The 34th Alaska Legislature began its first session with the swearing-in of new members and the election of Rep. Bryce Edgmon as House Speaker and Sen. Gary Stevens as Senate President. Both chambers face a closely divided landscape and a packed agenda focused on school funding, pensions, energy, and election reform.
Newly sworn-in members of the Alaska House of Representativea — from left, Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, Nellie Unangik Jimmie, D-Toksook Bay, Robyn Niayuq Burke, D-Utqiagvik and Neal Foster, D-Nome — embrace after taking their oaths of office from Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom on Jan. 21, 2025.
The uneventful start to the session, though, was a contrast to years past. In 2021, it took the House 22 days to pick a leader. In 2019, it was more than a month before lawmakers settled on a House speaker. Even two years ago, it wasn’t clearThis time around was different. A day after Election Day — weeks before all the votes were counted — bipartisan coalitions said they were
“Those really are our initial priorities,” Stevens said. “Things will be added to it as we move along through the session.” Lawmakers could also find themselves in conflict with Dunleavy when it comes to returning state and local government employees to a pension system. Dunleavy has stopped short of explicitly threatening to veto a bill that would move the state back to a defined benefit plan, but he’s
ALASKA LEGISLATURE NEW LEADERS SCHOOL FUNDING PENSIONS ENERGY
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