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Alaska House of Representatives

Coordinates: 58°18′08″N 134°24′38″W / 58.302198°N 134.410467°W / 58.302198; -134.410467
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Alaska House of Representatives
Alaska Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 19, 2021
Leadership
Bryce Edgmon (I)
since February 14, 2019
Majority Leader
Steve Thompson (R-C)
since February 14, 2019
Minority Leader
Lance Pruitt (R)
since February 14, 2019
Structure
Seats40
Political groups
Majority caucus (22)
  •   Democratic (15)
  •   Republican (5)
  •   Independent (2)
Minority caucus (16)
Other (2)
Length of term
2 years
AuthorityArticle 2, Alaska Constitution
Salary$50,400/year + per diem
Elections
Nonpartisan blanket primary / Ranked-choice voting
Last election
November 3, 2020
(40 seats)
Next election
November 8, 2022
(40 seats)
RedistrictingAlaska Redistricting Board
Meeting place
House of Representatives chamber
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska
Website
Alaska House of Representatives

The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per 2010 Census figures. Members serve two-year terms without term limits. With 40 representatives, the Alaska House is the smallest state legislative lower chamber in the United States.

The House convenes at the State Capitol in Juneau.

Powers and process

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives are responsible for a portion of the process of making and amending state law. The first step of the legislative process is filing a bill by giving it to the chief clerk of the Alaska House of Representatives.[1] The chief clerk will then assign bills a number.[1]

Bills are introduced and read the first time with the number, sponsor or sponsors, and the title of the bill and then referred to a committee(s).[1] Committee chairs can choose whether or not hear a bill and committees can vote to approve a bill in its original form or make modifications through a committee substitute.[1] Once bills or substitutes are approved, the legislation is referred to the next committee of assignment or to the Rules Committee, which can further amend the bill or assign it to the daily floor calendar.[1]

Once a bill is scheduled on the floor, it appears on the calendar in Second Reading. The bill is again read by number, sponsor or sponsors, and title along with the standing committee reports. A motion is made on the floor to adopt any committee substitutes.[1] Amendments can also be offered and voted on.[1] Third Reading is where the motion is made to vote on the bill.[1]

Senate action

After final passage in the Alaska House of Representatives, a bill is engrossed and sent to the Alaska Senate to go through the same process of introduction, committee referral and three readings. Likewise, bills that have been approved on Third Reading in the Alaska Senate are engrossed and sent to the Alaska House of Representatives.[1]

Enrollment or conference

When a bill is not modified in the second house, it can be sent to the governor on Third Reading, through enrollment. If the bill is modified, the house of origin must vote to accept or reject amendments by the opposite house. A Fourth Reading, in the case of acceptance, will send the bill to the governor, through enrollment. If amendments are rejected, the bill can be sent to conference, where members of the Senate and House hash out a final version and send it to a Fourth Reading in both houses.[1]

Governor and veto override

The governor can choose to sign or veto the legislation. In the case of the veto, a two-thirds majority of a joint session can override the veto. An appropriations bill requires a three-fourths majority vote in a joint session to override a veto. If signed or approved by a veto override, the legislation becomes law.[1]

Membership

Terms and qualifications

State representatives must be a qualified voter and resident of Alaska for no less than three years, and a resident of the district from which elected for one year immediately preceding filing for office.[2] A state representative must be 21 years of age at the time the oath of office is taken.[2] The Alaska House of Representatives may expel a member with the concurrence of two-thirds of the membership of the house.[2]

Legislative terms begin on the second Monday in January following a presidential election year and on the third Tuesday in January following a gubernatorial election.[3] State representatives serve for terms of two years.[3]

Leadership

House of Representatives member directory in the hallway of the Capitol building. Taken in 2009, this shows the House membership during the 26th Legislature.

The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber.

Position Name Party Residence District
Speaker Bryce Edgmon Ind Dillingham 37
Majority Leader Steve M. Thompson Rep-Coalition Fairbanks 2
Minority Leader Lance Pruitt Rep Anchorage 27

Current composition

↓
16 1 5 2 15 1
Republican R Rep. Ind. Democratic V
Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
colspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | colspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | style="background-color:Template:Independent (United States)/meta/color" |
Republican Democratic Ind Vacant
End of 28th Legislature 26 4 10 0 40 0
Begin 29th Legislature (2015) 23 4 12 1 40 0
End of 29th (2016)[4] 1 22
30th Legislature 18 3 17 2 40 0
Begin 31st Legislature[5] 22 16 1 39 1
January 17, 2019[6] 23 40 0
February 13, 2019[7] 15 2
February 14, 2019[8] 15 8 15 2
May 5, 2019[9] 15 1 7
July 20, 2019[10] 16 6
November 2, 2019[11] 15 39 1
December 2, 2019[12] 16 40 0
January 24, 2020[13] 15 39 1
February 21, 2020[14] 16 40 0
July 31, 2020[15] 5 39 1
Latest voting share 41% 2.6% 56.4%

Past partisan compositions can be found on Political party strength in Alaska.

