advocacy, on the menu, state policy

On the Menu 04.17.26

April 17, 2026

By Rachel Lord, Advocacy and Policy Director, AFPC

With just a month before session ends, things are picking up speed and tensions seem fairly high between the majority and minority in the House. They have had incredibly long Floor sessions over the past two weeks. When Speaker Edgmon gaveled out the floor on Tuesday, just before the audio cuts out on Gavel you can hear a member exclaim, “Praise the Lord!” 

In a throwback from our bill tracker last session, HB 25 – prohibiting styrofoam containers at restaurants – was up for amendments and discussion on the House Floor Tuesday and Thursday. There were a lot of different amendments proposed and debated, including (but not limited to!) enforcement provisions, effective dates, and a prohibition on paper straws with a couple of lengthy at eases. Watch Tuesday’s floor session here, and Thursday’s here. HB 25 should be up on the House Floor again next week. 

You might have noticed on the akleg.gov daily calendar that in addition to specific bills or presentations, committees have a standing agenda item titled “bills previously heard/scheduled.” This can be tricky, because if you don’t get a heads-up or just happen to be watching, bills of interest can be discussed and even moved out of committee before you know it. That happened this week with HB 12 – see the details below. As we get closer to the end of session, expect this kind of thing to happen more often.

SB 208 (ag land leases) will be heard this afternoon in Senate Resources – we’ll cover that hearing next week. This week’s hearing for HB 356 in House Fisheries on Thursday was cancelled and rescheduled for next week.

Check out our food systems calendar for relevant hearings and presentations, and always check akleg.gov for the most up-to-date information.

Updates

SB 226 – Homemade Food/Reduced Oxygen Packaging (AFPC SB 226 policy brief)

On Friday afternoon, Senate Resources took this bill up again. Sarah Lewis, UAF Cooperative Extension Service, was available in the room to answer questions about the bill. She talked about the very expansive homemade food regulations that opened a huge amount of interest in food entrepreneurship (learn more here). She noted that in years before the homemade food regulations, she would talk to maybe 30 people about selling cottage foods. In the first three months after the homemade food law passed and regulations were written in 2024, she spoke with 90 people and at much greater lengths than previously. There’s a lot of growth and opportunity with homemade food businesses. She gave an overview of the concerns of high botulism risk with potentially hazardous foods in reduced oxygen packaging, and information on botulism outbreaks in other states. There was extensive back and forth with committee members working to understand the combination of packaging and food safety concerns for different foods. You can watch the hearing here.

SB 208 – Agricultural land leases

Senate Resources also heard SB 208 on Friday afternoon last week. Sen. Bjorkman gave a brief overview of the bill. A new version of the bill was introduced (Version T) after they moved forward Version H from the previous meeting. Staff Laura Achee walked the committee through the changes in the bill, resulting from stakeholder input. Changes in the sales sections focus on creating a DNR-driven process in identifying land available for agricultural uses and requiring consultation with the Director of Agriculture when scoring applications. Under the lease sections, Version T allows for 20-year lease terms, and also requires consultation with the Director of Ag. It also adds back timber clearing & gravel as agricultural uses as part of farm development plans. Version T also “softens the language” around enforcement of civil penalties for those not in compliance with their terms.  Sen. Rauscher asked how this version of the bill would support current farmers like Emily Garrity at Twitter Creek Gardens (read more about her experience with ag leasing here). Emily was in Juneau, and – surprise! – was invited up to answer that question herself. She noted that the lease provisions are in direct response to the challenges she’s faced, however she’s not sure if the timeline of this legislation will benefit her directly. Staff also noted that the fee structure flexibility and the optional appraisal and survey would be a significant benefit to farmers. Rachel Longacre, Division of Mining Land and Water said that DNR would be able to work with Emily on a new process using existing information and the new statute if passed. 

Sen. Claman asked about the market value of the land shared by Emily in her handout, and how the high value is being identified. It was clarified that it is because it is a highly valuable area. Sen. Meyers asked about the proposed regional schedule of prices for land sales. Rachel Longacre specified the per acre price would be the same within the same region. Sen. Meyer asked about the first preference to purchase leased land. Ms. Achee noted that was intended in the language, but that she would confirm it was the case in the new version. There were no further questions, and after adopting Version T as the working draft the committee held the bill for a future hearing, with an amendment deadline for Wednesday April 15. You can watch the hearing here. SB 208 is up for another hearing Friday afternoon, which we’ll cover next week! 

