Bristol Bay Representative Bryce Edgmon was elected Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives last month, back in the role after a four-year break.
On January 24, Edgmon was still settling into his new office. Brown boxes were scattered throughout the room, a guitar case sat on the center table, and decorations were sparse, aside from a few choice pictures on the walls.
“So, I have adorned above my office desk here in the Speaker's office a very big portrait of the late and very great Al Adams, legendary Al Adams,” said Edgmon. “We were able to name the finance committee room in his honor back in 2017. That was my first year as speaker.”
Edgmon moved into this office three days prior, right after he was elected Speaker of the House. But he's been here before when he was serving as speaker from 2017 to 2021.
Edgmon began his legislative career in Juneau as staff to then-Representative Carl Moses. In 2006, he tied Moses in a primary race that was famously decided by a coin toss — Edgmon won. He’s represented Bristol Bay ever since.
Born and raised in Dillingham, Edgmon was the first Alaska Native Speaker of the House and is now the senior-most member of the House, with 19 years of service.
“I've always, as a legislator, worked really hard to promote rural Alaska, to promote the Native culture, to promote the uniqueness of living off the road system in Alaska. And also, as best as I can in a firsthand manner, describe how challenging it can be living out in remote Alaska, yet at the same time, how unique and enriching it is,” said Edgmon. “As Speaker of the House, I have a bigger platform to carry that message forward.”
He says this legislative session is unique in his career as a legislator. For the first time since he's been in office, the bipartisan governing coalitions in both the House and Senate are Democrat dominated. But the house coalition holds the majority by a hair.
Edgmon was elected speaker by the slimmest margin possible, a 21-19 vote. He says despite the slim majority, it opens doors to push bills through that may have previously stalled.
“That's going to give us, I think, a pretty unique opportunity to tackle big, difficult, complex subjects like election reform and certainly the need for schools to get adequate funding and things of that sort,” said Edgmon.
One of the major bills on the table is HB 69, which would increase state funding to schools and tie it to inflation. A similar bill passed the Legislature last year, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed it. Edgmon says he hopes to work with the governor this time.
“I'm optimistic that we can, for the first time in many years, put into statute that there will be an increase in funding for schools that will be on a permanent basis and that school districts can look forward to and plan around and recruit and retain workforce,” said Edgmon.
Edgmon is also part of the year-old legislative Seafood Task Force, which issued its final report last month. The report detailed the seafood industry’s struggles, including $4.3 billion in losses between 2022 and 2024, 38,000 jobs lost, and $269 million in reduced tax revenue. The task force’s recommendations include creating a seafood working group, offering tax credits, and reforming the Alaska Board of Fisheries to include more regional representation.
Overall, though, he says the task force’s work will take time. He’s tempering expectations.
“We think that our work from the task force will go beyond this year, in terms of any legislation that will get passed, or any increased funding for Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, or any other sort of loan programs that we will be focusing on in the short term,” said Edgmon.
Edgmon noted broader economic challenges for the state. He says Alaska no longer relies primarily on oil revenue. Instead, much of the state’s funding now comes from the investment earnings of the Permanent Fund.
Additionally, he says outmigration is straining Alaska’s workforce, with more people leaving the state than moving in over the past four years. According to data from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, roughly 8,550 more people left than came to Alaska from 2020 to 2024.
Edgmon says it's becoming more difficult to attract and keep working-aged people in the state, and it is beginning to show in high vacancy rates. He sees reviving a pension system as a potential solution.
“At one point we had a very generous, if you will, defined benefits plan, that would afford every retiree from state service a monthly pension and the opportunity to get affordable health care,” said Edgmon. “So, we're taking a look at whether we, in today's environment, can provide some kind of a hybrid system of a pension plan that would act to help bring more people into Alaska who want to stay and work and feel like they are being ably compensated at the same time for doing that.”
One way Edgmon rewards himself for dealing with the demands of his state job is with music. The guitar case sitting on the table is not just for show. He says it lives in his office during the legislative session.
He writes original songs about Bristol Bay, Life in rural Alaska, and the ups and downs of the fishing industry. And, he says, the Speaker's Chambers has great acoustics.