Committees

Current committees include:[16]

Column-generating template families

The templates listed here are not interchangeable. For example, using {{col-float}} with {{col-end}} instead of {{col-float-end}} would leave a <div>...</div> open, potentially harming any subsequent formatting.

Column templates
Type Family
Handles wiki
table code?†
 Responsive/
mobile suited 		Start template Column divider End template
Float "col-float" Yes Yes {{col-float}} {{col-float-break}} {{col-float-end}}
"columns-start" Yes Yes {{columns-start}} {{column}} {{columns-end}}
Columns "div col" Yes Yes {{div col}} – {{div col end}}
"columns-list" No Yes {{columns-list}} (wraps div col) – –
Flexbox "flex columns" No Yes {{flex columns}} – –
Table "col" Yes No {{col-begin}},
{{col-begin-fixed}} or
{{col-begin-small}} 		{{col-break}} or
{{col-2}} .. {{col-5}} 		{{col-end}}

† Can template handle the basic wiki markup {| | || |- |} used to create tables? If not, special templates that produce these elements (such as {{(!}}, {{!}}, {{!!}}, {{!-}}, {{!)}})—or HTML tags (<table>...</table>, <tr>...</tr>, etc.)—need to be used instead.

Current members (32nd Alaska State Legislature)

Alaska House of Representatives
32nd Alaska Legislature, 2021–22
District Name Party Residence Assumed
office
1 Bart LeBon Rep Fairbanks 2019
2 Steve Thompson Rep Fairbanks 2011
3 Mike Prax Rep North Pole 2019↑
4 Grier Hopkins Dem Fairbanks 2019
5 Adam Wool Dem Fairbanks 2015
6 Mike Cronk Rep Tok 2021
7 Christopher Kurka Rep Wasilla 2021
8 Kevin McCabe Rep Big Lake 2021
9 George Rauscher Rep Sutton 2017
10 David Eastman Rep Wasilla 2017
11 DeLena Johnson Rep Palmer 2017
12 Cathy Tilton Rep Wasilla 2015
13 Ken McCarty Rep Eagle River 2021
14 Kelly Merrick Rep Eagle River 2019
15 David Nelson Rep Anchorage 2021
16 Ivy Spohnholz Dem Anchorage 2016↑
17 Andy Josephson Dem Anchorage 2013
18 Harriet Drummond Dem Anchorage 2013
19 Geran Tarr Dem Anchorage 2013
20 Zack Fields Dem Anchorage 2019
21 Matt Claman Dem Anchorage 2015
22 Sara Rasmussen Rep Anchorage 2019
23 Chris Tuck Dem Anchorage 2009
24 Chuck Kopp Rep Anchorage 2017
25 Calvin Schrage Ind Anchorage 2021
26 Laddie Shaw Rep Anchorage 2019
27 Liz Snyder Dem Anchorage 2021
28 James Kaufman Rep Anchorage 2021
29 Ben Carpenter Rep Nikiski 2019
30 Ron Gillham Rep Kenai 2021
31 Sarah Vance Rep Homer 2019
32 Louise Stutes Rep Kodiak 2015
33 Sara Hannan Dem Juneau 2019
34 Andi Story Dem Juneau 2019
35 Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins Dem Sitka 2013
36 Dan Ortiz Ind Ketchikan 2015
37 Bryce Edgmon Dem Dillingham 2007
38 Tiffany Zulkosky Dem Bethel 2018↑
39 Neal Foster Dem Nome 2009↑
40 Josiah Patkotak Ind Utqiagvik 2021
  • ↑ Member was originally appointed.

Past composition of the House of Representatives

Main article: Political party strength in Alaska

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Legislative Process, Alaska Legislature (accessed April 27, 2013)
  2. ^ a b c Alaska Handbook to State Government (accessed April 25, 2013)
  3. ^ a b Article 2 of the Alaska Constitution, Lieutenant Governor's Office (accessed April 26, 2013)
  4. ^ "Reinbold booted from caucus". Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Republican representative-elect Nancy Dahlstrom (District 18) was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Corrections before the start of session.[1] Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Republican Sharon Jackson to replace Dahlstrom, [2] but without elected officers, the appointment could not be received.[3]
  6. ^ Sharon Jackson's appointment is confirmed and she is sworn in. [4]
  7. ^ Bryce Edgmon changed party registration from Democratic to Undeclared. [5]
  8. ^ Majority coalition elected. [6]
  9. ^ Republican Gabrielle LeDoux (District 15) leaves the majority coalition,[7] but was not invited into the Republican caucus.
  10. ^ Republican Tammie Wilson (District 3) leaves the majority coalition.
  11. ^ Republican Josh Revak (District 25) is appointed to the State Senate. [8]
  12. ^ Republican Mel Gillis appointed to succeed Revak. [9]
  13. ^ Republican Tammie Wilson (District 3) resigns. [10]
  14. ^ Republican Mike Prax appointed to succeed Wilson. [11]
  15. ^ Republican Gary Knopp died in a plane collision. [12]
  16. ^ "Alaska House Committees". Open States. Sunlight Foundation. April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.

58°18′08″N 134°24′38″W / 58.302198°N 134.410467°W / 58.302198; -134.410467

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