Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska House Bill HB3 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	34-LS0092\A
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10	10
11	11	HOUSE BILL NO. 3
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13	13	IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
14	14
15	15	THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
16	16
17	17	BY REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER
18	18
19	19	Introduced: 1/10/25
20	20	Referred: Prefiled
21	21
22	22
23	23	A BILL
24	24
25	25	FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
26	26
27	27	"An Act relating to convening the legislature in Anchorage; relating to the regulation of 1
28	28	lobbying; relating to annual student guests of the legislature; relating to locations of 2
29	29	sessions of the legislature; relating to the Legislative Ethics Act; relating to the 3
30	30	relocation of functions of state government; and providing for an effective date." 4
31	31	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
32	32	* Section 1. AS 15.13.072(d) is amended to read: 6
33	33	(d) While the legislature is convened in a regular or special legislative session, 7
34	34	a legislator or legislative employee may not solicit or accept a contribution to be used 8
35	35	for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election under this chapter unless 9
36	36	(1) it is an election in which the legislator or legislative employee is a 10
37	37	candidate and the contribution is for that legislator's or legislative employee's 11
38	38	campaign; 12
39	39	(2) the solicitation or acceptance occurs during the 90 days 13
40	40	immediately preceding that election; and 14 34-LS0092\A
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44	44	(3) the solicitation or acceptance occurs in a place other than the 1
45	45	Municipality of Anchorage during a regular session [CAPITAL CITY] or a 2
46	46	municipality in which the legislature is convened in special session if the legislature is 3
47	47	convened in a municipality other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL 4
48	48	CITY]. 5
49	49	* Sec. 2. AS 15.13.072(g) is amended to read: 6
50	50	(g) A candidate or an individual who has filed with the commission the 7
51	51	document necessary to permit that individual to incur election-related expenses under 8
52	52	AS 15.13.100 for election or reelection to the office of governor or lieutenant governor 9
53	53	may not solicit or accept a contribution in the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL 10
54	54	CITY] while the legislature is convened in a regular or special legislative session. 11
55	55	* Sec. 3. AS 24.05.090 is amended to read: 12
56	56	Sec. 24.05.090. Duration of legislature; sessions. The legislature shall 13
57	57	convene in the Municipality of Anchorage [AT THE CAPITAL] each year on the 14
58	58	third Tuesday in January at 1:00 p.m. Each legislature has a duration of two years and 15
59	59	consists of a "First Regular Session" that meets in the odd-numbered years, and a 16
60	60	"Second Regular Session" that meets in the even-numbered years, and any special 17
61	61	session that the governor or legislature calls. 18
62	62	* Sec. 4. AS 24.05.100(b) is amended to read: 19
63	63	(b) A special session may be held at any location in the state. If a special 20
64	64	session called under (a)(1) of this section is to be convened at a location other than in 21
65	65	the Municipality of Anchorage [AT THE CAPITAL], the governor shall designate 22
66	66	the location in the proclamation. If a special session called under (a)(2) of this section 23
67	67	is to be convened at a location other than in the Municipality of Anchorage [AT 24
68	68	THE CAPITAL], the presiding officers shall agree to and designate the location in the 25
69	69	poll conducted of the members of both houses. 26
70	70	* Sec. 5. AS 24.10.030 is amended to read: 27
71	71	Sec. 24.10.030. Chief clerk and senate secretary. Each house shall select 28
72	72	from outside its membership a person of known stenographic and administrative 29
73	73	ability to serve as chief administrative clerk; a chief clerk in the house of 30
74	74	representatives and a secretary in the senate. When nominated and elected in 31 34-LS0092\A
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78	78	conformity with the uniform rules, they continue to serve for the duration of the 1
79	79	legislature at the pleasure of the house to which assigned. Pending the organization of 2
80	80	a new legislature, they may continue to serve at the request and direction of the 3
81	81	legislative council until their respective houses formally reappoint or replace them. 4
82	82	The chief clerk and senate secretary are responsible for the performance of duties 5
83	83	provided for by law, the uniform rules, and orders of the house. They may be 6
84	84	requested to report to the legislative council for duty for a period not to exceed two 7
85	85	weeks immediately preceding the convening of the session and shall remain at the 8
86	86	location of the session [CAPITAL] until the completion of their work relating to 9
87	87	that session [IS DETERMINED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL]. 10
88	88	* Sec. 6. AS 24.10.130(a) is amended to read: 11
89	89	(a) A member of the legislature may be entitled to reimbursement for the 12
90	90	expenses of moving between the member's place of residence and the Municipality of 13
