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AlaskaHB 29834th Legislature - Second Session (2026)HouseWALLET

LEGISLATIVE ETHICS CMTE & PROCEEDINGS

Sponsored By: Alyse Galvin (Not)

Became Law

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

7 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.

Stronger protections for legislative whistleblowers

The law bans any retaliation for reporting suspected legal or ethics violations to the ethics committee or another government office. If you are a legislative employee and get fired, demoted, transferred, or punished for reporting, you can file a complaint and sue. You can seek damages, back pay, reinstatement, or other relief.

Faster intake and notice for complaints

Anyone can file a written, sworn complaint stating facts for a suspected ethics violation. The committee must provide a form, confirm receipt in 7 days, and send the complaint to the subject within 10 days. Staff must do a preliminary review within 10 days to decide if more investigation is warranted. Before a full investigation starts, the committee must approve a written resolution that sets the scope, give it to the subject, and update it if the scope later expands. Early steps are confidential unless the subject waives confidentiality.

Hearings, discovery, and corrective action rules

If a likely violation can be fixed, the committee may recommend a specific correction. The subject has 20 days to request a private meeting; the committee must meet within 10 days, and the subject then has 10 days to finish the fix before charges can follow. Formal charges must be served like a civil summons; the subject can respond and do discovery similar to civil cases, with reasonable limits. Hearings must be set 20–90 days after service, are recorded, and findings must rest on clear and convincing evidence. Afterward, the committee issues a written decision explaining the result and any sanctions or recommendations.

Mandatory referrals to law enforcement and APOC

If the committee finds evidence of probable criminal activity, it must send its findings on that activity to the proper law enforcement agency. If it finds a likely campaign finance violation, it must send findings to the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

Gift reporting and title rules for legislators

Legislators and legislative employees must report certain allowed gifts worth $250 or more. Some gifts and charity tickets of $250+ must be reported within 60 days; other recurring or specific gifts of $250+ must be reported within 30 days. Reports include the donor’s name, job, description, and value; one gift category stays confidential except for cases. Legislators may use the title “Senator” or “Representative,” but may not trade official action for any private benefit.

Ethics committee makeup, support, and powers

Public members are limited to no more than one former legislator and no more than two from the same party. The Legislative Council must provide office space, equipment, and extra staff. Public members serve without salary but get per diem at the legislator rate and travel reimbursement. The committee can subpoena witnesses and, with the chair’s approval, documents. It must issue advisory opinions within 60 days. Committee public members and staff are excluded from a specific “agency” definition, and three old subsections are repealed.

Stronger confidentiality and campaign-period pauses

The ethics committee is not covered by the state’s open meetings law. Complaints and early investigations stay confidential; a subject may waive that, but witness identities cannot be revealed without consent. If a complainant breaks confidentiality, the committee must dismiss the complaint at once. When a complaint targets a candidate during a campaign, the committee pauses action for the campaign unless the candidate waives within 11 days; limited information about member attendance and majority outcomes is disclosed, but votes stay private. After the committee adopts a no‑probable‑cause dismissal, that dismissal order becomes public.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Alyse Galvin

    Not • House

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

Actions Timeline

  1. (S) REFERRED TO RULES

    5/11/2026Senate

  2. (S) FN1: ZERO(LEG)

    5/11/2026Senate

  3. (S) NR: TILTON

    5/11/2026Senate

  4. (S) DP: CLAMAN, KIEHL, TOBIN

    5/11/2026Senate

  5. (S) JUD RPT SCS 3DP 1NR SAME TITLE

    5/11/2026Senate

  6. (S) Moved SCS HB 298(JUD) Out of Committee

    5/8/2026Senate

  7. (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205

    5/8/2026Senate

  8. Audio/Video

    5/8/2026House

  9. (S) Heard & Held

    5/6/2026Senate

  10. (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205

    5/6/2026Senate

  11. Audio/Video

    5/6/2026House

  12. (S) JUD WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE,RULE 23

    5/4/2026Senate

  13. (S) JUD

    5/4/2026Senate

  14. (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

    5/4/2026Senate

  15. (H) VERSION: HB 298

    5/1/2026House

  16. (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)

    5/1/2026House

  17. (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE

    5/1/2026House

  18. (H) PASSED Y37 E3

    5/1/2026House

  19. (H) READ THE THIRD TIME HB 298

    5/1/2026House

  20. (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/1 CALENDAR

    4/30/2026House

  21. (H) READ THE SECOND TIME

    4/30/2026House

  22. (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 4/30/2026

    4/30/2026House

  23. (H) FN1: ZERO(LEG)

    3/30/2026House

  24. (H) NR: COSTELLO, VANCE, KOPP

    3/30/2026House

  25. (H) DP: MINA, UNDERWOOD, EISCHEID, GRAY

    3/30/2026House

Bill Text

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