​Comprehensive Transparency & Influence Disclosure Reform - Making Alaska Government Work in the Open
The Situation / Problem - Right now, lobbyists and special interests can meet with lawmakers, commissioners, deputies, and board members; provide gifts, meals, travel, consulting contracts, or campaign contributions; and advocate for policies that affect Alaska’s resources, economy, and communities.
While much of this activity is legal, most Alaskans cannot easily see:

• Who lobbyists are and who ultimately funds them
• Which public officials they meet with — across all branches
• How much money is being spent to influence decisions
• Which bills, regulations, permits, contracts, or votes may be affected
• Whether decision-makers have financial ties to the industries they regulate

Current reporting systems are often delayed, fragmented, incomplete, or difficult to access, and they largely focus only on legislators. This leaves major decision-making power — particularly in the executive branch and on boards and commissions — operating with far less visibility.
This lack of transparency undermines public trust, limits accountability, and allows backroom influence to thrive.

Who This Reform Applies To: This transparency framework applies to anyone with power to make or influence decisions over Alaska:

• State legislators
• The governor and senior staff
• Commissioners and deputy commissioners
• Members of boards, commissions, councils, and authorities
• Any appointee or official with:
  • Regulatory authority
  • Spending authority
  • Resource management authority
  • Enforcement or permitting discretion

As Governor, I will immediately use the powers of the governor’s office to expand transparency across both the legislative and executive branches.
1. Modernize Reporting & Public Access

• Direct APOC to implement a single, online, searchable public transparency dashboard
• Allow searches by:
  • Legislator or executive official
  • Commissioner, deputy, or board member
  • Lobbyist or funding source
  • Bill, regulation, permit, contract, or vote
  • Date or department
• Fund technology upgrades to enable real-time or near-real-time reporting
• Require disclosures to be presented in plain language, not just technical filings

2. Expand Lobbyist Disclosure Beyond Legislators

• Require lobbyists to report all meetings and communications with:
  • Legislators
  • Commissioners and deputy commissioners
  • Board and commission members
  • Senior executive staff
• Require disclosure of who ultimately funds the lobbying activity, including:
  • Corporations
  • Trade associations
  • Industry groups
  • Law firms acting on behalf of clients
  • Third-party or pass-through entities

3. Executive & Appointee Financial Transparency

• Require commissioners, deputies, and board members to file enhanced influence and financial disclosures, including:
  • Employers, clients, and consulting relationships (past 5 years)
  • Board memberships and advisory roles
  • Ownership interests or profit stakes in regulated industries
  • Family financial interests directly tied to their department’s authority
• Require ongoing disclosure if new conflicts arise while in office
• Mandate public, written recusals from decisions involving disclosed interests

Transparency does not automatically disqualify expertise — but it does require honesty and guardrails.

4. Strengthen Compliance & Oversight

• Issue executive directives for enhanced auditing of lobbyist and official disclosures
• Implement risk-based random audits to identify errors, omissions, or hidden relationships
• Coordinate disclosures across:
  • Campaign finance filings
  • Lobbyist registrations
  • Executive ethics filings

5. Public Engagement & Education

• Launch public education campaigns teaching Alaskans how to:
  • Use the transparency dashboard
  • Track influence across departments and boards
• Encourage voluntary disclosure clearly linking contributions or gifts to:
  • Specific bills
  • Regulations
  • Permits
  • Contracts or enforcement decisions

6. Executive Transparency Reporting

• Publish quarterly public summaries from the governor’s office highlighting:
  • Patterns of lobbying activity
  • Concentrations of influence
  • Potential conflicts of interest across state government

What I Will Ask the Legislature to Do- Some reforms require statutory changes. I will work with the legislature to make transparency permanent and enforceable.
1. Link Contributions to Decisions

• Require legislators and executive decision-makers to disclose any gift, contribution, or expenditure from a lobbyist or regulated entity tied to a specific:
  • Bill or amendment
  • Vote
  • Regulation
  • Permit
  • Contract or funding decision

2. Real-Time Reporting

• Require lobbyists to report gifts, expenditures, or contributions within 7 days
• Require officials to confirm or dispute reported interactions within a defined timeframe

3. Gift Limits or Bans

• Cap or ban gifts, meals, travel, or benefits:
  • During legislative session
  • During active regulatory, permitting, or procurement processes

4. Third-Party & Dark Money Disclosure

• Require lobbyists and regulated entities to disclose funding of:
  • Outside advocacy groups
  • “Educational” campaigns
  • Issue ads or pressure campaigns
  • Trade associations acting on their behalf

5. Enhanced Penalties & Enforcement

• Strengthen fines and sanctions for:
  • Late or inaccurate filings
  • Failure to disclose linked contributions
  • Knowingly concealing funding sources
• Apply penalties to both lobbyists and public officials

“Government works best when it works in the open.”
As governor, I will immediately use executive authority to shine a light on lobbying and influence across all branches of Alaska government, while working with the legislature to enact permanent reforms.
This is not about politics or ideology.
It’s about transparency, accountability, and restoring public trust.
I don’t care what you believe — I care who pays you.
Sunlight doesn’t punish good people. It protects the public.