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Masks were made optional in the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, May 14, 2021, but lawmakers are still trying to get their work done. Gov. Mike Dunleavy called two special sessions Thursday, but the proposal was met with mixed reactions. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Lawmakers mixed on governor’s special sessions

A lot of work to do.

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State Senate majority leader’s bill would bar transgender girls from female sports

Bill would require participation in a sport to be based on the participant’s sex assigned at birth.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, said at this Wednesday, May 12, 2021 news conference there may be a special session of the Alaska Legislautre. On Thursday he officially called two, one for late May and one for early August. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Dunleavy calls special sessions for budget, relief funds

Backlog of work.

Alaska House Speaker Louise Stutes, a Kodiak Republican, looks out on the floor of the Alaska House on Monday, May 10, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaska House on Monday resumed debate on a version of the state operating budget. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer, Pool)

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House passes budget; dividend amount unsettled

By Becky Bohrer

Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, speaks to his concerns about Gov. Mike Dunleavy's appointment of Treg Taylor of Attorney General during a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Lawmakers confirm attorney general, commissioners

Boards and commissions.

Lawmakers took a brief break from an all-day floor session Monday, May 10, 2021, when a plexiglass divider around a lawmakers desk fell over. Debate on the state's operating budget bill covered a range of political issues beyond just funding. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Budget bill becomes partisan battleground

All day debate.

The Alaska House of Representatives, seen here on Friday, May 7, 2021, is scheduled to meet early Monday morning to finalize budget bills before the end of the legislative session in about two weeks. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Speaker: House to pass budget Monday, special session likely

They’re meeting early on Monday.

In this Empire file photo, an Alaska Marine Highway ferry is docked at the Auke Bay terminal in Juneau. A bill recently passed by the House of Representatives would create a new governing board, hopefully bringing stability to the ailing system. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

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House passes bill to create new ferry board

A more stable ferry system.

House Minority Leader Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, seen here speaking with Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, speak in the hall of the Alaska State Capitol on Feb. 16, 2021, said the minority caucus is working on proposals for the annual Permanent Fund Dividend. The Legislature is approaching the end of the session, but has yet to allocate an amount for a PFD. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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As budget work continues, PFD question remains

A dividend divide.

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives spent hours in floor sessions Saturday and Sunday inside the Alaska State Capitol, seen here on Monday, April 26, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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House moves budget back to committee

More time to talk.

A page in the Alaska House of Representatives hands out copies of a budget bill over 100 pages long on Friday, April 30, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire

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With May 19 goal in mind, lawmakers speed up work

Saturday sessions.

Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, speaks to Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, before a floor session to debate a bill over a disaster declaration in the state on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. The debate would take lawmakers into the evening Wednesday, as over 40 amendments were submitted on the bill. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Disaster debate drags out in Senate

Even if bill advances, governor might not sign it.

Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, holds a news conference in front of the doors to the Senate chambers on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Reinbold has been banned from Alaska Airlines flights for refusing to comply with the airline’s mask [policy. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

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Airline bans Reinbold for violating mask rules

Alaska Airlines has banned an Alaska state senator for refusing to follow mask requirements.

The Alaska State Capitol remained closed to the public on Monday, April 26, 2021, but with high rates of vaccinations among staff, lawmakers have relaxed some of the health rules in place since the start of the session in January. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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With vaccines available, lawmakers relax rules at Capitol

Returning to normal.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, removes her face mask Monday moments after being removed from her committee chairmanship.

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Senator removed as chair of Judiciary Committee

Multiple incidents, mostly around masking, led to the decision.

A person holds their thumb over a fingerprint sensor to log into an application. Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday introduced a bill that would make companies that collect and sell private information have to receive user's consent first. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

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New bill would allow Alaskans to know when data is collected

Governor introduced Consumer Data Privacy Act on Wednesday.

Rep. Chris Kurka, R-Wasilla, leaves the chambers of the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, March 19, 2021, after an hour of delays concerning the wording on his mask. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Mask rules standoff derails House floor session

Rescheduled for Saturday.

Rep. Christopher Kurka, R-Wasilla, seen here leaving the House chambers on Feb. 22, questioned masking rules on the floor of the House Monday and said there was political bias behind enforcement of rules. However, also on Monday two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 and 14 other people, including two House lawmakers, have gone into quarantine. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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New COVID-19 cases at the Capitol

Two cases, 14 close contacts.

Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold sits in a Senate gallery on Friday, March 12, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaska Senate voted Wednesday to allow leadership to restrict access to the Capitol by Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, over violations of protocols meant to guard against COVID-19. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer, Pool)

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State Senate leaders accommodate member over virus rules

The senate president on Friday called the standoff a distraction.

A bill from Gov. Mike Dunleavy would rework the Marine Transportation Advisory Board to help the Alaska Marine Highway System with long-term planning to provide better service for passengers like the ones seen here at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal on May 16, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Governor’s new bill would change long-term planning for state’s ferry system

In it for the long haul?