Murkowski Brings Investment to Alaska in Childcare, Workforce Development, HHS, ED Appropriations Bills

Last week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) advanced major investments in education, childcare, healthcare, workforce development, and military defense for Alaska through the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she is a senior member. Murkowski was able to direct these investments in the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (FY26) Bill and Department of Defense Appropriations (FY26) Bill. Both bills passed with strong bipartisan support from the full committee.

FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill Highlights

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies covers the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Education (ED), as well as several related agencies such as the Institution for Museum and Library Services, Social Security Administration, Corporation for National and Community Service, and the National Labor Relations Board.

Investing in Workforce Development

With the incredible number of projects on the horizon for the state, it is essential that the next generation of Alaskans are qualified to enter the workforce so we can capitalize on the opportunities. The Don Young Alaska Job Corps Center provides important skills for training students. Senator Murkowski ensured that funding for the Job Corps program was continued and also was successful in requesting full funding for the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) program.

Supporting Public Safety in Alaska

Ensuring Alaskans are safe is a complex and essential role for the government to fulfill. Senator Murkowski was able to secure an impressive number of wins in programmatic funding that will take steps to address a variety of public safety initiatives. She secured funding for the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center, Violence Against Women Health Initiative, Family Violence Prevention Services, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. She also secured funding to support victims of human trafficking, bolster culturally-specific services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as for the implementation of rape prevention and education programming.

America’s opioid crisis remains one of the most pressing challenges facing public safety, and Senator Murkowski used this bill to direct robust funding to the State Opioid Response Grant and the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant.

Protecting Alaska’s Most Vulnerable

Senator Murkowski has always prioritized investment in programs that protect the most vulnerable Alaskans. She was able to ensure funding for such programs as the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment State Grants, Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, Service Connection for Youth on the Streets, and Community Service Block Grants that support local programs that are aimed at alleviating the causes and conditions of poverty.

Mental health services are a critical, yet often overlooked, component of healthcare and Senator Murkowski has been a consistent champion of these programs. She was able to secure funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Behavioral Health Crisis line, with specific services for youth, American Indian/Alaska Native Suicide Prevention Initiatives and the Garrett Lee Smith-Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

Expanding Childcare

In addition to the numerous Alaska-specific childcare workforce development initiatives Senator Murkowski secured, the bill also includes a funding increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant and for Head Start, which helps low-income families afford childcare, and maintained funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to fund afterschool and summer programs.

Bolstering Education

Senator Murkowski believes that education is the engine of Alaska’s future. For young people to find and keep well-paying jobs, they need a strong educational foundation. Through the bill, she advocated for funding for a number of critical programs, including the Alaska Native Education program, Education for Homeless Children and Youth, Special Olympics Education, and Statewide Family Engagement Center programs—for all of which the bill maintains funding. She also secured funding for Alaska Native & Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities.

Related Agencies: Senator Murkowski also gained the Committee’s continuing support for the completion of a study she helped to commission on the physical condition of America’s libraries and museums and for an evaluation by the Social Security Administration of its service delivery options in rural and frontier areas of the Nation.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Senator Murkowski secured investments specific to almost 50 Alaska communities. These projects have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

· Wasilla: $1,000,000 for the purchase of new equipment that will enable the Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship and Training Trust to train more Alaskan workers to obtain federally registered apprenticeship completion certificates as linemen and outside telecommunications workers.

· Anchorage, Wasilla, Fairbanks: $1,095,000 to support the addition of 205 veterans into VIPER’s existing transitional employment program to connect and place veterans in outside established registered apprenticeship programs.

· Anchorage: $315,000 for the University of Alaska Anchorage to help ANSEP expand career exploration and internships for young people to meet Alaska's growing workforce needs.

· Statewide: $30,000 for the Bright Lights Book Project to ship free books to Alaska villages located off the road system where access to books is limited, and to manage book fairs and other events that promote reading among children and their parents.

· Statewide: $1,264,000 for the Rural Alaska Community Action Program for childcare workforce development. Funds will be used for a scalable, three-year project that develops tools for current and prospective childcare workers/providers and delivers opportunities for on-the-job training in the childcare field.

· Statewide: $1,623,000 for the Educating for Leadership, an Alaska-based non-profit organization, to strengthen the connection between communities and students to ensure a safe and trusting physical learning environment.

· Statewide: $200,000 for the Alaska Council of School Administrators to recruit and cultivate school leaders in Alaska, specifically in rural Alaskan communities, by identifying educators with leadership potential and providing them targeted professional development and mentorship.

· Statewide: $250,000 for Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance to develop a multifaceted project aimed at reducing eating disorders throughout Alaska.

· Statewide: $50,000 for Alaska Resource Education to expand K-12 natural resources STEM education programs.

· Statewide: $500,000 for Thread to create a technical assistance center and provide training for providers as they go through the process of setting up childcare centers.