---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act relating to judges of the court of appeals; and providing for an effective date."
description: "An Act relating to judges of the court of appeals; and providing for an effective date."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ak"
legislature: "Alaska Legislature"
session: "31"
identifier: "SB 55"
citation: "Alaska SB 55 (31)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["APPEALS", "APPOINTMENTS", "COURTS", "JUDGES"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["WILSON"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 97
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2019-02-13"
last_action: "2020-05-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2a736af8-6194-4f47-b860-cd698b646529"
source_url: "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/31?Root=SB55"
source_hash: "8e706648e1a21b754b7dc70b703e886366fde41e0f87e2b399d1f6728a6221e2"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ak"]
---

# Alaska SB 55 (31) — An Act relating to judges of the court of appeals; and providing for an effective date.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **SB0055A** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0055A)
2. **SB0055B** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0055B)
3. **SB0055C** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0055C)
4. **SB0055D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0055D)
5. **SB0055Z** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0055Z)

## Votes

- (H) MOTION DIVIDE QUESTION W/O SB 172 (FLD) Y15 N17 E6 A2 #2011 — **15–17** (fail) · lower
- (H) PASSED Y36 N1 E3 #2030 — **36–1** (pass) · lower
- (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) ADOPTED Y37 E3 #2030 — **37–0** (pass) · lower
- (H) FIN WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23(A) (PSD) Y22 N9 E6 A3 #2014 — **22–9** (pass) · lower
- (S) PASSED Y16 N- E4 #2124 — **16–0** (pass) · upper
- (H) MOTION DIVIDE QUESTION W/O SB 52 (PSD) Y17 N15 E6 A2 #2012 — **17–15** (pass) · lower
- (H) WAIVE FIN PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23(A) (FLD) Y22 N10 E6 A2 #2012 — **22–10** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- WILSON — primary (person)
- Begich — cosponsor (person)
- Costello — cosponsor (person)
- Gray-Jackson — cosponsor (person)
- Wielechowski — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-02-13** (S) Read the first time - REFERRALS `introduction, reading-1`
- **2019-02-13** (S) JUD
- **2019-03-11** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
- **2019-03-11** (S) Heard & Held
- **2019-03-11** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2019-03-15** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
- **2019-03-15** (S) Moved CSSB 55(JUD) Out of Committee
- **2019-03-15** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2019-03-18** (S) JUD RPT CS 1DP 2NR 1AM SAME TITLE
- **2019-03-18** (S) DP: HUGHES
- **2019-03-18** (S) NR: MICCICHE, SHOWER
- **2019-03-18** (S) AM: KIEHL
- **2019-03-18** (S) FN1: (AJS)
- **2019-03-18** (S) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER JUD
- **2019-03-27** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2019-03-27** (S) Heard & Held
- **2019-03-27** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2019-04-04** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2019-04-04** (S) Moved CSSB 55(FIN) Out of Committee
- **2019-04-04** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2019-04-05** (S) FIN RPT CS 3DP 4NR SAME TITLE
- **2019-04-05** (S) DP: VON IMHOF, HOFFMAN, WILSON
- **2019-04-05** (S) NR: STEDMAN, MICCICHE, SHOWER, OLSON
- **2019-04-05** (S) FN1: (AJS)
- **2020-02-17** (S) COSPONSOR(S): COSTELLO
- **2020-02-19** (S) RETURNED TO JUD COMMITTEE
- **2020-02-24** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
- **2020-02-24** (S) Heard & Held
- **2020-02-24** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2020-02-26** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
- **2020-02-26** (S) Moved CSSB 55(2d JUD) Out of Committee
- **2020-02-26** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2020-02-28** (S) JUD RPT CS(2D JUD) 2DP 2NR SAME TITLE
- **2020-02-28** (S) DP: COGHILL, KIEHL
