Alaska lawmakers near final vote on bill to limit state campaign donations
The Alaska Legislature is nearing a final vote on a bill that would limit state politicians' ability to accept campaign donations.
On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee voted without objection to advance House Bill 16 to a vote of the full Senate. That vote is expected before lawmakers adjourn their regular session on May 21.
The House passed the bill in late April, leaving only the Senate and Gov. Mike Dunleavy as the final potential barriers to enactment. The governor has not commented on the bill but has previously said that he prefers having no limits on campaign donations.
HB 16 is identical to a ballot measure slated for a statewide vote in 2026. If HB 16 becomes law, that measure would be canceled, and the 2026 elections would move forward with donation limits in place.
HB 16 proposes to limit Alaskans to $2,000 in donations per candidate in each two-year election cycle. For the governor's race, where a lieutenant governor candidate and governor candidate run together on a single ticket, the limit would be $4,000. The limit for donations from one person to a political party or group would be $5,000.
If a group wants to donate to a candidate, the limit is $4,000, or $8,000 for the governor's race.
Those limits would be adjusted for inflation every 10 years.
The new limits are required because a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2021 that the state's prior limits were unconstitutional. The Dunleavy administration declined to appeal that ruling.
On Wednesday, Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage, proposed amending the bill to include higher donation limits equivalent to those in federal law.
The committee voted down that amendment, and Schrage said he prefers to keep the bill in line with the ballot measure.
Doing otherwise could run afoul of a clause of the Alaska Constitution that says the Legislature can override an upcoming ballot measure only if it enacts a law 'substantially similar' to the measure.
HB 16 is expected to move in parallel with Senate Bill 64, an elections bill moving toward a final vote in the state House, multiple lawmakers said, meaning that both bills are expected to reach final votes about the same time.
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