Senate removes Reinbold as committee chair

JUNEAU (AP) - Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold was removed as Senate Judiciary Committee chair on April 19, the 91st day of a legislative session in which she has often clashed with fellow Republicans, including other Senate majority members and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and frequently ignored and protested legislative rules to wear a face mask and undergo regular testing for COVID-19.

The committee change was approved by the Senate 17-1, with Reinbold the lone no.

The Eagle River Republican, in her ninth year in the Legislature, was replaced as chair by Anchorage Republican Sen. Roger Holland, a freshman lawmaker. Reinbold is no longer on the Judiciary Committee, which she had used as a platform for her strong views on the pandemic and controversial judicial decisions.

Senate President Peter Micciche said the decision had nothing to do with the Dunleavy administration and was unrelated to the COVID-19 protocols at the Capitol that Reinbold has resisted.

“This is entirely based on decorum and the mutual respect that’s expected as we operate in this building,” Micciche said. He did not detail any specific incidents but said the “vast majority” of the Republican-led caucus has had concerns.

Reinbold remains part of the majority caucus, and the caucus is “proud to have her as a part of our team,” Micciche said. He likened the change at committee chair to sometimes having to pull a “star pitcher” from a game, “and you look forward to the point where they’re back on the mound. That is our position.”

Micciche said he hopes the change at committee chair is temporary. Reinbold retains other committee posts, including serving as vice chair of the Legislative Council which sets policy and makes administrative decisions for the Legislature.

Dunleavy in February accused Reinbold of misrepresenting Alaska’s COVID-19 response and said members of his administration would not participate in hearings she led. Reinbold called Dunleavy’s reaction “outlandish” and demanded an apology. He did not apologize and the senator did not, either.