- **2020-02-28** (S) NR: MICCICHE, HUGHES
- **2020-02-28** (S) FN2: (AJS)
- **2020-02-28** (S) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER JUD
- **2020-03-12** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2020-03-12** (S) Heard & Held
- **2020-03-12** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2020-03-17** (S) FIN RPT CS(2D JUD) 6DP
- **2020-03-17** (S) DP: STEDMAN, VON IMHOF, HOFFMAN, WILSON, WIELECHOWSKI, BISHOP
- **2020-03-17** (S) FN2: (AJS)
- **2020-03-17** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2020-03-17** (S) Moved CSSB 55(2d JUD) Out of Committee
- **2020-03-17** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2020-03-19** (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 3/19/2020
- **2020-03-19** (S) Read the second time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-19** (S) 2D JUD CS ADOPTED UC
- **2020-03-19** (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UC
- **2020-03-19** (S) Read the third time CSSB 55(2D JUD) `reading-3`
- **2020-03-19** (S) COSPONSOR(S): WIELECHOWSKI, BEGICH, GRAY-JACKSON
- **2020-03-19** (S) PASSED Y16 N- E4
- **2020-03-19** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
- **2020-03-19** (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) `passage`
- **2020-03-19** (S) VERSION: CSSB 55(2D JUD)
- **2020-03-20** (H) Read the first time - REFERRALS `introduction, reading-1`
- **2020-03-20** (H) FIN
- **2020-03-21** (H) MOTION TO WAIVE FIN PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23(A)
- **2020-03-21** (H) W/ SB 52, SB 134, SB 155, SB 172
- **2020-03-21** (H) MOTION DIVIDE QUESTION W/O SB 172 (FLD) Y15 N17 E6 A2
- **2020-03-21** (H) MOTION DIVIDE QUESTION W/O SB 52 (PSD) Y17 N15 E6 A2
- **2020-03-21** (H) WAIVE FIN PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23(A) (FLD) Y22 N10 E6 A2
- **2020-03-21** (H) MOTION TO WAIVE RULE 23(A) WITHDRAWN
- **2020-03-21** (H) MOTION TO WAIVE FIN PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23(A)
- **2020-03-21** (H) W/ SB 134, SB 155, SB 172
- **2020-03-21** (H) FIN WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23(A) (PSD) Y22 N9 E6 A3
- **2020-03-22** (H) FINANCE at 11:00 AM ADAMS 519
- **2020-03-22** (H) Heard & Held -- Continued from 03/21/20 --
- **2020-03-22** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2020-03-23** (H) FIN RPT 9DP 2NR
- **2020-03-23** (H) DP: JOSEPHSON, SULLIVAN-LEONARD, ORTIZ, CARPENTER, TILTON, LEBON, KNOPP,
- **2020-03-23** (H) JOHNSTON, FOSTER
- **2020-03-23** (H) NR: MERRICK, WOOL
- **2020-03-23** (H) FN2: (AJS)
- **2020-03-23** (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 3/23/2020
- **2020-03-23** (H) Read the second time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-23** (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UC
- **2020-03-23** (H) Read the third time CSSB 55(2D JUD) `reading-3`
- **2020-03-23** (H) PASSED Y36 N1 E3
- **2020-03-23** (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) ADOPTED Y37 E3
- **2020-03-23** (H) RETURN TO (S), TRANSMIT TO GOV NEXT
- **2020-03-23** (H) VERSION: CSSB 55(2D JUD)
- **2020-03-23** (H) CROSS SPONSOR(S): KOPP, JOSEPHSON
- **2020-03-23** (H) FINANCE at 01:30 PM ADAMS 519
- **2020-03-23** (H) Moved CSSB 55(2D JUD) Out of Committee -- Recessed to a Call of the Chair --
- **2020-03-23** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2020-03-23** (H) JUDICIARY at 01:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
- **2020-03-23** (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>
- **2020-03-23** (H) Minutes (HJUD)
- **2020-05-19** (S) LEG FINANCE APPROPRIATION MESSAGE 4/3/20
- **2020-05-18** (H) LEG FINANCE APPROPRIATION MESSAGE 4/3/20
- **2020-05-18** (H) FN(S) ATTACHED TO APPROP. BILL HB 205
- **2020-05-18** (H) FN3: (CC:HB205/AJS)
- **2020-05-18** (S) 2:15 P.M. 4/7/20 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2020-05-18** (S) Signed into law 4/20 CHAPTER 17 SLA 20 `executive-signature`
- **2020-05-18** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) OF LAW 7/1/20

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2a736af8-6194-4f47-b860-cd698b646529`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Alaska legislature records).