Alaska 34th Alaska State Legislature Status: To Executive 2 D cosponsors

SJR 16 — Urging the United States Congress to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act; and urging lawmakers to advocate for policies that guarantee equitable access to vital healthcare.

Last action — (S) PERMANENTLY FILED 7/16 LEGIS RESOLVE 12

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced April 02, 2025. It awaits signature.

Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 50% · moderate confidence

  • To Executive

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 D).

  • Mixed recorded votes

    2 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

64 added · 72 removed

Plain-language change summary

The revised version of SJR 16 includes a new section emphasizing the importance of equitable healthcare access for individuals with congenital anomalies, highlighting the financial difficulties families face when insurance coverage is inadequate. This addition serves to strengthen the resolution by not only advocating for the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, which ensures coverage for necessary treatments but also underscoring the need for overall policy changes that promote fair healthcare access. This matters because it reinforces the call for comprehensive support for affected individuals and their families, making it clear that financial barriers should not hinder their access to essential medical care.

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(LIMITED RUN SHOWING ALL ADDITIONAL SPONSORSHIPS) 34-LS0788\A SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.
S T A T E O F A L A S K A THE LEGISLATURE Legislative Source Resolve No.
16 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION BY SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON REPRESENTATIVE Josephson Introduced:
SJR 16 12 Urging the United States Congress to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act;
4/2/25 Referred:
Health and Social Services A RESOLUTION Urging the United States Congress to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act;
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
_______________ BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
and WHEREAS many families struggle to afford the high cost of necessary medical treatments, especially if a family's insurance plan limits coverage for congenital anomaly care or does not cover specific procedures, resulting in financial hardship and delayed or SJR016A -1- SJR 16 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0788\A inadequate care;
and WHEREAS many families struggle to afford the high cost of necessary medical treatments, especially if a family's insurance plan limits coverage for congenital anomaly care -1- Enrolled SJR 16 or does not cover specific procedures, resulting in financial hardship and delayed or inadequate care;
and WHEREAS, at the age of six, Emily Brubaker began taking trips to Washington, D.C.
and WHEREAS, at the age of six, Emily Brubaker began taking trips to Washington, D.C., with her family to share her story with members of the United States Congress, encouraging members to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, which would require private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies and birth defects for which some insurance companies deny coverage as dental care;
with her family to share her story with members of the United States Congress, encouraging members to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, which would require private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies and birth defects for which some insurance companies deny coverage as dental care;
BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska Congressional Delegation to support the passage of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act to ensure comprehensive, affordable, and uninterrupted medical care for state residents with congenital anomalies;
BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska Congressional delegation to support the passage of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act to ensure comprehensive, affordable, and uninterrupted medical care for state residents with congenital anomalies;
and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges lawmakers to continue advocating for policies that guarantee equitable access to vital healthcare for all individuals.
and be it FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges lawmakers to continue advocating for policies that guarantee equitable access to vital health care for all individuals.
COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J.
Enrolled SJR 16 -2- COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J.
Trump, President SJR 16 -2- SJR016A New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0788\A of the United States;
Trump, President of the United States;
SJR016A -3- SJR 16 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
-3- Enrolled SJR 16
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Action History

  1. (S) PERMANENTLY FILED 7/16 LEGIS RESOLVE 12

  2. (S) 1:30 P.M. 6/20/25 Transmitted to Governor

  3. (H) CROSS SPONSOR(S): JOSEPHSON

  4. (H) VERSION: SJR 16

  5. (H) RETURN TO (S), TRANSMIT TO GOV NEXT

  6. (H) PASSED Y34 N6

  7. (H) READ THE THIRD TIME SJR 16

  8. (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/18 CALENDAR

  9. (H) AM NO 1 FAILED Y16 N21 E1 A2

  10. (H) READ THE SECOND TIME

  11. (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/17/2025

  12. (H) FN1: ZERO(LEG)

  13. (H) NR: PRAX, SCHWANKE, RUFFRIDGE

  14. (H) DP: FIELDS, GRAY, MEARS, MINA

  15. (H) HSS RPT 4DP 3NR

  16. (H) Minutes (HHSS)

  17. (H) Moved SJR 16 Out of Committee

  18. (H) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 03:15 PM DAVIS 106

  19. (H) HSS

  20. (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

  21. (S) VERSION: SJR 16

  22. (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)

  23. (S) PASSED Y20 N-

  24. (S) READ THE THIRD TIME SJR 16

  25. (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/12 CAL

  26. (S) READ THE SECOND TIME

  27. (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/9/2025

  28. (S) FN1: ZERO(LEG)

