Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan legislation that would have eased access to contraception in Alaska

Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have made birth control more accessible to Alaska women.

House Bill 17 would have allowed women to get a year’s worth of prescription birth control at once. Currently, most insurance providers in Alaska cover only up to 90 days’ worth of birth control pills at a time.

At least 24 states and Washington D.C. have adopted laws enshrining the 12-month rule. Proponents say it is particularly important for rural women who may not be able to visit a pharmacy every 90 days; and for victims of domestic violence. But it affects women in myriad ways and situations, by reducing the regular need to travel to pharmacies and refill prescriptions. Advocates for the bill also say it could prevent unintended pregnancies, thus leading to a reduction in abortions.

Similar legislation has been introduced by each Alaska Legislature since 2016. But this was the first year it had passed in both the House and Senate. It did so with solid bipartisan support.

The Senate voted 16-3 to approve the measure in May with Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, excused from voting. All 16 yes votes were members of the bipartisan Senate majority. The three no votes were from Republicans Sens. David Wilson, Robb Myers and Mike Shower.

In the House, all 16 members of the mostly-Democratic minority voted for the bill, alongside 10 members of the Republican-led majority. Twelve Republican majority members and Wasilla GOP Rep. David Eastman voted no. Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance was excused from voting.

Dunleavy wrote in a letter explaining the veto that “compelling insurance companies to provide mandatory coverage for a year is bad policy.” He did not explain why it constituted “bad policy.”

Fairbanks Democratic Rep. Ashley Carrick, the primary sponsor of the legislation, said she had attempted to speak with Dunleavy or members of his administration multiple times about the bill during the legislative session. All requests were “ignored or denied,” she said.

“In the absence of having a real dialogue on this issue, we can’t make substantive progress,” said Carrick.

Carrick said the veto “after eight years of tireless effort, overwhelming community support, and positive collaboration with the insurance companies, is deeply disappointing.”

Rose O’Hara-Jolley, director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocated Alaska, said in a statement that the veto meant Dunleavy “has chosen to keep barriers in place that make it difficult for all folks to access essential medication.”

In a follow-up email, Dunleavy’s office did not elaborate on the reasons for the veto when asked to comment.

[Alaska law saying only doctors can provide abortions is unconstitutional, judge rules]

In March, the Alaska Beacon reported that multiple House legislators said the measure would save insurance companies money because the cost of unplanned pregnancies and births outweighs prescription costs.

HB 17 was amended as it advanced through the legislative process to address concerns from conservative legislators. Specific exemptions were added to allow religious employers to deny birth control coverage. Provisions to provide coverage for emergency contraception, such as Plan B, were removed from the bill as it advanced through the Legislature.

Still, some Republican lawmakers were unconvinced. Rep. Dan Saddler, an Eagle River Republican and member of the House Health and Social Services Committee, voted no when the bill was before the House. Saddler said he felt some of the arguments were “unpersuasive” for 12 months of mandatory insurance coverage for contraception.

“I guess I would say that the existing structure of insurance, I felt, was sufficient to provide for the needs we heard about,” Saddler said. “Not everything requires a governmental, legal mandate as a solution.”

The bill addressing contraceptive access is one of three that Dunleavy vetoed in a matter of days. Another would have required companies that enable individuals to rent out their cars to pay taxes to the state, as is currently required of traditional brick-and-mortar car rental companies. A third would have laid out clear rules for employees of large warehouses, such as those operated by online retailer Amazon. All three bills passed with bipartisan support and were vetoed by Dunleavy more than three months after they were adopted.

Carrick said in a statement that the veto of the contraceptives bill “is among a number of clear examples of how Gov. Dunleavy continues to prioritize politics and power over the well-being of our communities.”

Dunleavy’s recent vetoes come after a string of actions thwarting legislation that had passed with bipartisan support, including a popular bill that would have permanently increased education funding by a significant amount for the first time in years, which Dunleavy vetoed in March.

“It’s hard for us to make reforms and advance good policy with this administration,” said Anchorage Rep. Andy Josephson.