State lawmakers will gavel in for the second half of the 34th Alaska Legislature Tuesday in Juneau.
Some legislators have already gotten a head start on the session by pre-filing dozens of bills, which do everything from overhaul how Alaska students learn math, to bar law enforcement from concealing their face.
Four of the pre-filed bills come from Nikiski Republican Sen. Jesse Bjorkman.
One aims to make it more affordable to lease state land for agriculture, like for the commercial production of plants or animals, or construction of agriculture infrastructure.
Bjorkman’s bill would let residents petition the state directly for a lease, kicking off a competitive interest process. If more than two applicants want the same lease, the decision would be made based on the merit of the proposal, rather than how much money would be involved. The bill also describes a path to land ownership for would-be lessees.
Another of Bjorkman’s bills tightens graduation requirements for public high school students and would create a new state proficiency seal to go on their diplomas.
Currently, graduation requirements vary by school district, though the state has minimum requirements. Under Bjorkman’s bill, high school students graduating in 2030 or later would be required to complete four credits each in language arts, math and social studies.
That’s more than is required by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, where graduates only need three credits each in math and social studies to graduate. District superintendents would need to submit revised graduation requirements to their school board or to the state for approval.
The same bill would also offer a diploma seal for high school seniors who demonstrate proficiency in all subject areas. Proficiency would be determined through something like an assessment or portfolio review in eighth, tenth and twelfth grades.
During an interview with KDLL last month, Bjorkman said the seal would clarify what is achieved when a student receives their diploma.
“I think that that is something that students should strive for and achieve,” he said. “I think that's something that parents would appreciate, and certainly the public – I think the public deserves to know when, when students graduate from high school, they should be able to earn a credential that says, ‘Hey, I'm proficient according to the state standards.’”
Another bill Bjorkman is sponsoring would give property owners more tools for removing squatters – that is, people living illegally on someone else’s property. The bill would let property owners petition law enforcement to get someone removed and outlines a request property owners would submit to the relevant jurisdiction.
The same bill creates a new felony for criminal trespass in the first degree if the person also causes more than $1,000 worth of damages to the property. And it adds forging a rental agreement to the types of behavior that constitute felony forgery.
More bills will be introduced throughout the session; between 2023 and 2024, only 15% passed both chambers of the Alaska Legislature. More information about bills, hearing schedules and session information is available online.
