Rep. Andrew Gray

My first floor speech. From today. On the importance of increasing investment in Alaska’s education system. #AKleg #FundEducation

Last night, the AK House passed Sen. @ElviSenator’s bill requiring age-appropriate mental health education in schools - a bill AK needs! The argument against was: “We just don’t trust public schools.” The bill, though, strongly asserts the authority of parents. See video. #akleg

The Alaska Legislature must be willing to ask itself what it can do better. We have lessons to learn from other states. I spoke about one on House floor: we must stop sending so many bills to our finance committees; bills with small fiscal impacts don’t need to go there. #akleg

Today, members of the Alaska House Majority Coalition sent a letter to the congressional delegation, urging support in "robust federal funding of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)" to "ensure that no Alaskan residents will face a winter without adequate heat or electricity." #akleg

This week’s podcast guest former AK Attorney General Bruce Botelho has served as Juneau’s mayor twice for a total of 12 years. Besides discussing his time as AG under Gov Hickel & Knowles, he explains why he opposes Stephen Cox for AG. Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eas… #akleg

This morning I appear on @lgtobin’s podcast, “The Empty Office.” We discuss the military, Veterans’ courts, chairing the House Judiciary committee, & legacies of poverty in Alaska. Take a listen here: open.substack.com/pub/lgtobin/p/… #akleg #veteranscourts

Yesterday, the House passed SB 89: Physician Assistant Scope of Practice. This bill modernizes the way PAs can practice medicine in Alaska. As a PA myself, I’m so grateful to Sen. Tobin for sponsoring the bill & the legislature for passing it almost unanimously. #akleg

Author @msamywallace, ghostwriter for Virginia Giuffre's memoir, "Nobody’s Girl," is guest on @EastAncBookClub. Virginia held #JeffreyEpstein & #PrinceAndrew accountable for #sextrafficking her. Giuffre's book was published posthumously. Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amy… #akleg

Stephen J. Cox is the acting Attorney General of Alaska. He previously served as the US Attorney for the Eastern District of TX; he was appointed to that position by US Attorney General Bill Barr during #Trump's 1st administration: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ste… #akleg

The grim battlefield math shows Russia is losing a record number of soldiers. For the first time in years, Moscow’s Victory parade is about to take place without any heavy military equipment. This tells a lot about how the war is going for Russia. Next month, EU Foreign Affairs Ministers will continue the conversation on our approach to Russia, and how best to defend our security interests. My press remarks following the Nordic-Baltic Ministerial meeting ↓

Yesterday, House Bill 78 passed the Alaska Senate in a 12-8 vote. This afternoon, the House concurred along caucus lines with the amendments made in the Senate, effectively sending the bill to the Governor’s desk for his final consideration. HB 78 would establish a new shared-risk retirement tier, balancing Alaska’s need to remain competitive in the national job market with fiscally conservative controls to prevent future unfunded liabilities. House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp (R-Anchorage), who helped carry the bill for the House Finance Committee, said HB 78 avoids the pitfalls that have hurt the state before and learns from those past experiences; the State’s actuaries have said it will not cause any unfunded liabilities, while greatly improving benefits for Alaska’s current and future public servants. “HB 78 is a workforce stability bill,” he said. “We heard from nearly every PERS/TRS employer that they work tirelessly to hire and train new employees only to lose them within a year to jobs in the Lower 48. If we want to turn the tide on outmigration, we need to attract and retain local talent. Our investment in them keeps them investing in our communities.” The bill includes a guaranteed pension for those who choose to opt in, calculated based on years of service and highest average salary, as well as the following provisions: Employee choice: Employees can choose between a defined benefit or a defined contribution plan Employer choice: Non-State PERS employers can opt out and remain in the current defined contribution tier if their community wishes Built-in safeguards: Shared risk through adjustable employee contributions, employer contributions, and retiree inflation protection Healthcare: Employer-funded Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA) to supplement medical expenses until they reach Medicare age #akleg alaskahousemajority.com/2026/04/29/new…

Brenda Stanfill is Director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA). We discuss her move to AK at 16 as a newlywed which led her to a lifetime of domestic violence advocacy work. #akleg #SAAM #victimsrights listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eas…

A fun weekend at the retirement banquet for Senate President Stevens & Sen. Hoffman AND skits night. See photos: 1. former staff: Nate Graham & Maya Narang; current staff: Dylan Hitchcock-Lopez, Kyle Johansen, & intern Karley Thrun 2. Me, my son, & husband meeting Sen. Stevens.

On the one year anniversary of Virginia Giuffre's death, we remember her legacy and the need for Alaska legislators to do more to protect our young people from abuse and exploitation. I ask President Trump not to pardon the associate of Jeffrey Epstein criminal Ghislaine Maxwell.

HB 384 extends confidentiality of communication between a victim of sexual assault/domestic violence & a counselor by adding 2 words to statute: "or tribal." Today, tribes provide victim counseling services, but the law does not cover them. HB 384 fixes this loophole. #akleg

Yesterday, I carried a bill on the House floor for the AK Court System that adds a superior court judge to serve in Palmer. Palmer’s four Superior Court Judges currently have the highest caseloads in the state. The addition of this 5th judge is more than justified. #akleg

Grateful to US Secretary of Health #RFK Jr's recommendation today that every child get vaccinated for measles. "We promote the M.M.R. We have advised every child to get the M.M.R. That’s what we do.” -Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifying to Senate Finance, 4/22 #akleg #vaccine

This week, I had the privilege of meeting with the 2026 cohort of young adult Emerging Leaders from @TananaChiefs. Tanana Chiefs Conference provides a unified voice in advancing sovereign tribal governments of the Interior Alaska Native people. #akleg

Aubrey Wieber is the founder of the 907 Initiative; an Alaska watchdog group focused on government transparency. His life changed in middle school when he & his mother joined a cult, Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment. Listen to our discussion here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aub… #akleg

Read my latest e-newsletter: mailchi.mp/5cea6c9546a0/r… We remember advocate Elstun Lauesen & journalist Rich Mauer, highlight Anchorage Assembly’s resolution supporting “Age of Consent” bill, & Keri Ladner's book, American Dominion: The Rise & Radicalization of a New Christendom.

Karley Thrun finishes her internship in my office this week. She championed and carried HB 308 to lower DUI limits in AK. Every 42 minutes, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash. Listen to her amazing presentation on our bill that would save Alaskan lives. #akleg