Representative Alyse Galvin

07/25/2026

07/18/2026

I agree with my colleague Calvin. We won’t all agree on every detail, but when the future of Alaska is on the line, we have to work together to get the big things done. Compromise isn’t weakness—it’s how lasting progress is made. I hope you’ll take a moment to read this perspective.

07/16/2026

Thanks to all of those who supported this important opportunity for Alaska’s future.

Yesterday, the National Science Foundation selected the Alaska Critical Mineral Accelerator as the recipient of an NSF Engine award. The designation is a recognition of the outsize potential of a region to bring critical technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace. Alaska’s application was led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and focuses on a suite of technologies that can aid in the exploration and extraction of critical mineral resources. The award includes $15 million in funding over the next two years and up to $160 million over 10 years pending future appropriations and the attainment of key project milestones. Success would position Alaska as a global hot spot for the development, deployment, and commercialization of critical mineral technologies.

Alaska contains known deposits of 56 of the 60 minerals deemed critical to US national and economic security by the Department of the Interior for their use in national security applications, emerging energy technologies, and advanced computing. Historically, the United States has largely relied on global markets for these resources, creating significant national security concerns, particularly as geopolitical rivals have successfully cornered the market on their supply. This grant aims to position Alaska as a long-term domestic source of critical minerals through the deployment of new technologies, bolstering the state’s economy and offering stability and security to strategic supply chains nationwide.

“This is a huge opportunity for Alaska’s economic development,” said Representative Ky Holland (I-Anchorage), a majority coalition member who worked for decades in the mining industry and who advocated for the state budget to include matching funds that enabled the award. “This money will help turn university research into applicable technology, which will produce new businesses, which means more jobs here at home. Supporting innovation like this is how we build Alaska’s future economy."

Mark Lambert, an advisor to Representative Holland who played a significant role in securing the funds, noted that the grant “amounts to an order of magnitude more money going to support innovation in Alaska than we’ve seen in decades.”

Representative Alyse Galvin (I-Anchorage) ensured that matching funds were added to the state budget.

“This investment sends a clear message to our brightest young Alaskans: your future is here," she said. "By investing in innovation and creating meaningful, high-quality jobs, we're building an economy that gives talented people a reason to stay, build their careers, and raise their families in Alaska instead of looking elsewhere.”

The funds will be used to develop advanced technologies for exploration and extraction of critical minerals, and for workforce training for Alaskans.

UAF is one of twelve recipients selected out of 294 applications across the country.



https://buff.ly/Kzk3khE

07/02/2026

Last week, I had the opportunity to celebrate World Refugee Day, honoring the resilience and perseverance of refugees and the many who provide services to refugees in our community. It was a meaningful opportunity to come together, learn how we can help our refugee neighbors feel more welcome, and better understand how we can support them as they navigate ongoing challenges and changing policies.

During this event, I also heard about the challenges many refugees continue to face, including changing policies, expiring work authorizations, uncertainty surrounding immigration enforcement, barriers to health care and employment, and delays in accessing essential services.

I would like to thank Mayor Lafrance, the Alaska Office for Refugees, New Chance Emcee, Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services, and the Alaska Literacy Program for their dedication and the positive impact they have on our community. Thank you for taking the time to share both the challenges refugees are facing and the valuable resources available to support them.

If you, a friend, or a family member is in need of assistance, I encourage you to explore the local organizations listed below that are dedicated to helping refugees and their families. Together, we can help ensure our neighbors know where to turn for support.

Alaska Office for Refugees - https://www.cssalaska.org/our-programs/alaska-office-for-refugees/

New Chance Emcee -https://ukrainereliefprogram.com
Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services -
https://www.cssalaska.org/our-programs/refugee-assistance-immigration-services/

Alaska Literacy Program -
https://alaskaliteracyprogram.org

06/26/2026

My granddaughter and I had the chance to make a million wishes today. But if I could have just one come true, it would be to turn back the clock and somehow convince the Governor that vetoing services for our youngest and most vulnerable children is not good for Alaska’s future.