HB 12 – Reduced Price School Meals

Although scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday, HB 12 was amended and moved out of House Education Monday morning. They adopted a single amendment which updated the bill language to include breakfasts as well as lunches. This was a question we raised with the bill sponsor last week. Rep. Schwanke did ask about the amendment and if it would change the fiscal note. Staff said no, it just clarifies the intent of the bill to cover school meals inclusive of breakfast. The fiscal note is undetermined, and reads:  “The fiscal impact of this legislation cannot be determined because it depends on the contributions made by individuals through permanent fund dividend applications and on the legislature’s appropriation, including donations and interest earned on money in the new fund.” The committee never addressed the unfunded liability this bill, as written, presents to our schools. If there are insufficient funds in the account, school districts will have to pick up the tab (estimated at ~$430k). I don’t do a lot of opining in OTM, however this is something I’m really surprised by. This liability has not been addressed by the bill sponsor, and it moved out with committee members knowing full well how our schools are already struggling to make ends meet. Watch the hearing here. You can read the letter we sent to the committee here.

HJR 32 – Rural Health Transformation Program

This House Joint Resolution was passed out of the House, and is now going through the process in the Senate. On Tuesday it was heard again in the Senate Health & Social Services Committee. Lori Wing-Heier, Legislative Health Care Liaison, provided a quick overview of the resolution. There was no public testimony and no further questions or discussion. The resolution was unanimously passed out of committee in under 3 minutes! BASIS was updated with a packet of letters in support of HJR32, see them here. You can watch the short hearing here. HJR 32 is now waiting to be heard on the Senate Floor as its last step.

SB 187– Prohibiting Food Dyes in School Meals

SB 187 was heard in Senate Health & Social Services again this week. Sen. Wielechowski and staff were there and gave a quick reminder of the importance of the bill. There were no amendments submitted, and in another sub-3 minute hearing, the bill was passed unanimously out of committee. You can watch it here. It then read onto the Senate Floor on Wednesday, with Sen. Tobin providing an overview of the bill as amended through the committee process (watch here). The bill should be heard during Monday’s Senate Floor session.

HB 125 – Board of Fisheries Membership

Last year, HB 125 passed the House Floor after going through House committees. It is now transmitted to the Senate for a similar process. This kicked off on Thursday afternoon in the Senate Community & Regional Affairs Committee. Sponsor Rep. Jimmie gave an overview of the bill and the necessity of representation of user groups, including subsistence users, on the Board of Fish. She noted that she has heard repeatedly from her constituents that they need more voice on the Board of Fish, who get to decide where and when they fish. The committee then heard invited testimony from Fritz George, Akiachak, on the importance of subsistence fishing considerations on the Board of Fish. Sharon Hildebrand, Chairman, Tanana Chiefs Conference, spoke next also in support of the bill, with concerns about the declining subsistence harvest access across Alaska and the cultural and nutritional significance of subsistence salmon. Rep. Jimmie thanked the committee for hearing the bill and invited members to Toksook Bay anytime to learn more about subsistence. Watch the hearing here.    

No Changes This Week:

Check out our bill tracker here to see all the food policy bills we are tracking, and where they are in the legislative process.

Budget

On Monday, the Operating Budget (HB 263) passed the House Floor after many hours of proposed amendments and debate. It passed on caucus lines with a vote of 21-19. The $2M in grant funding through the Dept. of Health Division of Public Assistance for direct food purchases at food banks & pantries was kept in the final version. The bill now heads to the Senate, and is tentatively scheduled for a hearing in Senate Finance next Wednesday. 

Also Monday, the Senate Finance committee unveiled their working version of the capital budget (SB 214, Version G). Along with the bill text, they provided a list of projects by agency which you can see here. Staff presented the bill, noting that they are fully prioritizing deferred maintenance projects over any requests from individual legislators.  Sen. Stedman noted that the Senate is working on their version, and the House will be working on their version (HB 264), and spoke to the collaborative approach with the House. There was around $1.5 billion requested for capital projects around the state, and they are prioritizing deferred maintenance. 

We are still hoping to see funding for Alaska’s only statewide nutrition incentive program, Market Match, in the capital budget. Yesterday AFPC sent a letter to House Finance members (read it here), encouraging them to include Market Match funding when (some might say if, depending on how the political budget shenanigans are working out between the Senate and House) they contemplate the capital budget. SB 214 is tentatively scheduled for hearings in House Finance next Thursday and Friday mornings. You can send comments to house.finance@akleg.gov.

Alaska State Budget Resources

Upcoming Public Testimony

nothing is scheduled as of Friday at noon

Remember – things can (and often will) change! If there is a bill you’re particularly interested in, text the bill number (ie. HB202) to 559-245-2529 and you’ll get text alerts when its status changes!

You can also see the list of public testimony options at the state website here: https://akleg.gov/pages/testify.php 

Hearings can be watched on Gavel/KTOO, and you can check out our calendar of hearings for bills we are watching here. If you’re interested in testifying but don’t know where to start, you can check out our simple “Tips for Testifying” document here.