 Kawasaki. Will the Secretary please certify the journal? I certify as to the correctness of the journal for the 92nd 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 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. President. Mr. President, today I'm pleased to introduce Linnea Carlstrom and her mother and Jillian Schroeder, and they were my constituents, but now they are currently represented by the Senator from District J. But I've had the pleasure of working closely with Jillian in her advocacy for education in support of deaf and hard of hearing students in Alaska.

Linnea is 6 years old and lives in East Anchorage with her mother, father, and 10-year-old brother. She was born deaf and is a first-grade student at the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing located at Russian Jack Elementary School in Anchorage. Linnea is here today to advocate for her own educational needs and those of her deaf and hard of hearing peers. So please join me in welcoming Linnea and her mom Jillian here in the chamber. Thank you, Mr. President.

[APPLAUSE] Thank you, Senator Gray Jackson. Now, Senator Bjorkman.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. It is my esteemed pleasure to welcome to the chamber today in the grow gallery 3 educators from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. First up is Mr. Derek Ratcliffe. He is a teacher at the Aurora Borealis Charter School in Kenai. He lives in Soldotna and of course hails from my mighty district of District D. He's here to advocate for a secure retirement, loves HB 78, especially the Labor and Commerce Committee substitute.

That's oddly specific. And also here to advocate for teacher recruitment and retention efforts. Thank you for being here, Derek. Next up we have Luke Herman from Soldotna. He's a teacher at SOI High School.

He is here to advocate for resources for school and retention of education staff. Staff. Finally, Joel Williams from Seward, Alaska. He is a teacher at Seward High. He's here in Juneau to advocate for better teacher retirement system and a cap on local contribution amounts.

Gentlemen, thank you for being here. Welcome to the Senate chamber today.

Thank you, Senator Bjorkman. Are there further guests for introduction? Seeing none, Madam Secretary, are there messages from the governor? I have no messages from the governor this morning, Mr. President. Thank you.

Are there messages from the House? Messages dated April 21st stating the House has passed and is transmitting for consideration. CS for House Bill number 25, Labor and Commerce, amended by the House Labor and Commerce Committee, an act relating to disposable food serviceware and containers provided by customers and providing for an effective date. Thank you. Referred to State Affairs and Labor and Commerce.

CS for House Bill 263, Finance, amended by the House Finance Committee, an act making appropriations for the operating and loan program expenses of state government and for certain programs, capitalizing funds, making supplemental appropriations, and providing for an effective date. Referred to Finance. CS for House Bill 265, Finance, amended by the House Finance Committee an act making appropriations for the operating and capital expenses of the state's integrated comprehensive mental health program and providing for an effective date. Approved to the Finance 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. Are there reports of standing committees? Report dated April 21 stating, in accordance with AS 3905080, the Health and Social The Services Committee held a hearing on the following appointees.

A signature on this report does not reflect intent by any of the members to vote for or against the confirmation of the individuals during any further sessions. Board of Examiners in Optometry: Damian Delzer, Kathleen Rice. Board of Nursing: Heather Crivello, Michael Collins. Board of Social Work Examiners: Ivy Villani. State Medical Board: Norman Walker.

State Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board: Eliza Ellsworth. Board of Professional Counselors, Jill Ann Garrity. Board of Pharmacy, Sarah Rasmussen. Signing the report, Senator Dunbar, Chair. Senators Myers, Clayman, Tobin, Giesel.

The State Affairs Committee considered Senate Bill 239, Motor Vehicle Registration, previous zero fiscal note. Signing amend, Senator Kawasaki, Chair. Signing do pass, Senators Gray Jackson, Tilton, Bjorkman, Signing no recommendation, Senator Wilkowski. The bill has no further referral. It is in the Rules Committee.

The Community and Regional Affairs Committee considered Senate Bill 250, Data Centers Utilities, and recommended it be replaced with the Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute, New Zero Fiscal Note. Signing no recommendation, Senator Dunbar, Vice Chair Senator Yunt. Signing do pass, Senator Gray Jackson. The bill has a further referral to the Labor and Commerce Committee. The Community and Regional Affairs Committee considered Senate Bill Number 265, criminally negligent homicide, failure to assist, new zero fiscal notes, signing no recommendation.

Senator Dunbar, Vice Chair Senator Yunt signing do pass. Senator Gray Jackson, the bill has a further referral to the Judiciary Committee. The State Affairs Committee considered Senate Bill Number 282, military joint armed services committee, and recommended it be replaced with State Affairs Committee substitute. New fiscal note, signing do pass, Senator Kawasaki. Chair, Senator Bjorkman.

