Email from Alaska Senate Majority The latest from Senator Bill Wielechowski     February 3, 2026   Senator Bill Wielechowski State Capitol, Rm 103 Juneau, AK 99801 800-550-2435 907-465-2435 [email protected] 1500 W Benson #315 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-269-0120 Contact My Staff Mercedes Colbert Chief of Staff [email protected] David Dunsmore Senior Legislative Assistant [email protected] Maxine Laberge Legislative Aide [email protected] Tatum Buss Legislative Aide [email protected] Phoebe Pepper Legislative Intern [email protected] Contact the Governor Governor Dunleavy's Anchorage office may be reached at 269-7450, or visit this page Visit the state website www.alaska.gov Track Legislation Visit the Legislature's website www.AKLeg.gov Submit a Letter to the Editor The Anchorage Daily News welcomes and publishes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email [email protected]. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to [email protected]. ________________   Dear Friends and Neighbors, I hope to see you this Saturday, February 7, 2:00 PM at STREAM Academy (1905 Twining Drive, formerly Nunaka Valley Elementary) for a townhall with fellow Eastsiders Rep. Eischeid and Rep. Mears. Governor's Fiscal Plan Last week, the governor released the final piece of his fiscal plan: SB 227 / HB 284. On Thurs, Feb 5, the House Finance Committee will hear it for the first time, followed by public testimony at 5:30 PM. Then Friday, Feb 6, my colleagues and I on the Senate Resources Committee will hear this bill for the first time, primarily in the context of oil production taxes. Here is an analysis of Governor Dunleavy’s tax bill: Sales tax - 4% sales tax from April 1-Sept. 30, 2% for rest of year. This would raise up to $815 million per year. Food is taxed except for WIC and SNAP. Gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil are taxed, jet fuel is exempt. The sales tax would be on goods and services - would apply to things such as Netflix, Amazon sales, services such as for accountants, plumbers, lawyers, home repairs, etc. Some municipalities already have a sales tax and under this bill the State would take charge of collections and return the local taxes back to communities. Municipalities can currently exempt things like food, utilities, but under this bill local exemptions would be banned. Temporary Corporate Income Tax changes - The governor is proposing to require some Outside companies to pay Alaska taxes, similar to the bill he vetoed and that the Legislature just failed to override. This would raise $15 million. However, he is proposing that all corporate income taxes go to zero in 2032, costing the state $540 million per year after that. Oil taxes - The Governor is proposing to increase the minimum oil tax from 4% to 6% until 2032. While he claims this would raise up to $171 million, we are hearing reports that due to other provisions in our oil tax code, the oil industry is able to drive down their taxes below the minimum tax already. He's also proposing a 15 cent per barrel surcharge on oil that would be used to maintain the pipeline corridor. This would raise up to $30 million. At the peak, these measures would raise $972 million in 2030, but drop to $389 million in 2032. The projected deficits each year are roughly $2 billion. To close that gap the Governor is proposing a constitutional amendment to use 50% of the PFD for government spending. There are other bills separately introduced that set a statutory appropriation limit and that have executive branch sunset review provisions. The governor proposed to end these taxes based on a liquified natural gas (LNG) pipeline to bring new revenue in the early 2030s. The legislature is reviewing the details of the governor's work on this project, and it is still unclear whether this is a realistic plan. We continue to thoroughly review this project to ensure that Alaskans are not on the hook for billions of dollars for a failed project. Last week, the legislature also heard from the UAA Institute of Economic Research (ISER), who presented data about various fiscal options. You can read more about that here, and attend a webinar on Wed, Feb 4, at 4:00 PM. My top 3 takeaways: ISER clearly stated the most regressive form of balancing our budget is to rely on cutting the PFD. This impacts all Alaskans, including seniors and children, regardless of their income. Deep cuts to public services causes widespread impacts to the private sector. Government spending has already been cut by $2 billion in the last decade. These cuts mean billions of dollars in the economy have been lost from the construction industry to the medical community, and slowing down the ability for new businesses to open and licensed professionals to get to work. Fixing our oil production and corporate income taxes are the most efficient sources of increasing our revenue stream, with the least impact on Alaskans' pocketbooks and the economy at large. I appreciate the governor finally coming forward with some proposals, even if I disagree with many aspects of them. The legislature is just beginning their review of these and other bills this week. Click above to hear more about my bill, SB 187, which would remove synthetic food dyes from school lunches. Top photo: Meeting with Alaska Voter Hub. Bottom photos, left to right: Meeting with the Statewide Independent Living Council, hosting a Lunch and Learn for the Rasmuson Foundation, and meeting with the Foraker Group. Survey Open through Sun, Feb 22 There is still time to complete my annual survey with the hard copy you received in the mail, or by submitting responses online at SenatorBill.org. The survey closes Sunday night, Feb 22. Click here to respond to my annual survey Community Councils Scenic Foothills Community Council's next meeting is this Thursday, Feb 5, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, in person at Congregation Beth Sholom (7525 E. Northern Lights) and Zoom. Learn more here. Russian Jack Community Council's next meeting is Wed, Feb 11, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, in person at the Village Rec Building (4430 Reka Dr) and Zoom. Learn more here. Northeast Community Council's next meeting is Thurs, Feb 19, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, in person at Creekside Park Elementary Gym (7500 E. 6th Ave) and Zoom. Learn more here. Please feel free to drop me a line via email, Facebook, or phone (465-2435). The Legislative Information Office has staff available to the public during session, but do reach out to us to schedule a meeting if you find yourself in Juneau through May. Keep an eye out for more townhall opportunities in the district. Warmly,         Alaska Senate Majority | Capitol Building 4th Avenue & Main Street | Juneau, AK 99801 US Unsubscribe | Constant Contact Data Notice