Measure seeks to move bulk of state government from Juneau

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A new effort is underway to move the bulk of state government away from Juneau.

A proposed ballot measure seeks to move Alaska legislative sessions to Anchorage without moving the capital.

Ken Jacobus, an attorney assisting sponsors of the effort, says legislatures normally meet in a state’s capital city but shouldn’t have to. He says the sponsors want Alaska’s Legislature to be more accessible.

Juneau isn’t on Alaska’s road system, requiring lawmakers and constituents to fly or take ferries to the city. It’s also about 600 miles away from the population centers of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Juneau has survived previous attempts to move the capital.

If the initiative application passes a Department of Law review, supporters would need to gather signatures to try to qualify it for the ballot.