Signing no recommendation, Senators Wilkowski, Gray Jackson, Tilton. The bill has no further referral. It is in the Rules Committee. The State Affairs Committee considered CS for House Concurrent Resolution number 9, State Affairs amended, Declaration of Independence anniversary. Previous zero fiscal note, signing do pass, Senator Kawasaki.

Chair, Senator Gray Jackson. Signing a recommendation, Senators Wilkowski, Tilton, Bjorkman. The bill has— the resolution has no further referral. It is in the Rules Committee. And those are all the standing committee reports this morning, Mr. President.

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

Senate Concurrent Resolution Number 21 by the Senate Education Committee, suspending Rules 24C-35 41B and 42E, Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature concerning House Bill Number 28, Establishing a Student Loan Repayment Pilot Program. Senate Concurrent Resolution Number 21 will lay on the Secretary's desk. Those are all the resolutions for introduction today, Mr. President. Thank you, Madam Secretary. Are there Senate bills for introduction?

I have no Senate bills for introduction today. Thank you, Madam Secretary. Move on to the first item on today's Senate Bill 192 by Senator Bjorkman, an act relating to evacuation designation levels and relating to the Alaska Disaster Act. The Community and Regional Affairs Committee considered the bill and recommended it be replaced with a Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute. New zero fiscal note.

Signing no recommendation, Senator Merrick. Chair, Senator Dunbar. Signing do pass. Senators Gray, Jackson, Yunt. The Resources Committee considered the bill and recommended the adoption of the previous Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute, previous zero fiscal note, signing do pass.

Senator Giesel, Chair, Senators Myers, Clayman, signing no recommendation. Senator Dunbar, signing amend. Senator Kawasaki. There is a rule— there is a Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute. Thank you.

Senator Merrick. Good morning, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent that the Community and Regional Affairs Committee substitute of Senate Bill 192 be considered and adopted in lieu of the original bill. Thank you, Senator Merrick. Would you please explain the changes?

Yes, Mr. President. The Community and Regional Affairs Committee amended the bill to incorporate language that political subdivisions who make an evacuation plan should use the Ready, Set, Go designations spelled out in this bill. Thank you. Hearing no objection, the Senate Community and Regional Affairs 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.

Senate Bill 272 by the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, an act relating to the electronic health information exchange system and providing for an effective date. The Health and Social Services Committee considered the bill, new zero fiscal note, Signing do pass: Senator Dunbar, Chair, Senators Clayman, Giesel. Signing no recommendation: Senator Tobin. The Labor and Commerce Committee considered the bill, previous zero fiscal note. Signing no recommendation: Senator Bjorkman, Chair, Senators Merrick, Yunt.

Signing do pass: Senators Dunbar, Gray, Jackson. I have no amendments. Thank you. SB 272 will advance to third reading on our next legislative calendar. Madam Secretary, please read the next item.

House Bill number 33 by Representatives Stutes, Hemmschut, Hannan, an act relating to participation in matters before the Board of Fisheries and the Board of Game by the members of the respective boards and providing for an effective date. The Community and Regional Affairs Committee considered the bill. New zero fiscal note, signing no recommendation. Senator Merrick, Chair Senator Yunt. Signing do pass: Senators Olson, Dunbar, Gray-Jackson.

The Resources Committee considered the bill previous zero fiscal note. Signing do pass: Senator Giesel, Chair, Senators Clayman, Dunbar, Rauscher, Myers. Signing amend: Senators Kawasaki, Wilkowski. I have no amendments. Thank you.

HBE 33 will advance to third reading on our next legislative calendar. Madam Secretary, please read the next item on our calendar.

See us for Senate Bill Number 21, Finance, an act establishing the Alaska Work and Save Program in the Department of Revenue and providing for an effective date, before the Senate in third reading on final passage. Thank you, Senator Wielekowski, to carry the bill. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very glad to be on this floor advocating for this version of Senate Bill 21. Ah, I was at a constituent coffee recently talking with some constituents about a somewhat controversial piece of legislation, and a wise constituent said to me, "What problem are you trying to solve?" And I think that's a good lens for us to look for when we're looking at legislation that we are talking about enacting.

We have a savings problem in this state and in this country. Over half of American households have no retirement savings at all, and over 20% of Alaska's population is retirement age or older. The IRS has reported that the average monthly Social Security payment for 2026 is around $2,000, yet the average cost of living in Alaska exceeds $5,000 per month. Social Security alone will not help Alaskans. It will not allow them to afford to live in this state.

And when Alaskans don't have savings, there's more of a reliance on state programs like SNAP and Medicaid, which cost our state hundreds of millions of dollars per year. And that is exactly what we're seeing as the percentage of Alaska seniors living below the poverty level has nearly doubled between 2010 and 2021, with 1 in 10 Alaskan seniors now below the poverty level. The number of seniors receiving SNAP benefits has doubled right along with that. Over 100,000 Alaskans work for small businesses, yet 64% of small businesses don't offer any retirement at all. Small businesses across Alaska recognize recognize this problem.

