The government of Alaska ( Iñupiaq: ''Alaskam Kavamanaa'') in common with state and federal governments of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, has three branches of government: the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

, consisting of the Governor of Alaska and the state agencies; the state legislature consisting of two chambers, the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the Senate; and the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

consisting of the Supreme court and lower courts.

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

has 246 federally recognized tribal governments and one federal Indian (Native American) reservation.University of Alaska Justice Cente
local & borough government

Executive

The Governor of Alaska is the senior-most official of the Alaska executive branch. The main Alaska state agencies are the: * Department of Administration * Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development *

Department of Corrections In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and s ...

* Department of Education and Early Development * Department of Environmental Conservation * Department of Fish and Game * Department of Health and Social Services * Department of Labor and Workforce Development * Department of Law * Department of Military and Veteran Affairs *

Department of Natural Resources This article lists subnational environmental agencies in the United States, by state. Agencies with a variety of titles and responsibilities are included, e.g. Department of Environment, Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of E ...

* Department of Public Safety * Department of Revenue * Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Other agencies are the: * Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice * Alaska Permanent Fund *

Alaska Volcano Observatory The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a joint program of the United States Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO ...

* Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission * Alaska State Pension Investment Board

Legislature

Alaska has a

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

. It is a bicameral institution, consisting of a

lower chamber A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or oth ...

, the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per ...

with 40 members, and an

upper chamber An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restri ...

, the Alaska Senate with 20 members. There are 40 House Districts (1-40) and 20 Senate Districts (A-T). The Alaska Legislature meets in the State Capitol building in Juneau.

Judiciary

The Alaska Court System is the unified, centrally administered, and totally state-funded

judicial system The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

. The Alaska District Court are the primary misdemeanor

trial court A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

s, the Alaska Superior Courts are the primary

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

trial courts, and the

Alaska Supreme Court The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court for the U.S. state of Alaska. Its decisions are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only court its decisions may be appealed to is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Alas ...

and the Alaska Court of Appeals are the primary

appellate courts A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

. The Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court is the administrative head of the Alaska Court System.

Local government

Alaska has two levels of local government, including

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

s (of which there are 19) and cities (currently 144). Boroughs in Alaska play a role very similar to Counties in 48 other states and Parishes in Louisiana. Owing to the state's low population density, most of the land is located in the

Unorganized Borough The Unorganized Borough is composed of the portions of the U.S. state of Alaska which are not contained in any of its 19 organized boroughs. While referred to as the "Unorganized Borough," it is not a borough itself, as it forgoes that level of ...

which, as the name implies, has no intermediate borough government of its own, but is administered directly by the state government. Currently ( 2000 census) 57.71 percent of Alaska's land area has this status; however, its population comprises only 13.05 percent of the state's total. For statistical purposes the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

divides this territory into census areas . Several population centers, including Anchorage and Juneau, have merged their city and borough governments because very few residents of these communities live outside the city but inside the borough. Other localities have both city governments and borough governments--borough governments provide services to less densely populated areas than city governments. Alaska has several types of borough governments and city governments: cities are divided into home rule, first class and second class cities. Boroughs are divided into home rule, first class, second class, and third class boroughs. The difference between these levels of organization (i.e., home rule, first class, second class and so on) is that some boroughs and cities have greater responsibility to provide certain kinds of services, and greater power including greater authority to tax. In general, "home rule" governments have more responsibility and authority than first class governments, first class governments have more responsibility and authority than second class governments and so on. For example, home rule cities may tax property at a higher rate than second class cities (30 vs. 20 mills) but are required to provide educational services (local schools) while second class cities are not permitted to operate local schools. Home rule cities and boroughs also have greater authority in land use planning, transportation infrastructure, licensing, regulation, waste disposal, economic development, emergency medical services and so on. These differences are complicated somewhat when cities sit inside of boroughs. For example, boroughs are required to operate local schools and therefore if a first class city sits inside of a borough it is not also required to operate a local school district. Areas where no city or borough or governments have yet been established are said to sit inside "the Unorganized Borough." In these areas, state government provides most services that would otherwise be provided by cities or boroughs.

References

External links