Alaska Legislature Narrowly Approves Disaster Declaration Extension

Procedural objections from Republican minority nearly derailed the 30-day extension for storm recovery efforts

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The Alaska Legislature on Wednesday approved a 30-day extension for the state of disaster covering the fall 2025 storms that battered the state's west coast. The extension allows the state to continue spending money from its disaster response fund as it continues cleanup and repair efforts from two storms in October. The extension was nearly blocked by procedural objections from the House Republican minority, who argued the Legislature should have approved the spending via a bill rather than a resolution.

Why it matters

The disaster declaration extension is critical for allowing the state to continue funding recovery efforts in coastal communities devastated by the October 2025 storms. However, the partisan dispute over the proper legislative process highlights the political tensions in Alaska's divided legislature and raises concerns about the reliability of future disaster relief efforts.

The details

The Alaska Senate approved the extension in a 19-0 vote on Monday, but the extension nearly failed in the Alaska House after members of the House's Republican minority caucus raised procedural issues on Wednesday and said members of the majority were not following state law. House Minority Leader DeLena Johnson and other Republicans argued that under their interpretation of state law, legislators would need to approve the spending via a bill, not a resolution. However, House Rules Chair Louise Stutes rebutted this, saying "This is not new money" and that the majority was "trying to do the best we can as quickly as we can." The House vote was 22-18, with one Republican joining the majority coalition.

  • On Jan. 28, Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested permission to spend $20.5 million from the disaster response fund.
  • The Legislature approved the 30-day extension on Wednesday, February 12, 2026.

The players

Mike Dunleavy

The Governor of Alaska who requested permission to spend $20.5 million from the disaster response fund.

DeLena Johnson

The House Minority Leader who raised procedural objections to approving the disaster declaration extension via a resolution rather than a bill.

Louise Stutes

The House Rules Chair who rebutted the Republican minority's procedural concerns, arguing "This is not new money" and the majority was "trying to do the best we can as quickly as we can."

Nellie Jimmie

A Democratic state representative from Toksook Bay who became choked up describing the devastation in her district from the October 2025 storms.

Andy Josephson

A Democratic state representative and co-chair of the House Finance Committee who said the disaster declaration "allows state agencies to continue their emergency response and to extend state funds as needed."

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What they’re saying

“Doing this as a resolution is dangerous, I think it's a mistake, and I'm not even certain that it's legal.”

— DeLena Johnson, House Minority Leader (alaskabeacon.com)

“This is not new money. This is money that has been (in the fund) and is being allowed to be appropriated out. … it's been agreed upon that maybe this wasn't the optimum way. Nothing's perfect. We're moving forward. We are trying to do the best we can as quickly as we can. Time is of the essence, so I ask you to ask yourself: Do you want to be right in how it is done, or do you want to do the right thing when there's a question?”

— Louise Stutes, House Rules Chair (alaskabeacon.com)

“Today, months later, 340 of our neighbors remain without permanent houses. Mr. Speaker, we are Yu'pik. Our people have lived in this delta for thousands of years. We know storms. We know water. We know loss. We have lived on this coast for thousands of years, and we've survived ice ages, epidemics, colonization. We've survived by adapting, sharing, by refusing to abandon our homes, but you can't really live when your home floats 10 miles out to sea, when your fuel tanks that heat your home in winter are submerged in salt water.”

— Nellie Jimmie, State Representative (alaskabeacon.com)

What’s next

The House Republican minority has drafted a bill that would fix the procedural issues they see with approving the disaster declaration extension via a resolution, and that bill is being reviewed by legislative attorneys.

The takeaway

This partisan dispute over the proper legislative process for extending the disaster declaration highlights the political tensions in Alaska's divided legislature and raises concerns about the reliability of future disaster relief efforts, even as the extension is critical for allowing the state to continue funding recovery in devastated coastal communities.