A survey done by the American Association of Retired People for Alaska revealed that 86% of small businesses say that more should be done to encourage Alaska residents to save for retirement. So what's the problem? It's not because small businesses, businesses don't want to offer retirement plans for their employees. The biggest barrier, according to surveys that have been done is that it's cost. 71% Of small businesses express concern about the cost to operate a retirement plan.

Research shows that setting up a retirement program can cost a small business anywhere from $4,800 to $17,000 per year. There are paperwork requirements, there are time requirements, It's a complex process. And for small businesses, this is a, is a tremendous deterrent. The AARP also showed that 70% of small businesses would support a savings plan if it were an option. This bill does the exact thing that the people of Alaska send us here to do.

It fixes a problem in a way that doesn't overreach. That helps the business community, that helps workers, and is good for our state. The bill creates the Alaska Work and Save program, which will help Alaskan workers save for retirement and create an option to set aside a portion of their PFD in a tax-advantaged account. This statewide program will set up individual retirement accounts for workers who do not already have employer-sponsored retirement plans. These savings are fully portable when an employee changes jobs or retires.

This program will help Alaskan businesses offer a competitive benefit at no cost. My office has received over 50 letters of support from small businesses all across Alaska, from the Alaska Commission on Aging, The TIAA, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, the Food Bank of Alaska, AARP, which is— this is one of their top priorities, the American Red Cross of Alaska, AgeNet. This is something that many other states across the country are doing and are discussing doing. 17 Other states have implemented similar legislation. They call this Auto IRA in other states.

Mississippi just passed a very similar type of program to this unanimously in their state Senate and 118 to 1 in their state House. Utah's House of Representatives just passed their version 71 to 1, and Kansas's Committee on Financial Institutions and Pensions just introduced a similar bill. This is something that's being done by states all across the political spectrum, all across the country. There are several state partnerships that exist to help keep costs low for the state and for workers. And I want to emphasize, this program is completely an optional opt-out program.

If employees don't want to participate, they are free to opt out. But what we found is that workers are 20 times more likely to save when they are automatically enrolled. And 67 to 80% of workers stay in the existing programs. The private marketplace offers tax-advantaged accounts, but they are often cumbersome to understand, only have assistance available during working hours, and charge various fees, which pushes costs onto the saver. This bill has undergone several significant changes along the way.

We worked closely with the Department of Revenue, the Senate Finance and Labor and Commerce Committee to make this bill fit Alaska's unique needs. We added a provision to ensure that the program is designed for participants to, to benefit from future federal incentives that were advocated by President Trump during his State of the Union address through their work and save accounts. This includes potential $1,000 retirement incentives that the President spoke about that are established under the SECURE 2.0 Act. We revised the definition of employer to exempt businesses with 5 or fewer employees and that have been in operation for less than 3 years. And this was a change that was made in the Finance Committee to address the concerns that this is— might be a little cumbersome for businesses that are just starting up.

I would note that, uh, 8 other states have exempted employers with 5 or fewer employees, so we're in par with where other states are. We've removed all the penalties and fines. We're—. This is not an attempt to be oppressive for small businesses, and so we're removing the fines and the penalties. We've clarified that employer guidance and training will be coordinated through the Department of Finance Passing this bill is an important step forward towards genuinely improving the lives of Alaskans by helping them save for a rewarding retirement.

And I would urge the body's support. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Wielekowski. Is there additional discussion? Senator Myers.

Yes, thank you, Mr. President. So the sponsor of the bill already stole my thunder about some supporting SB 21.

I kind of— I've been conflicted about this bill the last few days as I saw it coming to the floor. It is a form of portable benefits, which I think is good, which is spreading throughout the country as something absolutely necessary. But I've also been a little concerned. We've got a mandate for business in here. I'm not It seems very unclear as to exactly what that means.

It does say businesses have to help with the administration of the program, but there's— I'm not seeing exactly what that means, what it could mean for business in terms of time or costs. And this is on top of, you know, businesses still trying to wrap their heads around the sick leave requirement that just got passed by the voters here a year and a half ago. So this is another administrative cost on top of that. I did speak with the Alaska Chamber. Recently about this.

They are concerned about the mandate as well and are— if it was optional for employers, they'd be more on board with it, is what they told me. But with it being mandatory for employers, they can't support it. And unfortunately, I can't support this at this time either. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Myers.

Is there further discussion?

Seeing none, Senator Bolickowski, in wrap-up.

Mr. President, I appreciate the comments.

I would say a couple things. Number 1, we tried to make this with the lightest possible touch that we could. There are no penalties. Yes, we are putting this into state law. The way we envision this is that employers, when an employee hires on, will simply give them a sheet of paper and the employee will sign— will either agree or not agree to sign in, become a part of this program.

