View source for Alaska State Senate

{{Short description|Upper house of the Alaska Legislative}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2011}}
{{Infobox legislature
 | background_color = 
 | name              = Alaska State Senate
 | legislature       = [[Alaska State Legislature]]
 | coa_pic           = Seal of the State of Alaska.svg
 | house_type        = Upper house
 | term_limits       = None
 | session_room      = Alaska State Capitol, Senate chamber 2024-08-15.jpg
 | new_session       = January 21, 2025
 | leader1_type      = President
 | leader1           = [[Gary Stevens (politician)|Gary Stevens]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[Coalition government|C]])
 | election1         = January 17, 2023
 | leader2_type      = Majority Leader
 | leader2           = [[Cathy Giessel]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[Coalition government|C]])
 | election2         = January 17, 2023
 | leader3_type      = Minority Leader
 | leader3           = ''Vacant''
 | election3         = November 3, 2025
 | structure1        = Alaska State Senate 2025-2027.svg
 | structure1_res = 250px
 | term_length       = 4 years
 | authority         = Article 2, [[Alaska Constitution]]
 | salary            = $50,400/year + per diem ($200/day, in session)
 | members           = 20
 | voting_system1     = [[Nonpartisan blanket primary]] / [[Instant-runoff voting|Ranked-choice voting]]<br />(Beginning in 2022)
 | last_election1    = [[2024 Alaska Senate election|November 5, 2024]] (10 seats: B, D, F, H, J, L, N, P, R, T)
 | next_election1    = [[2026 Alaska Senate election|November 3, 2026]] (10 seats: districts A,C,E,G,I,K,M,O,Q,S)
 | redistricting     = Alaska Redistricting Board
 | political_groups1 =
'''Majority coalition'''
* {{Color box|#3333FF|border=darkgray}}&nbsp;[[Alaska Democratic Party|Democratic]]&nbsp;(9)
* {{Nowrap|{{Color box|#ff95b3ff|border=darkgray}} [[Alaska Republican Party|Republican]] (5)}}
'''Minority caucus'''
* {{Color box|#ff3333|border=darkgray}}&nbsp;[[Alaska Republican Party|Republican]]&nbsp;(4)
'''Vacant'''
* {{Color box|#000000|border=darkgray}}&nbsp;Vacant (2)
 | meeting_place     = State Senate Chamber<br />[[Alaska State Capitol]]<br />[[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]], Alaska
 | website           = [http://akleg.gov/senate.php Alaska State Senate]
|rules=[https://akleg.gov/docs/pdf/uniform_rules.pdf Alaska State Legislature Uniform Rules]}}
The '''Alaska State Senate''' is the [[upper house]] in the [[Alaska State Legislature]], the [[State legislature (United States)|state legislature]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]]. It convenes in the [[Alaska State Capitol]] in [[Juneau, Alaska]] and is responsible for making laws and confirming or rejecting gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.

With just twenty members, the Alaska Senate is the smallest state legislative chamber in the United States. Its members serve four-year terms and each represent an equal number of districts with populations of approximately 35,512 people, per [[2010 United States census|2010 census]] figures. They are not subject to [[term limits in the United States|term limits]].

==Powers and legislative process==
The Alaska Senate shares the responsibility for making laws in the state of [[Alaska]] with the [[Alaska House of Representatives]]. Bills are developed by staff from bill requests and information from the bill's sponsor. Bills undergo three or four readings during the legislative process. After the first reading, they are assigned to committee. Committees can amend measures or hold legislation and prevent it from reaching the Senate floor. Once a committee has weighed in on a piece of legislation, the bill returns to the floor for second hearing and a third hearing, which happens just before the floor vote on it.<ref name="process">[http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/legprocess.pdf Legislative Process] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222033634/http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/legprocess.pdf |date=December 22, 2019 }}, Alaska Legislature (accessed April 25, 2013)</ref>

Once passed by the Senate, a bill is sent to the opposite legislative house for consideration. If approved, without amendment, it is sent to the governor. If there is amendment, however, the Senate may either reconsider the bill with amendments or ask for the establishment of a conference committee to work out differences in the versions of the bill passed by each chamber. Once a piece of legislation approved by both houses is forwarded to the governor, it may either be signed or vetoed. If it is signed, it takes effect on the effective date of the legislation. If it is vetoed, lawmakers in a joint session may override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote (three-fourths majority is required if it is an appropriations bill).<ref name="process"/>

For gubernatorial nominees requiring confirmation, the Alaska Senate sits in joint session with the Alaska House and the two bodies vote together on confirmation, with each representative and senator having one vote.