91	91	Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] for the purpose of attending a regular session of the 14
92	92	legislature. 15
93	93	* Sec. 7. AS 24.45.041(b) is amended to read: 16
94	94	(b) The registration form prescribed by the commission must include 17
95	95	(1) the lobbyist's full name and complete permanent residence and 18
96	96	business address and telephone number, as well as any temporary residential and 19
97	97	business address and telephone number in the location of the session [STATE 20
98	98	CAPITAL] during a legislative session; 21
99	99	(2) the full name and complete address of each person by whom the 22
100	100	lobbyist is retained or employed; 23
101	101	(3) whether the person from whom the lobbyist receives compensation 24
102	102	employs the person solely as a lobbyist or whether the person is a regular employee 25
103	103	performing other services for the employer that include but are not limited to the 26
104	104	influencing of legislative or administrative action; 27
105	105	(4) the nature or form of the lobbyist's compensation for engaging in 28
106	106	lobbying, including salary, fees, or reimbursement for expenses received in 29
107	107	consideration for, or directly in support of or in connection with, the influencing of 30
108	108	legislative or administrative action; 31 34-LS0092\A
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112	112	(5) a general description of the subjects or matters on which the 1
113	113	registrant expects to lobby or to engage in the influencing of legislative or 2
114	114	administrative action; 3
115	115	(6) the full name and complete address of the person, if other than the 4
116	116	registrant, who has custody of the accounts, books, papers, bills, receipts, and other 5
117	117	documents required to be maintained under this chapter; 6
118	118	(7) the identification of a legislative employee or public official to 7
119	119	whom the lobbyist is married or who is the domestic partner of the lobbyist; 8
120	120	(8) a sworn affirmation by the lobbyist that the lobbyist has completed 9
121	121	the training course administered by the commission under AS 24.45.031(a) within the 10
122	122	12-month period preceding the date of registration or registration renewal under this 11
123	123	chapter, except that this paragraph does not apply to a person who is a representational 12
124	124	lobbyist as defined under regulations of the commission; 13
125	125	(9) a sworn affirmation by the lobbyist that the lobbyist has not been 14
126	126	previously convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude; in this paragraph, "felony 15
127	127	involving moral turpitude" has the meaning given in AS 15.80.010, and includes 16
128	128	convictions for a violation of the law of this state or a violation of the law of another 17
129	129	jurisdiction with elements similar to a felony involving moral turpitude in this state. 18
130	130	* Sec. 8. AS 24.45.041(e) is amended to read: 19
131	131	(e) Within 15 days after the convening of each regular session of the 20
132	132	legislature, the commission shall publish a directory of registered lobbyists, containing 21
133	133	the information prescribed in (b) of this section for each lobbyist and the photograph, 22
134	134	if any, furnished by a lobbyist under (c) of this section. From time to time thereafter, 23
135	135	the commission shall publish those supplements to the directory that in the 24
136	136	commission's judgment may be necessary. The directory shall be made available to 25
137	137	public officials and to the public at the following locations: a public place adjacent to 26
138	138	the legislative chambers in the Municipality of Anchorage [STATE CAPITOL 27
139	139	BUILDING], the office of the lieutenant governor, the legislative reference library of 28
140	140	the Legislative Affairs Agency, and the commission's central office. 29
141	141	* Sec. 9. AS 24.50.010 is amended to read: 30
142	142	Sec. 24.50.010. Annual student guests. The legislature may each year while 31 34-LS0092\A
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146	146	in session serve as host to one member of each high school in the state for a stay of 1
147	147	one week in the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL] to observe and learn the 2
148	148	legislative process. 3
149	149	* Sec. 10. AS 24.50.040 is amended to read: 4
150	150	Sec. 24.50.040. Essay contest. Before leaving the location of the session 5
151	151	[STATE CAPITAL], each legislative guest hosted under AS 24.50.010 shall prepare 6
152	152	and submit to the director of the Legislative Affairs Agency a paper of not less than 7
153	153	1,000 words entitled "The Legislature Should . . . . . . . . . .". Each paper shall be 8
154	154	examined and judged as to content by the governor, the president of the senate, the 9
155	155	speaker of the house of representatives, the minority leader of the senate, and the 10
156	156	minority leader of the house. The author of the paper determined best by majority vote 11
157	157	shall receive a one-year scholarship to the University of Alaska. 12
158	158	* Sec. 11. AS 24.60.030(a) is amended to read: 13
159	159	(a) A legislator or legislative employee may not 14
160	160	(1) solicit, agree to accept, or accept a benefit other than official 15
161	161	compensation for the performance of public duties; this paragraph may not be 16
162	162	construed to prohibit 17
163	163	(A) lawful solicitation for and acceptance of campaign 18
164	164	contributions; 19
165	165	(B) solicitation or acceptance of contributions for a charity 20