There will be zero cost to the employer to implement this program. If you have 5 employees, you should have— you, you probably have a payroll system. You have to have a payroll system at that point, and the, the payments will be automatically deducted out. It will be set up by the state The state will assume the fiduciary role. It will be—.

The investments will be dealt with by either the state of Alaska or a participating state that we work with. And there's no penalties to businesses for not doing this. Again, this is not meant to be punitive in any way. This is simply trying to solve a problem that the small business community recognizes exists, that that employees recognize exists, that the state recognizes exists in the lightest possible way. As far as making it whether it should be opt-in or opt-out for employees, other states have tried this situation where they have employees either opt-in or opt-out.

It just hasn't worked. In New Mexico's Work and Save program, they had an opt-in. It never reached financial feasibility. Massachusetts, which has an optional program for— has only a 5% participation rate because it's opt-in. Washington has an optional marketplace program that's estimated to only have 2.5% participation.

Unfortunately, what we see is that people, employees will just not opt in. But once they're in, they tend to really like the program. And so again, employees are free to opt out at any time. And quite frankly, if you have a small business with 1 or 2 employees and the employees all opt out, then you have nothing to do at that point. I appreciate the concerns.

I feel this bill has been very thoroughly vetted. It's something that's working all across the country in both progressive and very conservative states, and I think it's a good addition to the state of Alaska. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Wolekowski. If you are ready for the question, the question being, shall CS for Senate Bill 21 finance 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. 15 Yeas, 4 nays. And so by a vote of 15 yeas to 4 nays, CS for Senate Bill 21 Finance 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. 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 163 Labor and Commerce. An act relating to inactive state accounts and funds, repealing the Public Access Fund, repealing the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program Emergency Account, repealing the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games Reserve Fund, and providing for an effective date before the Senate in third reading on final passage. Thank you. Senator Kaufman to carry the bill.

Thank you, Mr. President. I've been joking about this bill as kind of a zombie hunter opportunity. The reason being is that we create statute, we create accounts for money to go to, that then other things come up. We go by different means, we do different solutions, or the need for the accounts and the verbiage ends up not being needed. So back in the prior legislature, many will recall that we created the bill, um, here on this floor.

We voted it out and it passed, uh, to create the process where every 2 years we look for these accounts and, uh, language that's in our statute books that we just don't need. And so, uh, this bill is, is one of a couple that I've, I've got in the body right now. Um, it's made it through the committee process, and I thank the, the chairs of the committee and the committee members for their support as we've gone along the way. And despite the sometimes attractive name that these funds get, they're not needed. I mean, for example, we're going to finally get rid of the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games Reserve Fund.

I think that bird has flown, so I think we're done with that. So that's the simple purpose of the bill. It's really just cleanup of our statutes, cleanup of our accounting ledgers, and the processes—ledge finance, goes through, looks for candidates to get rid of, and then the committees vet them and say, yep, they're not needed anymore. And that's where we are today. So I ask for your support.

Thank you, Senator Kaufman. Is there further discussion?

Seeing none, if you are ready for the question, question being, shall CS for Senate Bill 163, Labor and Commerce, 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, 0 nays. And so by a vote of 19 yeas to 0 nays, CS for Senate Bill 163, Labor and Commerce, 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. I hear no objections. And the effective date clause has been adopted.

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

Senate Joint Resolution No. 20 By Senator Bjorkman supporting federal, state, and local efforts to clean up and remove marine debris from the state, urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to provide additional funding for those efforts. And to remove barriers faced by tribes and rural communities in accessing those funds, and urging the Alaska congressional delegation to advocate for increased federal funding and support for marine debris prevention, cleanup, removal, backhaul, and education. Before the Senate on third reading. Final passage.

Thank you, Madam Secretary. Senator Bjorkman to carry the resolution. Thank you very much, Mr. President. SGR 20.

Uh, does just as the clerk read in the title. It works in conjunction with our federal delegation to encourage the federal government to enable and unlock certain funds, specifically matching funds for federal grants, so that folks can go out and continue to clean up the garbage and trash off of Alaska's beaches that that almost always Alaskans didn't create. If you've spent any time out on the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, or even inland marine waters, you may have noticed quite a bit of trash on the beach. Trash on the beach could be really cool things like Asian glass floats that held up fishing nets decades or maybe centuries ago. But most often it is old line, it is plastic garbage, it is all manners and sorts of things, beat-up foam chunks, old baskets, hats, shirts.

