Today, Tuesday January 20, 2015 marks the beginning of the twenty-ninth legislative session. And what a session it promises to be! I’ll be keeping you updated throughout, and I appreciate hearing from you. Here are some quick highlights from the office to kick things off.
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We have a new legislature, a new governor, and a radically new $47.28 price for Alaska North Slope crude oil. We have a $3.5 billion budget deficit; we have a $55 billion LNG project (give or take $10 billion), one of the world’s largest, subject to the whims of rapidly changing global natural gas markets; and we have a proposal on the table to expand Medicaid for 40,000 Alaskans without health insurance.
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I am excited to start the 29th Alaska Legislature. But like many Alaskans I am anxious about our future. We face a crisis that threatens our livelihoods and futures. The Republican leadership promoted unstainable spending and shifted the benefits of our resources to outside interests. Our situation was made worse with the sudden drop in oil prices.
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The Twenty-Ninth Alaska State Legislature begins on Tuesday and the halls are filled with legislators and staff ready to work for the best interest of all Alaskans. My position on the Finance Committee will be critical for Fairbanks as we discuss how to cut the budget while maintaining vital government services.
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Juneau – Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and Rep.-Elect Dan Ortiz (I-Ketchikan) are pre-filing legislation to lower Alaska’s exorbitant student loan rate, which negatively impacts students chances for higher education and job training.
“We want to give Alaskans an incentive to bring needed job skills back to the state,” said Rep. Gara, who made it through college thanks, in part, to scholarships, work, and low interest loans. “We don’t want high student loan debt to discourage students from staying or returning to Alaska to work.”