The Alaska Senate unanimously approved House Joint Resolution 4 urging federal officials and the state's congressional delegation to maintain Denali as the official name of the tallest mountain in North America.

Senator Kawasaki brought the resolution to the floor and described Denali as the Koyukon Athabascan word meaning "the high one" and a central cultural symbol for Alaska. Kawasaki said the legislature first requested the name change in 1975 and noted that the federal government granted the state’s request in 2015 during the Obama administration.

Several senators spoke in support. Senator Kiel related a family anecdote that connected to William McKinley and described the name Denali as culturally appropriate. Senator Sharp said the resolution honors what Alaskans want and suggested the federal government could use other naming options without changing the mountain’s name. Senator Hughes, who said she was born in Canton, Ohio, said she respects the request from Alaskans and noted the spiritual importance of the name for Alaska Natives.

The secretary recorded the final vote as 19 yeas, 0 nays, and the Senate announced that by that vote HJR 4 had passed the chamber. The resolution asks federal actors — specifically the President, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names — and members of the state's congressional delegation to preserve "Denali" as the mountain’s official name.