166	166	event, as defined in AS 24.60.080(a)(2)(B); 21
167	167	(C) the acceptance of a gift under AS 24.60.075 or 24.60.080; 22
168	168	or 23
169	169	(D) a legislator from accepting reasonable, ordinary, and 24
170	170	customary travel and hospitality primarily for the purpose of solemnizing a 25
171	171	marriage under AS 25.05.261(a)(4); 26
172	172	(2) use public funds, facilities, equipment, services, or another 27
173	173	government asset or resource for a nonlegislative purpose, for involvement in or 28
174	174	support of or opposition to partisan political activity, or for the private benefit of the 29
175	175	legislator, legislative employee, or another person; this paragraph does not prohibit 30
176	176	(A) limited use of state property and resources for personal 31 34-LS0092\A
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180	180	purposes if the use does not interfere with the performance of public duties and 1
181	181	either the cost or value related to the use is nominal or the legislator or 2
182	182	legislative employee reimburses the state for the cost of the use; 3
183	183	(B) the use of mailing lists, computer data, or other information 4
184	184	lawfully obtained from a government agency and available to the general 5
185	185	public for nonlegislative purposes; 6
186	186	(C) the legislative council, notwithstanding AS 24.05.190, from 7
187	187	designating a public facility for use by legislators and legislative employees for 8
188	188	health or fitness purposes; when the council designates a facility to be used by 9
189	189	legislators and legislative employees for health or fitness purposes, it shall 10
190	190	adopt guidelines governing access to and use of the facility; the guidelines may 11
191	191	establish times in which use of the facility is limited to specific groups; 12
192	192	(D) a legislator from using the legislator's private office [IN 13
193	193	THE CAPITAL CITY] during a legislative session, and for the 10 days 14
194	194	immediately before and the 10 days immediately after a legislative session, for 15
195	195	nonlegislative purposes if the use does not interfere with the performance of 16
196	196	public duties and if there is no cost to the state for the use of the space and 17
197	197	equipment, other than utility costs and minimal wear and tear, or the legislator 18
198	198	promptly reimburses the state for the cost; an office is considered a legislator's 19
199	199	private office under this subparagraph if it is the primary space in the location 20
200	200	of the session [CAPITAL CITY] reserved for use by the legislator, whether or 21
201	201	not it is shared with others; 22
202	202	(E) a legislator from use of legislative employees to prepare 23
203	203	and send out seasonal greeting cards; 24
204	204	(F) a legislator from using state resources to transport 25
205	205	computers or other office equipment owned by the legislator but primarily used 26
206	206	for a state function; 27
207	207	(G) use by a legislator of photographs of that legislator; 28
208	208	(H) reasonable use of the Internet by a legislator or a legislative 29
209	209	employee except if the use is for election campaign purposes; 30
210	210	(I) a legislator or legislative employee from soliciting, 31 34-LS0092\A
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214	214	accepting, or receiving a gift on behalf of a recognized, nonpolitical charitable 1
215	215	organization in a state facility; 2
216	216	(J) a legislator from sending any communication in the form of 3
217	217	a newsletter to the legislator's constituents, except a communication expressly 4
218	218	advocating the election or defeat of a candidate or a newsletter or material in a 5
219	219	newsletter that is clearly only for the private benefit of a legislator or a 6
220	220	legislative employee; or 7
221	221	(K) full participation in a charity event approved in advance by 8
222	222	the Alaska Legislative Council; 9
223	223	(3) knowingly seek, accept, use, allocate, grant, or award public funds 10
224	224	for a purpose other than that approved by law, or make a false statement in connection 11
225	225	with a claim, request, or application for compensation, reimbursement, or travel 12
226	226	allowances from public funds; 13
227	227	(4) require a legislative employee to perform services for the private 14
228	228	benefit of the legislator or employee at any time, or allow a legislative employee to 15
229	229	perform services for the private benefit of a legislator or employee on government 16
230	230	time; it is not a violation of this paragraph if the services were performed in an 17
231	231	unusual or infrequent situation and the person's services were reasonably necessary to 18
232	232	permit the legislator or legislative employee to perform official duties; 19
233	233	(5) use or authorize the use of state funds, facilities, equipment, 20
234	234	services, or another government asset or resource for the purpose of political fund 21
235	235	raising or campaigning; this paragraph does not prohibit 22
236	236	(A) limited use of state property and resources for personal 23
237	237	purposes if the use does not interfere with the performance of public duties and 24
238	238	either the cost or value related to the use is nominal or the legislator or 25
239	239	legislative employee reimburses the state for the cost of the use; 26
240	240	(B) the use of mailing lists, computer data, or other information 27
241	241	lawfully obtained from a government agency and available to the general 28