Restoring funding for the Infant Learning Program, Head Start, and childcare workers—funds included by the Legislature in our balanced budget—would add just 0.08% to the state budget. That’s eight ten-thousandths of our budget.

But for families with infants facing speech delays, hearing loss, autism, and other developmental challenges, those dollars mean everything. Early support changes lives and often prevents the need for far more expensive interventions later in K-12.

Head Start and Early Head Start already have hundreds of families on waitlists. These programs help children thrive and allow parents to stay in the workforce rather than rely on other social programs. Right now, more than 250 families are waiting in Anchorage and more than 100 in Mat-Su. I don’t even know how many more children are waiting across the rest of Alaska.

The childcare funds that were vetoed were intended to keep qualified, dedicated early educators in their jobs at a time when many can earn more as baristas or delivery drivers.

The Governor said these vetoes were necessary “to preserve general funds to protect long-term fiscal stability.” Yet every expert economist who has studied early childhood investments reaches the opposite conclusion: investing early yields some of the highest returns possible, strengthens our schools, and builds our future workforce.

When it comes to states investing in young children, Alaska is famously on the bottom. So it’s no surprise 60% of 5 year olds are one or two years behind when they arrive at Kindergarten.

You don’t build Alaska’s future by cutting funding for our most vulnerable babies. You build Alaska’s future by investing in them.

06/24/2026

Today, legislation aimed at modernizing Alaska's Legislative Ethics Act became law after passing the Alaska State Legislature in May.

Representative Alyse Galvin (NP-Anchorage) said the goal of the bipartisan legislation was to build greater public trust and provide clear, statutory guidelines for lawmakers and legislative employees in the State of Alaska.

"At its core, this legislation is about trust," she said. "When legislators travel for work, the public deserves to know why, and this bill ensures there is clear documentation and a clear purpose.

"We've also protected the integrity of the complaint process by establishing confidentiality for all three parties involved: the subject, the complainant, and the committee.

"Fairness has to run in every direction."

House Bill 298 clarifies the authority of the State of Alaska's Select Committee on Legislative Ethics to issue subpoenas and conduct investigations when reviewing potential violations. Because the Ethics Committee operates without its own administrative regulations, these statutory changes ensure that decisions are grounded in law, rather than interpretations of it.

Updated provisions include guidance on the use of legislative titles and clearer disclosure requirements for travel-related gifts. Legislators may accept travel or hospitality only for the purpose of gathering information on matters of legislative concern, with documentation requirements ensuring full transparency.

The bill also strengthens the complaint process by establishing clear timeframes for acknowledging complaints, conducting preliminary reviews, and initiating investigations.

The bill mandates strict confidentiality protections during the preliminary examination phase for all three parties: the subject of the complaint, the complainant, and the committee process itself. These protections safeguard witnesses and maintain fairness throughout the course of investigations. While transparent records are maintained once probable cause is established, any complainant who violates confidentiality rules triggers an immediate, mandatory dismissal.

Anti-retaliation provisions were also strengthened, ensuring that any legislative employee subjected to reprisal or discrimination for reporting a suspected violation has clear statutory standing to seek damages, back wages and reinstatement through the Ethics Committee or a civil court action.

To protect the integrity of election cycles, the bill established a clear "Campaign Period" framework. Complaints filed against active candidates are automatically suspended during election cycles, unless explicitly waived by the candidate. Public hearings, dismissals or formal charges are paused until after the election concludes.

If an investigation or probable cause determination uncovers evidence of probable criminal activity, the Committee is now legally mandated to transmit those findings directly to law enforcement. Evidence of campaign finance violations will be sent straight to the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC).

The bill also refined the statutory definition of an "agency" to clarify the independent jurisdictions of the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics and the office of the ombudsman, avoiding administrative duplication.

HB 298 goes into effect today, June 24, 2026. The Select Committee on Legislative Ethics will meet this Friday, June 26 at 9 a.m. at the Anchorage LIO. You can stream the meeting live through Gavel Alaska or AKLEG.tv.



https://conta.cc/4w4IUDx

06/21/2026

A heartfelt shout-out of gratitude to all the dads and father figures this Father’s Day!

