Legislative Council adopts ADA website compliance statement, cites federal undue‑burden provision

The Alaska Legislative Council on April 15 adopted an Americans with Disabilities Act website compliance statement prepared in response to the federal requirement that state and local government websites be WCAG 2.1 AA compliant by April 24, 2026.

Shay Wilson, chief information officer for the Legislative Affairs Agency, said the agency scanned the website and identified remediation needs, particularly for externally produced documents posted by committee aides. He described the practical challenge: "The legislature posts a large quantity of documents that come from sources other than the legislature... The aids who post these documents do not have the time to remediate every document that they receive and there are currently not automated tools to assist with this process." Wilson said the compliance statement relies on a section of the federal regulation that permits a written statement if meeting compliance would alter the nature of the service and require undue financial and administrative burdens.

Jessica Geary, executive director, clarified the council's action: "It's exempting us temporarily, but we still will continue to work towards, towards compliance," she said.

Legal services staff and the HR manager were present to answer questions. The council adopted the compliance statement on a roll call, 11 yeas, 0 nays.

The statement records the legislature’s current position under the cited federal regulation and signals continuing remediation efforts for internally produced documents and a plan to address accessibility where feasible.