Alaska is facing a PUBLIC SERVICE crisis.

Many state agencies have 20% vacancy rates. There are over 1,100 open positions in public education across the state. The Fairbanks Police Department provides no police coverage every day between 8 am and noon and is offering $20k-$60k hiring bonuses due to the inability to recruit and retain public safety officers. In 2022 and 2023, thousands of vulnerable Alaskans endured a months-long SNAP backlog, going without critical benefits. These are just a FEW examples of the state's public service failures.

But there is good news! This week Senate Bill 88 advanced out of committee and has a chance to be heard on the Senate floor!

Senate Bill 88 is a proposal to restore pensions for public service. SB 88 is a retirement system with reasonable costs and fair benefits.

SB 88 is modeled after other states with well-funded modern pension systems, including Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Indiana. SB 88 has safeguards in place to prevent underfunding, protecting the state from unforeseeable debt.

Senate Bill 88 is not a silver bullet, but one tool to address Alaska’s public service workforce crisis. Senate Bill 88 provides a modest pension to hard-working, reliable public employees.

Send an email to your respresentatives today and tell them to pass SB 88!