It's truly amazing what you find on the beach, Mr. President. But this is trash and garbage that needs to be taken out. This resolution before before us today urges the federal government to continue the partnership with Alaskans, our fishermen, beachcombers, and folks of all sorts, varieties, and ages who wish to, as a community, get some additional financial resources that aid in cleaning up this marine debris and trash off the beach. I urge members to vote yes. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Bjergman. Is there further discussion? If you are ready for the question, the question being, shall Senate Joint Resolution 20 pass 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, 0 nays. And so by a vote of 19 yeas to 0 nays, SJR 20 has passed the Senate.

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

CS for House Joint Resolution number 14, Transportation, supporting the completion of the Port McKenzie rail extension and the Northern Rail extension, supporting the increase in defensive capabilities at Fort Greely, Alaska, encouraging a renewed commitment by the Alaska Railroad to a community-minded approach to future rail expansion and encouraging the development of critical Arctic infrastructure before the Senate in third reading on final passage. Thank you, Senator Young, to carry the resolution.

Good morning, Mr. President. Thank you for giving me the opportunity today to share with you House Joint Resolution 14. HJR 14 is a resolution that calls for the completion of two very important projects: the Port McKenzie rail extension and the Northern rail extension. Once completed, these two projects will greatly advance Alaska's strategic infrastructure and reaffirm Alaska's role in the Arctic, specifically pertaining to national defense, America's future development of critical minerals. We also need to consider public safety, food security, and the rural impact.

Rail provides a safer alternative to industrial trucking on highways is not built for that burden. Fewer oversized trucks on our narrow northern roads means a much, much safer for all Alaskans, much safer road system for all Alaskans. For 6 years, former Representative Sumner and I worked tirelessly while serving on our local Matsu Borough Assembly to advance the Port McKenzie's priorities, and today's resolution represents one more step in that direction. Port Mack is one of the world's north— is the world's northernmost port on the road system and could someday serve as a lifeline to northern Alaska in the event that we have another 1964 earthquake. Even the recent earthquake in 19— or 2018, which was substantially smaller than the one in '64, did a massive amount of damage to structures, roads, and even affected some of the bridges in south-central Alaska.

Mr. President, Alaska was within seconds of a major catastrophic event so bad that many of our northern communities could have went without food or fuel until those roads or bridges had been fixed. Earthquakes aside, Alaska is the only state in America with a coastline on the Arctic Ocean, a region that is quickly becoming a frontline in global competition and when— and where many fear World War freedom can be won or lost someday. While other Arctic nations invest heavily in strategic infrastructure, the United States is falling behind. Again, this resolution helps close that gap. Today, with the support of this body, we all have an opportunity to come together and create a much more safe and secure Alaska for all of us.

Mr. President, I thank you and the body again for considering House Joint Resolution 14, and I kindly I ask for your support. Thank you, Senator. Under discussion, Senator Dunbar.

Thank you, Mr. President. Um, you know, this resolution is a, is an example of something we often do in this body where we combine two different ideas that aren't really related to each other, and half of it I support and half of it I don't. And so I probably will vote for this resolution despite the fact I think about half of it is a bad idea. The Northern Rail Extension is an interesting idea. I think Fort Greeley does need a link to the rail system, and if there's federal funds available for something like that, then I certainly support it.

The Port McKenzie Rail Extension, on the other hand, I cannot support at this time. It would be hugely expensive, hundreds of millions of dollars, and then it would get to a that itself needs hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to achieve the things that folks want it to achieve. When I was serving on the Anchorage Assembly— the Anchorage Assembly is essentially the board of directors for the Port of Alaska at Anchorage— and we get to speak with the actual director and the actual folks that are working there. And we also have the unique opportunity to take small boats down and see the pilings there. And you can put your thumb through some of those rusted-out pilings.

Um, the prior speaker mentioned the need to protect food security and to protect our ports. That's absolutely true, and any money that we had for that goal should be going to repair the Port of Alaska at Anchorage, which is desperate for funds, although now is able to raise funds through its tariff. I, uh, appreciate that this body voted to put $15 and potentially $25 $25 million towards the port in our most recent capital budget. That is at least a recognition of its strategic importance. But I'll say something else about serving on the assembly.

You get a chance to go down to the waterline and see that port, and they take you to the northern extension, which has now been removed, and the sheet pilings there, and you can see how they were damaged. We wasted as a state hundreds of millions of dollars, and the federal government too, building that extension with a flawed design. The interesting thing is, when I went and saw that, we also took that small boat across the Knik Arm and we went to look at Port McKenzie. And there are sheet pilings just like that in parts of Point McKenzie, which are already failing as well. We are talking hundreds of millions of dollars of repairs.

If another entity wants to come in and help us do that, perhaps we can entertain that. But again, we will be taking funds away from our existing port. Which is on the road system, which is on the rail system, that can receive— it already receives 80% of the material that comes through the rail belt. So again, half of this resolution that has to do with the northern extension, I support. I do not think— I'm a fiscal conservative.