Thank you for the millions of hours spent holding, listening to, and encouraging children. Thank you for reading books, coaching teams, untangling endless fishing knots, showing up at every recital, game, concert, and school event. Thank you for sharing a love of music, providing what is needed, cooking meals, telling predictable jokes, caring for moms so they can care for their babies, and always looking out for health, safety, and well-being.

Thank you to those who have adopted children—both officially and unofficially—and to all the father figures who step up, show up, and make a difference in a child’s life. We are truly blessed by your love, kindness, steadiness, and care. You all make the future of Alaska stronger!!

And for the three dads in my immediate family, my heart is full of gratitude for all the ways you make our world brighter and fill our lives with love, joy, and hope.

Happy Father’s Day!

06/19/2026

HB 381, the Alaska LNG legislation, has passed the House and is now being heard in Senate Finance. If approved by the Senate, the bill is expected to return to the House for concurrence on Friday.

This legislation will not guarantee a gas pipeline will be built. But it is intended to remove the barriers in the State’s taxation system that could cause the project to be clearly uncompetitive.

Should the project get built, a gasline project may eventually solve three problems simultaneously.

· ENERGY Many Alaskans will have lower cost energy; including thousands of Alaskans who will have access to gas for the first time!
· MEANINGFUL JOBS Alaska will be attractive for new industry because of lower-cost energy, diversifying our revenue source and opportunities for Alaskans to work in new sorts of jobs, and growing worldwide sales of our products.
· ONE MORE REVENUE SOURCE Once Alaska is selling gas on the world market, communities and the State of Alaska will see revenue from the sales that will improve our long term fiscal certainty and ability to invest in public safety, education, health and the things that keep Alaskans choosing to live a vibrant life here.

We are currently in a bind for energy. We know from listening to our utility companies that the Railbelt needs a solution to depleting gas development in Cook Inlet and many contracts are ending 2029-2032. We know that we need reliable, certain and redundant energy supplies and the utility companies looked at all opportunities for expanding hydro, solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal and they cannot be built out fast enough and at a cost that Alaskans on the grid can handle to keep us from a shortage of energy within the next 7 years.

The House version of the gasline bill was a compromise between those willing to provide the project sponsor with everything they requested, and those, like me, intending to protect the State’s and Alaska ratepayer’s interests while providing the relief necessary to the project sponsors. Additionally, I wanted to see more support for communities where we knew impacts would occur in areas of public safety, traffic/road use, schools and housing. My primary concerns were satisfied with the House version, but I also recognize the bill can be improved. I’m hoping the Senate accomplishes that task.

Again, if completed, this project will create long-term opportunities for Alaska, strengthen our economy, support jobs, and help ensure a reliable supply of natural gas for future generations.

There is still work ahead, but this is an important milestone in the legislative process. I’ll continue to keep you updated as HB 381 moves through the Legislature during the final days of Special Session.

06/15/2026

🍋 On June 6th, we held our lemonade booth, marking four years of serving homemade rhubarb lemonade at the Alaska Run for Women. It’s become a tradition I look forward to every year, and it’s always wonderful to see familiar faces and hear that many runners and walkers look forward to stopping by the booth.

This event is about more than a race, it is an opportunity to raise awareness about breast cancer. Events like this remind us of the strength of our Alaska community and the importance of supporting one another.

Congratulations to all of the participants, and thank you to my colleague, Representative Andrew Gray, for lending an extra hand!

06/11/2026

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to be part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Seward terminal. The terminal was named in honor of the Seward family who have a long history with the railroad: the Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal.

The new dock, with all the bells and whistles for receiving ferries and cruise ships to dock where there are challenging tides and offer electricity, is already in use, even with final touches not yet complete. The adjacent freight dock is also operational.

This new dock and terminal open many opportunities for Alaska, including new jobs, energy relief, and economic growth. So far, under the leadership of Jason Davis, 90% of the workers are Alaskans from AVTEC and other trade programs.

I recommend taking a train trip up to Seward if you’ve never experienced one before. You’ll see sights you’ve never seen in our beautiful state! Thank you to Royal Caribbean Group and the Alaska Railroad for working in partnership (public/private) to bring this project forward for Alaska.