25 March 2020 – Expanded unemployment benefits and increased internet speed for schools

Type of Intervention: Financial and Economic, Regulation
Sectors Involved: Education, Executive Office, Finance/Economy, Local Government, Social Services
Intervention Categories: Legal and policy; Regulatory change
Level of Jurisdiction: Alaska
Lead People/Agency: Governor Mike Dunleavy

Overview: Govener Dunleavy signed House Bill 308 and Senate Bill 74 that expanded unemployment benefits and increased the internet speed for Alaska’s schools. This legislation provides higher speed internet for rural school and increases uneployment insurance benefits by: waiving the one-week waiting period, increasing the weekly benefit for dependents by $51, and protecting workers affected by COVID-19.
Full details here: https://gov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2020/03/26/governor-signs-legislation-expanding-unemployment-benefits-and-increasing-internet-speeds-for-alaskas-schools/

Other links: 1 2 3
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group, Advice of EXTERNAL expert advisor or advisory committee, Learning from other jurisdictions
Source of Evidence or Justification: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Alaska Department of Education, Office of the Governor
Evidence/Justification: “Last week, I called for an aggressive expansion of unemployment benefits to help hardworking Alaskans suffering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.” – Gov Mike Dunleavy