  29. (S) NR: HUGHES

  30. (S) DP: DUNBAR, CLAMAN, TOBIN, GIESSEL

  31. (S) HSS RPT 4DP 1NR

  32. (S) Minutes (SHSS)

  33. (S) Moved SJR 16 Out of Committee

  34. (S) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 03:30 PM BUTROVICH 205

  35. (S) Minutes (SHSS)

  36. (S) Heard & Held

  37. (S) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 03:30 PM BUTROVICH 205

  38. (S) HSS

  39. (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 63 not signed on · 25 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (63)

63 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 63 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Third Reading — Final Passage

Passed 34 Yea · 6 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
R 15600
Unaffiliated 1000
D 13000
N 5000
Total 34600
% of votes cast 85%15%0%0%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Robyn Niayuq Burke — Yea
Andi Story D Yea
Andrew Gray D Yea
Andy Josephson D Yea
Ashley Carrick D Yea
Carolyn Hall D Yea
Donna Mears D Yea
Genevieve Mina D Yea
Maxine Dibert D Yea
Neal Foster D Yea
Nellie Unangiq Jimmie D Yea
Sara Hannan D Yea
Ted Eischeid D Yea
Zack Fields D Yea
Alyse Galvin N Yea
Bryce Edgmon N Yea
Calvin Schrage N Yea
Ky Holland N Yea
Rebecca Himschoot N Yea
Bill Elam R Yea
Cathy Tilton R Nay
Chuck Kopp R Yea
Dan Saddler R Nay
David Nelson R Yea
DeLena Johnson R Nay
Elexie Moore R Yea
Frank Tomaszewski R Yea
George Rauscher R Nay
Jamie Allard R Nay
Jeremy Bynum R Yea
Jubilee Underwood R Yea
Julie Coulombe R Yea
Justin Ruffridge R Yea
Kevin McCabe R Nay
Louise Stutes R Yea
Mia Costello R Yea
Mike Prax R Yea
Rebecca Schwanke R Yea
Sarah Vance R Yea
Will Stapp R Yea

Official roll call →

Second Reading — Amendment No. 1

Failed 16 Yea · 21 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
R 16203
Unaffiliated 0100
D 01300
N 0500
Total 162103
% of votes cast 40%53%0%8%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Robyn Niayuq Burke — Nay
Andi Story D Nay
Andrew Gray D Nay
Andy Josephson D Nay
Ashley Carrick D Nay
Carolyn Hall D Nay
Donna Mears D Nay
Genevieve Mina D Nay
Maxine Dibert D Nay
Neal Foster D Nay
Nellie Unangiq Jimmie D Nay
Sara Hannan D Nay
Ted Eischeid D Nay
Zack Fields D Nay
Alyse Galvin N Nay
Bryce Edgmon N Nay
Calvin Schrage N Nay
Ky Holland N Nay
Rebecca Himschoot N Nay
Bill Elam R Yea
Cathy Tilton R Yea
Chuck Kopp R Nay
Dan Saddler R Yea
David Nelson R Yea
DeLena Johnson R Yea
Elexie Moore R Not Voting
Frank Tomaszewski R Yea
George Rauscher R Yea
Jamie Allard R Not Voting
Jeremy Bynum R Yea
Jubilee Underwood R Yea
Julie Coulombe R Yea
Justin Ruffridge R Yea
Kevin McCabe R Yea
Louise Stutes R Nay
Mia Costello R Yea
Mike Prax R Yea
Rebecca Schwanke R Not Voting
Sarah Vance R Yea
Will Stapp R Yea

Official roll call →

Third Reading - Final Passage

Passed 20 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
R 9000
D 9000
Unaffiliated 2000
Total 20000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (20)
Member Party Vote
Shelley Hughes — Yea
Mike Shower — Yea
Bill Wielechowski D Yea
Donald Olson D Yea
Elvi Gray-Jackson D Yea
Forrest Dunbar D Yea
Jesse Kiehl D Yea
Lyman Hoffman D Yea
Löki Tobin D Yea
Matt Claman D Yea
Scott Kawasaki D Yea
Bert Stedman R Yea
Cathy Giessel R Yea
Gary Stevens R Yea
James Kaufman R Yea
Jesse Bjorkman R Yea
Kelly Merrick R Yea
Mike Cronk R Yea
Robert Myers R Yea
Robert Yundt R Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SJR 16?
SJR 16 is sponsored by Andy Josephson (D) and Elvi Gray-Jackson (D).
What is the current status of SJR 16?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced April 02, 2025. It awaits signature.
Where can I track SJR 16?
Track SJR 16 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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