If we are going to be spending huge amount of money on infrastructure, we should have plans to maintain it. We haven't done that with our highways. We're talking about expansions to the Seward Highway right now that we can't, we can't afford. And this would be another one of those kind of boondoggles unless someone can show me real evidence that this thing would be self-sustaining. It's worth hundreds of millions of dollars of investment and it would not harm our existing port infrastructure.

That doesn't just include the Port of Alaska in Anchorage. Of course, we already have a backup port in Seward as well. So I probably will vote for this resolution, but I do not want to to be interpreted that I think that we should throw good money after bad when it comes to the current version of Port McKenzie. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Senator Dunbar. Senator Rauscher. Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. So, Mr. President, I rise in strong support of HJR 14, which urges the completion of Port Mac rail spur and the Northern Rail Extension. It's a resolution to advance Alaska's strategic infrastructure and reaffirm the state's role in Alaska's economic resilience, national defense, and Arctic leadership.

Mr. President, Fort Greely is our ground-based midcourse defense system, sharing road service with traffic delays, icy corridors, bottlenecks, and supplies is unacceptable. We must have a better, safer way for those needed military supplies to get to Fort Greely. The Northern Rail Extension, just, uh, 70 miles from Delta Junction, would provide that. The roadway to Delta Junction is dangerous in the winter. Ice and accidents are the norm.

There has been a safer way to commute, and this is it. Supplies for residents as well need to go up and down that highway, and they need to do it safely, and they need to do it in a better way. The road— the rail to Port Mac would provide links to agriculture, mining resources, including bringing critical minerals in the west of Sitna to Tidewater. The need for mining critical minerals listed by the President's Executive Order 1425 2-4-1 is paramount, and the rail system will help make that happen. Port Mac is the future.

It's not a future concept. It's a $100 million port which we have already constructed. It sits on over 9,000 acres of industrial land and is fully operational year-round. The rail spur to connect to this, to the Alaska Railway mainline, is already halfway complete, Mr. President, with $184 million of state and federal investment in the ground already. 25 Miles of embankment, all bridges and 110 culverts finished.

Some have raised concerns about Port Mac viability. Mr. President, those concerns— let's just look at them. The port provides 60 feet of depth at low water with zero dredging. Let me say that again, zero dredging. The channel is naturally scoured by tidal flows.

Currents in front of the deep draft dock average 4 to 7 knots, well within operating limits of modern vessels. In fact, the largest ship ever to call in Upper Cook Inlet has already docked there, and it did that successfully. It experiences the same tidal fluctuations, 30+ feet, and winter ice conditions as the Port of Anchorage, only 1.5 miles away. The port is open 365 days a year, capable of handling barges and deep draft vessels for bulk commodities such as wood chips, salt, cement, and coal. Port McKenzie is deliberately different from Port of Anchorage or Port of Alaska, and that is its strength.

It's a blank slate already ready to accept these barges and bulk cargo. It will unlock minerals, timber, construction materials, and LNG and other projects which create thousands of jobs, Mr. President, create new state revenue, and strengthen our national security by diversifying our supply chains. Mr. President, I've already— it's already done. We have already done the hard work. Now it's time to finish what we started.

I urge my colleagues to support SJR 14 and send a clear message Alaska is serious about developing resources, its transportation efforts, building its economy and securing its fortune with these entities. Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Senator Rosser. Senator Wielechowski. Thank you, Mr. President.

I appreciate the debate, and I find it somewhat fascinating that we spend more time debating resolutions a lot of time than we do on multi-billion dollar budget bills. With that said, I, uh, I'm going to support this resolution. I'm not— it's not that I don't share the same concerns that my, my friend and colleague from Anchorage in District J mentioned, because I do. I, I'm supporting this because it's a resolution and it does not commit the state to fund this project going forward. In fact, if you look at the further resolved on page 3, it says— if I could read, Mr. President— line 22 is further resolved that the Alaska State Legislature urges the the Alaska delegation in Congress to pursue the completion of the Port Mackenzie rail extension and the Northern Rail extension.

This is not requiring the state to fund this in the future. In fact, I may be one of the only ones here that's actually opposed funding for this rail extension in the past. I probably did not speak very kindly of this project in the past and voted against that. With that said, this is not committing any state funds to go forward. This is simply urging Congress, if they have the funding and they have the mechanism— and I understand that there may be some federal funding that may be available for this project— and if we can get federal funding for the project, we have a big state that needs a lot of infrastructure development, then I am willing to support that.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Velikovsky. Senator Myers. Thank you, Mr. President.