==Committees==
Current committees include:<ref name="OpenStates">
{{cite web |date=6 June 2024 |title=Committees |url=https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Committee/List/ |website=Alaska State Legislature}}
</ref>
{{div col|content=
* Education
* Judiciary
* Resources
* State Affairs
* Transportation
* Committee On Committees
* Community & Regional Affairs
* World Trade
* Labor & Commerce
* Rules
* Health & Social Services
* Finance
* Corrections
* Court System
* Military & Veterans' Affairs
* Labor & Workforce Development
* Governor
* Health & Social Services
* Environmental Conservation
* Public Safety
* Commerce, Community & Economic Dev
* Natural Resources
* Administration
* Law
* Fish & Game
* Education & Early Development
* Revenue
* Transportation & Public Facilities
* University Of Alaska
* Legislature
}}

==Current composition==
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
!rowspan=3|Affiliation
!colspan=4|Party <div style="font-size:80%">(Shading indicates majority caucus)</div>
!rowspan=3|Total
!
|-style="height:5px"
|colspan=2 style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
|colspan=2 style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |
| style="background-color:black" |
|-
!colspan=2|[[Alaska Democratic Party|Democratic]]
!colspan=2|[[Alaska Republican Party|Republican]]
!width=30|Vacant
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|End 29th legislature
|width=50|5
|width=30 {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1
|colspan=2 {{Party shading/Republican}}|14
!20
|0
|-
|colspan=7|
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|30th legislature
|5
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1
|colspan=2 {{Party shading/Republican}}|14
!20
|0
|-
|colspan=7|
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|31st Legislature
|6
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1
|colspan=2 {{Party shading/Republican}}|13
!20
|0
|-
|colspan=7|
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|32nd Legislature
|6
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1
|colspan=2 {{Party shading/Republican}}|13
!20
|0
|-
|colspan=7|
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|33rd Legislature
|colspan=2 {{Party shading/Democratic}}|9
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|8
| width=60| 3
!20
|0
|-
|colspan=7|
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|Begin 34th Legislature
|colspan=2 {{Party shading/Democratic}} rowspan=3|9
|{{Party shading/Republican}} width=40 rowspan=3|5
| width=60| 6
!20
|0
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|November 3, 2025{{efn|name=Shower}}
| width=60| 5
!19
|1
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%"|November 14, 2025{{efn|name=Hughes}}
| width=60| 4
!18
|2
|-
!Latest voting share
!colspan=3 {{Party shading/Coalition}}|{{percentage|14|18|1}}
!{{percentage|4|18|1}}
!colspan=2|
|}
Past partisan compositions can be found on [[Political party strength in Alaska]].

==Membership==
===Qualifications and terms===
Senators must be a qualified voter and resident of Alaska for no less than three years, and a resident of the district from which elected for one year immediately preceding filing for office.<ref name="legis">[http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/handbook.pdf Alaska Handbook to State Government] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222021438/http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/handbook.pdf |date=December 22, 2019 }} (accessed April 25, 2013)</ref> A senator must be at least 25 years old at the time the oath of office is taken.<ref name="legis"/>

Senators may expel a member with the concurrence of two-thirds of the membership of the body.<ref name="legis"/> This has happened only once in Senate history. On February 5, 1982, the Senate of the 12th Legislature expelled [[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]] senator [[George Hohman]] from the body. Hohman was convicted of bribery in conjunction with his legislative duties on December 24, 1981, and had defiantly refused to resign from his seat. Expulsion was not a consideration during the 2003–2010 [[Alaska political corruption probe]], as [[Ben Stevens]] and [[John Cowdery]] were the only Senators who were subjects of the probe and neither sought reelection in 2008.

Legislative terms begin on the second Monday in January following a presidential election year and on the third Tuesday in January following a gubernatorial election.<ref name="const">[https://web.archive.org/web/20101222032055/http://ltgov.alaska.gov/treadwell/services/alaska-constitution/article-ii-96A0the-legislature.html Article 2 of the Alaska Constitution], Lieutenant Governor's Office (accessed April 26, 2013)</ref> The term of senators is four years and half of the senators are up for election every two years.<ref name="const"/>

===Leadership===
The [[President of the Senate]] presides over the body, appointing members to all of the Senate's committees and joint committees, and may create other committees and subcommittees if desired. Unlike many other states, the [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Alaska|Lieutenant Governor of Alaska]] does not preside over the Senate. Instead, the Lieutenant Governor oversees the [[Alaska Division of Elections]], fulfilling the role of [[Secretary of State (U.S. state government)|Secretary of State]]. Only two other states, Hawaii and [[Utah]], have similar constitutional arrangements for their lieutenant governors.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} The other partisan Senate leadership positions, such as the [[Majority Leader|Majority]] and [[Minority Leader|Minority]] leaders, are (usually) elected by their respective party caucuses to head their parties in the chamber.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

