Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, is seen on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, during a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaskans as young as 16 will be allowed to work in restaurants, and those as young as 18 will be allowed to serve alcohol if a bill passed Monday by the Alaska Senate becomes law.
Senate Bill 15, which passed on a 19-0 vote, advances to the state House for consideration.
The bill is almost identical to House Bill 189, which the Legislature passed last year but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed it. In his veto message, the governor noted that the House passed it after the midnight deadline on the last day of the session.
HB 189 was sponsored by Rep. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, who did not seek reelection last year. Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, reintroduced the bill at the start of this session, and it moved quickly through the Senate, becoming the first bill the Senate passed this year.
“Alaskan businesses are asking for relief when it comes to workforce shortages. Many establishments were in support of this bill and they wanted it to get through the Legislature as quickly as possible,” she said.
Restaurant and tourist businesses typically staff up during the summer with out-of-state labor or foreign seasonal workers, she said. If SB 15 becomes law, it would allow businesses to hire younger Alaskans instead, Merrick said.
Speaking on the House floor, she said there might be some confusion about what it does and doesn’t do.
“I want to be clear: Senate Bill 15 does not allow 18- to 20-year-olds to work in bars where alcohol is the primary service,” Merrick said.
Instead, those teens can only serve alcohol in places like restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries, but not package stores or bars.
A 16-year-old might be able to work in a brewery’s merchandise store, selling T-shirts, but wouldn’t be allowed around alcohol.
SB 15 also incorporates a separate measure, from Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, that requires alcohol-selling establishments to post a sign stating that alcohol can cause cancer and is unsafe for pregnant women.
No hearings have yet been scheduled in the House.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.