So when it comes to ports, for myself coming from the interior, I'm somewhat port agnostic. Don't really care where it lands, just get it off the ship, put it on a truck or train, and get it up to Fairbanks, and I'm happy. But I've got a little bit of a unique perspective because I've actually hauled freight out of Port McKenzie a few times. And primarily I've hauled cement out of there, Mr. President, and I was hauling double bulkers out of Port McKenzie. And I got to say, if anybody's driven down that road, it's a pretty narrow winding road and it's not a fun one to haul doubles down as you're going past Goose Creek Correctional Center and going down Connect Goose Bay Road.

So I kind of like to see that curtailed a little bit by having a rail extension in instead. I know I'm speaking against my own profession here a little bit, but, you know, we talk a lot about— it seems like we talk that Port McKenzie is the competitor to Anchorage in a few ways, perhaps, Mr. President. But really, the competitor to Port McKenzie is actually Valdez, because there's a lot of cargo that we can't bring into Anchorage, whether it's the nature of the cargo or whether it's the size of the cargo. We don't want to be hauling it through congested Anchorage traffic or through high population areas. And at least for the stuff coming up to the interior, a lot of that comes through Valdez instead.

So for example, the Army sends in ammunition ships every now and then. By federal law, they can't send that through Anchorage, so they dock it at Valdez, and then we have to truck it from Valdez up to Fairbanks or truck the ammunition from Valdez back to J-Bear. In Anchorage.

We— in my profession, hauling a lot of things up to the North Slope, there ends up being things that are 12, 14, 16 feet wide or maybe extra long that we don't want to haul through Anchorage traffic. Maybe it's too heavy to go across that bridge in C Street and hang that left turn onto 6th Avenue. It gets tricky, Mr. President. And I'd like to see an alternative. Going through Valdez in the winter gets interesting as well, going through Thompson Pass there, and giving us an alternative through Point McKenzie is, is great for a better transportation corridor, more resilience, more options, as a couple of previous speakers have mentioned.

And I'd I'd like to see that alternative. As a couple of folks mentioned, we're a little budget constrained, and rebuilding the roads in and out of Port McKenzie are not in the cards right now. But if we can talk to the federal government about finishing that rail extension, I believe that that's something that's going to be quite productive, help pull some traffic off the roads, make things a little safer for us, and make things a little smoother in moving freight as we're trying to expand our natural resource development. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Myers.

Senator Crowe. Thank you, Mr. President. Obviously, I support this resolution from my first year over in the other body. You know, we've always supported this.

Food security is also, you know, is a huge issue for the state. We've got a limited growing season, limited lands. But for Alaska, the vast majority of A lot of our food is shipped up through South Central or trucked through Canada. The community of Delta does a fantastic job of farming and ranching, but what we lack is that critical infrastructure. The opportunity in Delta to seriously increase the number of beef and pork, or cattle, or beef and pigs that we have is just limited by the infrastructure.

And the Northern Rail extension would solve that question. National security, Fort Greely is the only military base in Alaska connected by rail. It's a missile defense base, you know, it's crucial to defending our country. A rail would support resource development projects like mining. We've had, you know, a mine open right in our— my little town of Troke there up on the hill, and one of the big complaints we've heard is about trucking that ore down our highways.

Well, this, uh, if we had this extension there to Delta, this would have limited our miles on that road and really would make things a safer for people driving the highway. We've invested $200 million on a bridge across the Tanana River by SALCHA that was supposed to finish this Northern Rail extension. So that's already in place, and that is kind of an example of what our state has really done in the past is we fund something, then we quit funding it. We never actually complete projects. We talk about resiliency and You know, I was out on a winter moose hunt when the last earthquake hit, and you know, there was rumors that the bridges collapsed on Eagle River.

And you know, that's very concerning to us in Interior, because if that, you know, we can't access that, then we're going to have a very difficult time accessing. So Port Mack is a resiliency for Interior Alaska. So if something tragic or, you know, something like a very serious earthquake happens, we have that ability to get over to that port and get our goods up there. These projects are both good for Alaska. You know, I've always voted for what's good for Alaska.

When we brought up the sewer dock expansion, you know, it's not in my district, but, you know, that's good for Alaska. I supported it. When we talked about the Willow resolution, that's good for Alaska. I'm going to support it. Bottom line, this resolution is good for Alaska.

So I hope everybody supports it. Thank you, Senator Cronkite. Is there further discussion? Senator Youngton, wrap up. Very well.

If you are ready for the question, question being, shall CS for House Joint Resolution 14 Transportation 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. 18 Yeas, 1 nay. And so by a vote of 18 yeas to 1 nay, CS for House Joint Resolution 14, Transportation, has passed the Senate.

Madam Secretary, please read the next item on today's calendar. Citations honoring Fairbanks Art Association 60th anniversary, honoring Glenda D. Ledford, honoring Deborah Brewer, honoring the Pacific Community of Alaska 5th anniversary, honoring Deborah Corbett, in memoriam Amber Dawn Wright. In memoriam, Richard Dick Ferris. In memoriam, Tony Dean Peter. Thank you.

