The newly minted bipartisan House Majority — a 21-member group including Democrats, Republicans and independents — announced who will chair its committees for this year, marking a significant break from the soon-to-be-former Republican-led Majority that was fixated on divisive culture war-style issues.
With coalition members at the helm of several committees, they’ll be able to set an agenda that won’t be as fixated on anti-trans bills, “Don’t Say Gay”-style legislation, anti-abortion measures, and election “reforms” that make it harder rather than easier to vote. House Majority leadership says the new leadership will focus on critical issues like education, energy and retirement reform while maintaining a balanced budget.
“Alaska voters have clearly expressed their will,” said Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, in a prepared statement announcing the positions. “They want to see collaborative efforts to address energy challenges, stable education funding, retirement security, and a balanced budget.”
One of the most significant changes will be in the House Education Committee, which is now set to be chaired by Southeast Reps. Andi Story (D-Juneau) and Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka).
Himschoot, a long-time teacher, and Story, a long-time member of the Juneau School Board and other school groups, spent much of the last two years butting heads with soon-to-be-former Education co-chair Rep. Jamie Allard. Allard, a far-right Eagle River Republican who lost her spot on the Human Rights Commission when she defended Nazi-themed license plates, used the committee to advance anti-trans sports legislation and other divisive issues while frequently clashing with local schools.
“We have heard loud and clear from Alaskans that we need stable education funding for great schools with small class sizes,” Himschoot and Story said in a joint statement with Speaker Bryce Edgmon.
Another big change will be the move from extreme-right Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, to Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, as the head of the House Judiciary Committee. As the chair of the Judiciary Committee, Vance also gave a platform to divisive culture-war issues and pushed for election “reforms” that were primarily an effort to purge state voter rolls.
Like Himschoot and Story, Gray frequently clashed with Vance, pleading with her to rethink the kind of divisive, anti-trans and anti-LGBT positions that Vance supported. As a gay man, Gray said after the session that the fight took its toll, but it was a worthwhile battle.
“I know I’m on the right side of history, and 20 years from now, people will look back and ask, ‘What the heck were we talking about?’” he said. “‘How was this a thing?’ I’m going to do this because I know when we look back on this period, I will have been morally sound. I will have been on the right side of history.”
The Alaska Legislature is set to gavel in on Jan 21, 2025.
Full committee picks
Leadership: House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I-Dillingham), House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp (R-Anchorage), House Rules Chair Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak) and Whip Zack Fields (D-Anchorage)
House Finance Committee: Co-Chairs Neal Foster (bills), Andy Josephson (operating budget), and Calvin Schrage (capital budget), with members Sara Hannan, Alyse Galvin, and Nellie Jimmie.
Education: Andi Story and Rebecca Himschoot
Resource Committee: Maxine Dibert and Robyn Burke.
Energy: Donna Mears and Ky Holland.
State Affairs: Ashley Carrick
Health and Social Services: Genevieve Mina
Labor and Commerce: Zack Fields and Carolyn Hall
Community and Regional Affairs: Donna Mears and Rebecca Himschoot
Judiciary: Andrew Gray
Transportation: Ted Eischeid and Ashley Carrick
Military and Veteran Affairs: Ted Eischeid
Joint Armed Services Committee: Andrew Gray
Fisheries: Louise Stutes
Tribal Affairs: Bryce Edgmon and Maxine Dibert
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.
