March 12, 2026
Senate Unanimously Approves Scholarship Fund Replenishment, Bill Now in House Rules Committee; President Pitney Presents University Budget Priorities to Senate Finance; UAA and 花椒直播to Celebrate Sen. Stevens and Sen. Hoffman with Displays in Kodiak and Bethel
The legislature continued advancing the fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget this week, which includes the $129.6 million repayment to the Higher Education Investment Fund (HEIF) to ensure long-term, stable funding for student scholarships. Yesterday, all 20 members of the Senate voted in favor of , the fast-track supplemental budget, before sending it back to the House for their consideration.
In order to successfully fund the budget items in HB 289, which consist of the HEIF repayment, disaster relief and fire suppression funding, as well as federal transportation match money, the House has to meet the three-quarter vote threshold required to draw from the state鈥檚 Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund (CBR). Students, faculty, staff, and alumni from across the UA system have been engaging with their representatives throughout this legislative session to urge support for replenishing the HEIF, and their advocacy has been critical toward the ongoing effort to reach the 30 votes that are needed from the 40-member House of Representatives.
Moments ago, the House took a vote on the bill, but did not get the 30 votes needed for the HEIF to be replenished, with only 22 members voting in favor of the CBR draw. The majority sent the bill back to the House Rules Committee for further consideration.
Senate Finance Subcommittee Reviews UA Budget
This morning, the University of Alaska Senate Finance Subcommittee heard an overview from President Pitney on UA鈥檚 budget and top-priority funding needs for the upcoming fiscal year, FY27. Senators heard the same message that their colleagues in the House heard during their own review of the UA budget: full-funding for employee compensation and medical plans is absolutely critical to maintaining a stable university system. Addressing operating cost increases such as utilities, cybersecurity/IT, facilities, and public safety are also essential needs that continue to strain university resources due to unavoidable rising costs.
The next meeting of the UA Senate Finance Subcommittee is likely to be the closeout meeting, where Senator Kiehl, who serves as Chair, and the members of the subcommittee will take action on the university鈥檚 budget requests before forwarding their recommendations to the Senate Finance Committee for further review.
Senator Stevens and Senator Hoffman will be Honored with Displays at Kodiak and Bethel Campuses
Last Friday, at the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference annual meeting, UAA and 花椒直播announced that permanent displays will be placed at the Kodiak campus (for Sen. Stevens) and Bethel (for Sen. Hoffman). Those displays will honor their legislative service and include pictures/citations/artifacts from their careers to be remembered for all time. Both men have been strong supporters of the UA and have been important parts of the collective history of the university system.
花椒直播Leaders Discuss Workforce Development in Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
Senator Jesse Bjorkman heard from UAF鈥檚 Dean Schnabel and Dean Alexander in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee about workforce development, with a focus on the programs available through the Community and Technical College and the College of Engineering and Mines. Committee members heard about the great work being done to meet technical education needs in the state, as well as the innovative opportunities on the horizon in areas like the critical minerals space in particular. According to Dean Alexander, their trip to the Capitol was an 鈥渆xcellent adventure.鈥
A recording of the presentation can be viewed on the .
Seafood Task Force鈥檚 Data Sharing Legislation Expected to Advance Soon
Speaking of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, , carried by Senator Stevens on behalf of the Legislative Task Force Evaluating Alaska鈥檚 Seafood Industry, is expected to move from committee on Friday. SB 181 would remove restrictive statutes in order to improve and facilitate data sharing between state agencies, including the University of Alaska.
The bill would specifically help UAA鈥檚 Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) when they receive requests for research and analysis, but need access to data from state agencies in order to do that work. In addition to expanding the information and comprehensive data available to policymakers, SB 181 would also save public dollars by streamlining the data sharing process.
Anchorage Lawmakers to Hold Town Hall at UAA
This Saturday, Anchorage Senators and Representatives will be on the UAA campus to hear from constituents at their annual Anchorage delegation town hall meeting. Members of the Anchorage community are welcome to attend this event, which will be held at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
What We鈥檙e Watching
Monday, March 16
- 9:00 a.m. - Senate Finance: Presentation: Spring Revenue Forecast by Department of Revenue.
- 1:30 p.m. - House Finance: : Appropriations: Operating Budget; Amend; Supplemental. Presentation: Spring Revenue Forecast by Department of Revenue.
- 1:30 p.m. - Senate Finance: Presentation: New Budget Amendments and Response to Committee Questions by Office of Management and Budget.
Tuesday, March 17
- 9:00 a.m. - House Finance: : Appropriations: Operating Budget; Amend; Supplemental. Presentation: FY27 Governor鈥檚 Budget Amendments by Office of Management and Budget.
- 9:00 a.m. - Senate Finance: : TRS Contribution Rate; PERS/TRS Social Security or SBS.
- 1:30 p.m. - House Finance: : Alaska Innovation Council.
Wednesday, March 18
- 1:30 p.m. - House Finance: : Appropriations: Operating Budget; Amend; Supplemental.
Thursday, March 19
- 1:30 p.m. - House Finance: : Appropriations: Operating Budget; Amend; Supplemental.
For more information, contact Director of State Relations for the University of Alaska System Chad Hutchison, cell 907-378-3946, email clhutchison@alaska.edu. You can also follow the University of Alaska Government Relations on our .