Alaska Senate passes tribal recognition bill
JUNEAU, Alaska – The Alaska Senate passed legislation Friday to formally recognize tribes in Alaska, which supporters said is an overdue step that would create opportunities for the state and tribes to work together.
The measure passed 15-0 and will return to the House, which passed a similar version last year. If the House agrees to the Senate version, the bill will go to Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
If the bill is enacted, its passage would likely bump from this year’s ballot a similar tribal recognition initiative, according to a memo from a legislative attorney. Initiatives that qualify for the ballot can be preempted if the Legislature passes substantially similar legislation first. If the bill were to stall, however, and not pass – the regular session is set to end Wednesday – the initiative still would be on the ballot.
The campaign group behind the initiative, Alaskans for Better Government, said on its website that its goal is to “secure State recognition of Alaska’s federally recognized tribes, regardless of whether this is accomplished via the legislature or the ballot box.”
Having a recognition in law would allow for continuity from one state administration to the next so that Alaska could work toward long-term solutions to issues with tribes, the group said.
“Without a strong foundation between governments it’s like building on sand – trust is temporary, relationships erode quickly, and efficiencies that are collaboratively achieved are unsustainable,” according to the ballot group.
Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, a Bethel Democrat, sponsored the bill, HB123. There are more than 220 federally recognized tribes in Alaska.
Barbara Waahlaal Giidaak Blake, a co-chair of the initiative, said Friday’s Senate vote was “definitely worth celebrating” but also one step in the process. “We’ll keep a watchful eye until all of the boxes have been checked, so to speak,” she said.
Meanwhile, the House on Saturday voted against accepting a state spending package passed by the Senate that included payments of about $5,500 to residents.
The vote to concur with the Senate package failed, with 18 members in favor of accepting the Senate plan and 22 against. The vote sets the stage for a conference committee, where House and Senate negotiators are tasked with hashing out differences between the budgets that passed each chamber.
The House, in its version of the budget, included a dividend of about $1,250 plus a $1,300 “energy relief ” check. The Senate plan called for a dividend of about $4,200 from the state’s oil wealth fund, an amount in line with a long-standing formula last used in 2015. The Senate plan also included a $1,300 energy check.
Generally, the co-chairs of the House and Senate Finance committees are among the conferees. House Speaker Louise Stutes did not include in her appointments to a conference committee House Finance Co-chair Neal Foster, who voted to accept the Senate plan.
Some lawmakers have argued the state is benefitting from high oil prices and can afford to help Alaskans who are struggling. But critics of the higher payments to residents say oil prices are volatile and the oil price in the state revenue forecast can’t be assured.