242	242	public for nonlegislative purposes; 29
243	243	(C) storing or maintaining, consistent with (b) of this section, 30
244	244	election campaign records in a legislator's office; 31 34-LS0092\A
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248	248	(D) a legislator from using the legislator's private office [IN 1
249	249	THE CAPITAL CITY] during a legislative session, and for the 10 days 2
250	250	immediately before and the 10 days immediately after a legislative session, for 3
251	251	nonlegislative purposes if the use does not interfere with the performance of 4
252	252	public duties and if there is no cost to the state for the use of the space and 5
253	253	equipment, other than utility costs and minimal wear and tear, or the legislator 6
254	254	promptly reimburses the state for the cost; an office is considered a legislator's 7
255	255	private office under this subparagraph if it is the primary space in the location 8
256	256	of the session [CAPITAL CITY] reserved for use by the legislator, whether or 9
257	257	not it is shared with others; or 10
258	258	(E) use by a legislator of photographs of that legislator. 11
259	259	* Sec. 12. AS 24.60.031(a) is amended to read: 12
260	260	(a) A legislative employee may not 13
261	261	(1) on a day when either house of the legislature is in regular or special 14
262	262	session, solicit or accept a contribution or a promise or pledge to make a contribution 15
263	263	for a campaign for state or municipal office; however, a legislative employee may, 16
264	264	except in the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] or in the municipality in 17
265	265	which the legislature is convened in special session if the legislature is convened in a 18
266	266	municipality other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY], solicit or 19
267	267	accept a contribution, promise, or pledge for a campaign for state or municipal office 20
268	268	that occurs during the 90 days immediately preceding the election for that office; or 21
269	269	(2) accept money from an event held on a day when either house of the 22
270	270	legislature is in regular or special session if a substantial purpose of the event is to 23
271	271	raise money on behalf of the legislative employee for political purposes; however, this 24
272	272	paragraph does not prohibit a legislative employee from accepting money from an 25
273	273	event held in a place other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] or 26
274	274	a municipality in which the legislature is convened in special session if the legislature 27
275	275	is convened in a municipality other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL 28
276	276	CITY] during the 90 days immediately preceding an election for state or municipal 29
277	277	public office in which the legislative employee is a candidate. 30
278	278	* Sec. 13. AS 24.60.031(b) is amended to read: 31 34-LS0092\A
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282	282	(b) A legislator may not 1
283	283	(1) on a day when either house of the legislature is in regular or special 2
284	284	session, solicit or accept a contribution or a promise or pledge to make a contribution 3
285	285	(A) for the legislator's own campaign for state or municipal 4
286	286	public office, unless the solicitation, acceptance, promise, or pledge occurs in a 5
287	287	place other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] or a 6
288	288	municipality in which the legislature is convened in special session if the 7
289	289	legislature is convened in a municipality other than the Municipality of 8
290	290	Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] during the 90 days immediately preceding the 9
291	291	election in which the legislator is a candidate; 10
292	292	(B) for another candidate in an election for municipal, state, or 11
293	293	federal office; 12
294	294	(C) to influence a state ballot proposition or question; or 13
295	295	(D) for a political party; 14
296	296	(2) accept money from an event held on a day when either house of the 15
297	297	legislature is in regular or special session if a substantial purpose of the event is to 16
298	298	raise money on behalf of the legislator's campaign for state or municipal public office; 17
299	299	however, this paragraph does not prohibit a legislator from accepting money from an 18
300	300	event held in a place other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] or 19
301	301	a municipality in which the legislature is convened in special session if the legislature 20
302	302	is convened in a municipality other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL 21
303	303	CITY] during the 90 days immediately preceding a state or municipal election in 22
304	304	which the legislator is a candidate; or 23
305	305	(3) in a campaign for state or municipal office, expend money that was 24
306	306	raised on a day when either house of the legislature was in a legislative session by or 25
307	307	on behalf of a legislator under a declaration of candidacy or a general letter of intent to 26
308	308	become a candidate for public office; however, this paragraph does not apply to 27
309	309	money raised in a place other than the Municipality of Anchorage [CAPITAL CITY] 28
310	310	or a municipality in which the legislature is convened in special session if the 29
311	311	legislature is convened in a municipality other than the Municipality of Anchorage 30