Madam Majority Leader. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the citations on today's calendar be approved. Hearing no objection, the citations are approved. Madam Secretary, please read the next item on today's calendar. There is a special order of business citation honoring Valerie Jean Genie Nelson on member's desks.

Thank you, Madam Majority Leader. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Senate take up the special order of business citation on today's calendar. Hearing no objection, the special order of business citation is before the Senate. Madam Majority Leader? Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the special order of business citation be approved.

Hearing no objection, the special order of business citation is approved. Madame Secretary? There are no further items to consider on today's daily calendar. Thank you. At this time, is there unfinished business?

Senator Roscher. Thank you, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent to be shown as a co-sponsor on House Joint Resolution 14, Point McKenzie and Northern Rail Extensions, and House Bill 39, Education Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Without objection, so ordered. Senator Cronk on Which are both on the resolution.

Senator Crocker on the resolution as well as Senator Tilton on the resolution. Senator Myers on the resolution. Senator Steadman on the resolution. Senator Yunt, Senator Kawasaki on the resolution.

Brief at ease.

Come back to order, please. On Senator Roscher's motion on this death— on deaf and hearing— would you state it again, Senator Roscher? Yes, thank you very much, Mr. President. I'll do one at a time. We've already done the first one.

So I move and ask unanimous consent to be shown as a cross-sponsor on House Joint Resolution 14, Port McKenzie and Northern Rail Extension. Thank you. So on the Port McKenzie, anyone want to add to that? We've already added folks to it, and we'll add Senator Kaufman to it. All right, Senator Roscher.

And I also move and ask unanimous consent to be shown as a cross-sponsor on House Bill 39, Education Communication for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. So, Senator Rosser, we'll add to that Senator Steadman and Senator Yunt and Senator Kaufman and Senator Kawasaki. Okay, thank you. And also, we'll add Senator Clayman to that. Very well.

And Senator Tobin, under— we are under unfinished business. Thank you, Mr. President. I move and ask unanimous consent to be listed as a cross-sponsor for House Bill 28, teacher grant programs. Thank you. We will order that, that you'll be shown as a cross-sponsor.

Moving on to any other unfinished business. Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent to be shown as a cross-sponsor on House Bill 25 regarding poly styrene food service containers. Thank you. Without objection, so ordered. Along with Senator Tobin, uh, Senator Gray Jackson.

Thank you. Additional unfinished business at this time. Moving on to committee announcements. Are there committee announcements? And are there any other announcements?

Senator Tobin. Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to invite everyone to a meeting of the Task Force on Education Funding meeting today at 3:30 PM in the Davis Committee Room. We will be taking up the topic of residential school funding, also talking about career and technical education, CTE programs, as well as discussing charter schools and correspondence programs. Again, that is today at 3:30 PM in Davis 106.

Thank you, Senator Durbin. Any other announcements? Senator Kiel. Thank you, Mr. President, and good afternoon, I think it is. Close.

Right on the bubble. Mr. President, this weekend, as we barrel toward the end of session, I know fewer and fewer folks are traveling. This weekend, there's an opportunity to see a heartwarming and delightful show, a classic. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. It is being performed at McPheeters Hall— shows Friday and Saturday night and Thursday matinee.

There are posters around the building, posters on my office door. It happens to be directed by my all-time favorite theatrical director— Karen Allen is her name, and we share a home address. Mr. President, sometimes stress can get to you, sometimes life It can be rough. And You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is— you'll leave with a smile on your face. I guarantee it.

So please, I invite everyone to see the show this weekend. Thank you, Senator Kiel. Are you in it?

Mr. President, I guarantee a smile. I am not in the show. Thank you. Senator Rauscher.

Thank you, Mr. President. We are under other announcements. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Legislative Prayer Caucus will be held 7:00 a.m. in the Butrovich Room, 205.

All legislative staff and administration are invited to attend. All faiths and denominations are welcome as well. Thank you, Senator Rauscher. Additional other announcements? Seeing none, are there special orders?

Brief at ease.

I will listen and come back to order, please. We are under special order. Senator Yunt. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I, uh, I ask unanimous consent to please roll back up the calendar to unfinished business.

Without objection. Uh, so ordered. We're back into unfinished business. I would like to be shown as a co-sponsor of HB 28, the teacher grant program. I think without objection.

So ordered, Senator Yunt. Any additional unfinished business? Moving back down the calendar, are there any special orders? Special orders today? Madam Majority Leader.

Mr. President, I move and ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment until 10:30 AM Friday, April 24th, 2026. Hearing no objection, the Senate is adjourned.