Johnny Ellis

The Senate has delayed debate on a bill critics fear will hurt the public's ability to participate in permitting decisions. Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis called it an "epic showdown" over state resource policy. HB77, from Gov. Sean Parnell, is...

The state Senate has passed a dramatically modified House bill meant to protect Alaskans’ Second Amendment rights, allowing the state to defend citizens accused of violating future federal gun laws -- as well as state law enforcement officers...

The Alaska Senate has passed a $9.9 billion state operating budget. The Democratic Minority offered 10 amendments to the budget, all of which failed. "I'm going to vote against it, mainly on the subject of education," said Sen. Hollis French (D-...

A divided Alaska Senate has passed an overhaul of Alaska's oil tax structure.     Supporters say the bill will make Alaska more competitive and lead to more investment. Critics call it a giveaway with no assurances that Alaska will see anything in...

The battle lines are set in a potential Senate showdown over oil taxes.  On Tuesday, lawmakers hashed out what version of Governor Sean Parnell's oil tax plan they will vote on. Last week, the Senate Finance made a few changes to the bill, including a...

On Friday, the Senate Finance Committee continued to put the finishing touches on Governor Sean Parnell’s oil tax reform bill or SB21 as it is known in the legislature. "There is a dark cloud moving from the Senate Finance Committee to the floor...

Fresh off his trip to Washington D.C. for the National Governors Association winter meeting, Governor Sean Parnell is expressing pessimism about the looming federal fiscal crisis due to automatic budget cuts set to take effect Friday. "We've got the...

Whether it's trolling the depths of Alaska’s oceans for gold or chasing down outlaws along interior highways; the last frontier has become the first choice for reality TV shows, documentaries and movies in recent years. Some of those filming...

When Alaska’s constitutional convention assembled more than 50 years ago, framers were explicit in barring the use of public money for the direct benefit of private institutions. Senator Mike Dunleavy wants to give the voters a chance to change...

As Senate Bill 21 makes its way through the committee process, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are taking a closer look at the bill.  "I haven't been convinced that progressivity should be thrown out,” said Senator Anna Fairclough (R-Eagle...

Silver Alert - it’s like Amber Alert, but for vulnerable adults. A new bill introduced Friday in Juneau aims to create a similar notification system to Amber Alert but for vulnerable elderly Alaskans. According to Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage,...

The new Senate minority leader says his caucus wants to be part of the oil tax debate. In a floor speech Tuesday, Senator Johnny Ellis asked the majority to take the minority up on its ideas on how to increase oil production. He said his colleagues...