Juneau – In response to the State Officers Compensation Commission’s (SOCC) recent recommendation to implement automatic salary adjustments for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Department Commissioners, and Legislators based on the Anchorage Consumer Price Index (CPI) starting in 2027, the Alaska House Republicans voted to pass Senate Bill 82 (SB 87) to disapprove these recommendations.
“Alaskans send their representatives and senators to Juneau to discuss and solve the issues that affect their everyday lives, not for their legislators to give themselves salary increases,” saidRepresentative Will Stapp (R-Fairbanks). “It was critical that we passed SB 87 in the 60-day timeframe as outlined in AS 39.23.540(d) to disapprove yet another salary increase for legislators.”
“Our focus should remain on serving the people of Alaska and addressing the critical issues that impact their daily lives,” added Representative Stapp, who had already introduced similar legislation this year in House Bill 82.
“Many Alaskans are struggling to make ends meet. We would be very poor stewards of public funds if one our first significant actions was to increase our compensation,” said Representative Mike Prax (R-North Pole).
“In this year of down revenue, we must not spend funds we do not have. This goes for any budget additions that cause reduced PFD checks and tax increases. For us to exacerbate these challenges with automatic salary increases indexed to inflation is simply unacceptable,” stated Representative DeLena Johnson (R-Palmer).
“This isn’t about politics—it’s about priorities,” said House Republican Caucus Leader Representative Mia Costello. (R-Anchorage) “SB 87 is about making sure we stay accountable to the people we serve.”
SB 87 underscores the importance of legislative authority and oversight in state matters. Our collective actions reflect a commitment to limited government intervention and helps maintain the integrity of the legislative process and focus on pressing issues that all Alaskans are concerned about.