312	312	[CAPITAL CITY] during the 90 days immediately preceding an election in which the 31 34-LS0092\A
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316	316	legislator is a candidate. 1
317	317	* Sec. 14. AS 24.60.080(c) is amended to read: 2
318	318	(c) Notwithstanding (a)(1) of this section, it is not a violation of this section 3
319	319	for a person who is a legislator or legislative employee to accept 4
320	320	(1) hospitality, other than hospitality described in (4) of this 5
321	321	subsection, 6
322	322	(A) with incidental transportation at the residence of a person; 7
323	323	however, a vacation home located outside the state is not considered a 8
324	324	residence for the purposes of this subparagraph; or 9
325	325	(B) at a social event or meal; 10
326	326	(2) discounts that are available 11
327	327	(A) generally to the public or to a large class of persons to 12
328	328	which the person belongs; or 13
329	329	(B) when on official state business, but only if receipt of the 14
330	330	discount benefits the state; 15
331	331	(3) food or foodstuffs indigenous to the state that are shared generally 16
332	332	as a cultural or social norm; 17
333	333	(4) travel and hospitality primarily for the purpose of obtaining 18
334	334	information on matters of legislative concern; 19
335	335	(5) gifts from the immediate family of the person; in this paragraph, 20
336	336	"immediate family" means 21
337	337	(A) the spouse of the person; 22
338	338	(B) the person's domestic partner; 23
339	339	(C) a child, including a stepchild and an adopted child, of the 24
340	340	person or of the person's domestic partner; 25
341	341	(D) a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, or uncle of the person; 26
342	342	(E) a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, or uncle of the person's 27
343	343	spouse or the person's domestic partner; and 28
344	344	(F) a stepparent, stepsister, stepbrother, step-grandparent, step-29
345	345	aunt, or step-uncle of the person, the person's spouse, or the person's domestic 30
346	346	partner; 31 34-LS0092\A
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350	350	(6) gifts that are not connected with the recipient's legislative status; 1
351	351	(7) a discount for all or part of a legislative session, including time 2
352	352	immediately preceding or following the session, or other gift to welcome a legislator 3
353	353	or legislative employee who is employed on the personal staff of a legislator or by a 4
354	354	standing or special committee to the location of the session [CAPITAL CITY] or in 5
355	355	recognition of the beginning of a legislative session if the gift or discount is available 6
356	356	generally to all legislators and the personal staff of legislators and staff of standing and 7
357	357	special committees; this paragraph does not apply to legislative employees who are 8
358	358	employed by the Legislative Affairs Agency, the office of the chief clerk, the office of 9
359	359	the senate secretary, the legislative budget and audit committee, the office of victims' 10
360	360	rights, or the office of the ombudsman; 11
361	361	(8) a gift of legal services in a matter of legislative concern and a gift 12
362	362	of other services related to the provision of legal services in a matter of legislative 13
363	363	concern; 14
364	364	(9) a gift of transportation from a legislator or a legislative employee to 15
365	365	a legislator or a legislative employee if the transportation takes place in the state on or 16
366	366	in an aircraft, boat, motor vehicle, or other means of transport owned or under the 17
367	367	control of the donor; this paragraph does not apply to travel described in (4) of this 18
368	368	subsection or travel for political campaign purposes; or 19
369	369	(10) a contribution to a charity event, a ticket to a charity event, or a 20
370	370	gift in connection with a charity event; in this paragraph, "charity event" has the 21
371	371	meaning given in (a)(2)(B) of this section. 22
372	372	* Sec. 15. AS 44.99.007 is amended to read: 23
373	373	Sec. 44.99.007. Emergency transfer of seat of government. When, due to an 24
374	374	emergency resulting from the effects of enemy attack or an imminent enemy attack, it 25
375	375	becomes imprudent, inexpedient, or impossible to conduct the affairs of state 26
376	376	government at the normal location of the state capital or to hold a legislative session 27
377	377	in the Municipality of Anchorage, the governor shall, as often as the exigencies of 28
378	378	the situation require, declare by proclamation an emergency temporary location or 29
379	379	locations for the seat of government or for the session at a place or places, inside or 30
380	380	outside the state, that would not normally be considered military target sites and that 31 34-LS0092\A
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384	384	the governor may consider advisable under the circumstances. The governor shall take 1
385	385	[SUCH] action and issue [SUCH] orders as may be necessary for an orderly transition 2
386	386	to the emergency temporary location or locations. The temporary location or locations 3
387	387	shall remain the emergency seat of government or location of the legislative session 4
388	388	until the emergency is declared to be ended by the governor and the seat of 5
389	389	government or session is returned to its normal location. 6
390	390	* Sec. 16. AS 44.06.050, 44.06.055, and 44.06.060 are repealed. 7
391	391	* Sec. 17. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027. 8