====Current leadership====
{|class="wikitable"
! Position !! Name !! Party !!  District
|-
| President || [[Gary Stevens (politician)|Gary Stevens]] || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican ||  C
|-
| [[Majority Leader]] || [[Cathy Giessel]] || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican || E
|-
| [[Minority Leader]] || ''Vacant'' || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican ||
|}

===Members of the 34th Senate===
{{Anchor|Districts}}<!--Please leave this inbound link anchor, as this is the only list of Alaska Senate Districts currently on Wikipedia (2012-06-28)-->
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Alaska State Senate<br />34th Alaska State Legislature, 2025–2026
 ! District !! Name !! Party !! Residence !! Assumed<br />office !! Next<br />election
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district A|A]] || {{sortname|Bert|Stedman}} || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican{{efn|name=majority|Member of the bipartisan majority}} ||[[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]] || 2003{{efn|name=appointed}} || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district B|B]] || {{sortname|Jesse|Kiehl}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]] || 2019 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district C|C]] || {{sortname|Gary|Stevens|Gary Stevens (politician)}} || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican{{efn|name=majority}} || [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]] || 2003{{efn|name=appointed|Senator was originally appointed}} || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district D|D]] || {{sortname|Jesse|Bjorkman}} || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican{{efn|name=majority}} || [[Nikiski, Alaska|Nikiski]] || 2023 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district E|E]] || {{sortname|Cathy|Giessel}} || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican{{efn|name=majority}} || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 2023<br>(2011–2021) || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district F|F]] || {{sortname|James|Kaufman|James D. Kaufman}} || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 2023 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district G|G]] || {{sortname|Elvi|Gray-Jackson}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 2019 || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district H|H]] || {{sortname|Matt|Claman}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 2023 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district I|I]] || {{sortname|Löki|Tobin}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 2023 || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district J|J]] || {{sortname|Forrest|Dunbar}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 2023 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district K|K]] || {{sortname|Bill|Wielechowski}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] ||2007 || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district L|L]] || {{sortname|Kelly|Merrick}} || bgcolor=FFF0F5 | Republican{{efn|name=majority}} || [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]] || 2023 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district M|M]] || ''Vacant''{{efn|name=Hughes|[[Shelley Hughes]] resigned on November 14, 2025. [https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/11/14/palmer-senator-hughes-leave-office-friday-focus-gubernatorial-campaign/]}} || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican || ||  || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district N|N]] || {{sortname|Robert|Yundt}} || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican || [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]] || 2025 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district O|O]] || ''Vacant''{{efn|name=Shower|[[Mike Shower]] resigned on November 3, 2025. [https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/10/31/alaska-senate-minority-leader-mike-shower-to-resign-monday-amid-lieutenant-governor-campaign/]}} || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican ||  ||  || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district P|P]] || {{sortname|Scott|Kawasaki|Scott Kawasaki}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic ||[[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] || 2019 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district Q|Q]] || {{sortname|Robert|Myers|Robert Myers Jr.}} || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican ||[[North Pole, Alaska|North Pole]] || 2021 || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district R|R]] || {{sortname|Mike|Cronk}} || {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican || [[Tok, Alaska|Tok]] || 2025 || 2028
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district S|S]] || {{sortname|Lyman|Hoffman}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || [[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]] || 1995 || 2026
 |-
 | [[Alaska Senate district T|T]] || {{sortname|Donny|Olson}} || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic ||[[Golovin, Alaska|Golovin]] || 2001 || 2028
 |}
{{Notelist}}

==Past composition of the Senate==
{{Main|Political party strength in Alaska}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Alaska}}
* [[Alaska House of Representatives]]
* [[Alaska State Capitol]]
* [[List of Alaska State Legislatures]]
* [[Impeachment in Alaska]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://senate.legis.state.ak.us/ Alaska State Senate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726013151/http://senate.legis.state.ak.us/ |date=July 26, 2010 }} '''official government website'''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081011021107/http://www.vote-smart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&criteria=upper&state_id=AK Project Vote Smart – State Senate of Alaska]

{{Alaska State Senate}}
{{United States legislatures}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|58.302198|-134.410467|region:US_type:landmark|display=title}}

[[Category:Alaska Senate|*]]
[[Category:State upper houses in the United States]]