The Alaska Legislature adjourned sine die on May 16 after pushing through a flurry of bills in the final days.

The Senate adjourned right before the midnight hour on Wednesday while the House continued to work into Thursday morning.

This has raised questions about the legality of those pieces of legislation which were passed after the midnight deadline.

The main focus towards the end of the session was on a few different energy bills, rather than the usual budget negotiations.

The legislature also passed several major policy bills regarding crime, the budget, and education issues.

A voter-backed measure, known as Ballot Measure 2, was recently upheld when the Ninth Circuit affirmed a federal judge’s denial of a preliminary injunction blocking it.

The measure requires immediate disclosure of contributions aggregating to more than $2,000 per year.

The decision stems from a previous injunction that was filed back in 2022, by political donors against enforcement of the measure, claiming the initiative’s burdensome disclosure rules would lead to retaliation against them for their political activity.

Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia held the district correctly concluded the plaintiffs argument of first amendment issues was likely to fail and affirmed the lower courts decision.

A newly filed ballot measure has been introduced to reestablish campaign contribution limits in Alaska.

In 2021, a federal appeals court struck down most of Alaska contribution limits on First Amendment grounds.

The ballot measure would cap contributions at $2,000 per election, with limits being adjusted for inflation every 10 years.

The new initiative will appear on the 2024 ballot if it is certified by the lieutenant governor and collects the requisite number of signatures.

The Alaska Legislature adjourned sin die on May 17 after a dispute between the House and Senate over the state budget. The main division between the two chambers is the size of the Permanent Fund dividend. The lack of a budget has forced Gov. Mike Dunleavy to announce a special session, starting the following day, May 18. The special session can last up to 30 days. This will affect lobbying reporting if the special session lasts until June.

The Alaska Legislature adjourned sin die late Wednesday after finally coming to an agreement on the state’s budget bill.

Lawmakers set this year’s dividend for each resident at $3,200 from Alaska’s Permanent Fund, a fund derived from the state’s oil and gas reserves.

The Legislature failed to pass new campaign contribution limits to replace the ones found to be unconstitutional earlier this year.

Alaska’s regulatory body, the Alaska Public Offices Commission, punted the responsibility to lawmakers after refusing to resurrect old contribution limits.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

A lobbyist monthly report will be due June 30, covering May 1 through May 31.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) has issued a notice of proposed changes to Alaska’s campaign disclosure regulations.

The changes seek to clarify and define different aspects of the current law stemming from passage of the 2020 Initiative Measure 2.

The changes include a clearer definition of a prohibited contribution, a clarification of contribution disclosure requirements for charitable organizations, and additional requirements for political communications with video components.

APOC is seeking comments on the proposed changes and will accept them no later than end of business day on June 8.

Once the comment period ends, APOC will either adopt, amend, or take no action in regards to the proposed regulations.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy called a special election to replace U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died on March 18.

The special all-party primary election will be held on June 11. The top four candidates will advance to the August 16 general election.

The election marks the first time Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system will be used, meaning voters will be able to rank their preferred candidates.

Additionally, August 16 is the open-primary election for the next two-year term, in which the top four candidates from this election will be able to move onto the November 8 general election.

Candidates are eligible to run in both elections.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) has issued a final order rejecting the revival of previous campaign limits.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court remanded Thompson v. Hebdon, asking the lower court to consider whether Alaska’s campaign contribution limits were consistent with previous First Amendment precedents.

The Ninth Circuit held the limitations on contributions made by individuals to candidates and groups were unconstitutional but held the limits from political parties to candidates were valid.

With this holding and no action by the state Legislature, Alaska does not have restrictions on individuals donating to candidates or groups other than political parties.

APOC was asked to consider reviving the limits set in 2003 but declined to do so.

The commission’s final order implores lawmakers to pass new campaign finance limits.

There are currently three bills introduced in the Legislature to limit political contributions.

Alaska’s fourth special session adjourned under little fanfare.

Governor Dunleavy tasked members of the Alaskan Legislature to fund another permanent fund dividend payment, a request met with legislative apathy.

The Senate held only one floor session while the house met only twice, with both houses holding relatively few committee meetings.

The Legislative leaders expressed concerns over a second payout from the permanent fund without a long-term budget plan.

Dunleavy stated he does not plan to call a fifth special session.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

The fourth session adjourning in November triggers a monthly report covering November 1 to November 30, due December 31.

The quarterly legislative lobbyist report due on January 31 will only cover the month of December.

Members of the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) have released an advisory opinion, proposing new limits on contributions to political campaigns.

Under the new restrictions, an individual would be limited to $1,500 in donations per candidate or group per year and groups would be limited to $3,000 in donations per candidate or group per year.

After Thompson v. Hebdon found Alaska’s limitations on contributions made by individuals and groups unconstitutional, the APOC adjusted the limits set in 2003 for inflation.

These new limits follow the Supreme Court’s guidance for contribution limits and fall in line with the limits that have been upheld in other states.

The new limits are subject to approval of the five-member commission, scheduled to meet in January.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an amended Executive Proclamation convening the Legislature into a fourth special session October 4, 2021.

The Legislature is tasked to create a supplemental appropriation for the 2021 Permanent Fund Dividend, consider acts relating to the Permanent Fund Dividend, and propose amendments to the Alaskan State Constitution relating to Alaska Permanent Fund.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

A monthly activity report for October will be due November 30.

The quarterly legislative lobby activity report due January 31, 2022 will only cover the months of November and December.

The Alaska Legislature adjourned the third special session on September 14 after passing House Bill 3003.

The bill allocates $1,100 to each eligible Alaskan from the Permanent Fund Dividend.

While the third session did resolve one problem, there are other questions left on the table.

To answer them, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced he will call a fourth special session beginning October 1 to address issues with the state’s financial structure and the Permanent Fund Dividend.

The Alaska Legislature convened for their third special session of this year Monday, August 16.

Gov. Dunleavy has tasked lawmakers to consider amendments to the Alaskan Constitution relating to the Constitutional Budget Reserve fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund.

The amendments seek to alter the appropriation limits from these funds to help repair infrastructure and aid in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down three provisions of Alaska’s campaign finance law.

In Thompson Vs. Hebdon the plaintiffs challenged four of the state’s finance contribution restrictions.

After being remanded back to the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals Court from the United States Supreme Court, the 2-1 panel rejected the $500 per-year limit on the amount of money an Alaskan can contribute to a particular candidate, the $500 per-year limit on contributions to a particular political group, and the $3,000 limit on the amount of money a candidate can accept from all out-of-state donors combined in a given year.

Until the legislature passes a new restriction, individuals may give unlimited amounts to Alaskan politicians.