Rep. Kawasaki’s Juneau Note: Sine Die to Another Special Session
Dear Neigbors,
The 27th Alaska Legislature adjourned in the early hours on Monday with acclamation from the House on a job ‘well done.’ The Legislature satisfied the Constitutional requirement of passing a budget and passed a handful of bills to improve the lives of people, lower the cost of energy and keep Alaska on firm economic footing. Within an hour of adjournment, members received the unfortunate news that we would be forced into special session to reconsider the Governor’s tax breaks for big oil corporations. It has been a contentious issue for the last two years and has not received sufficient statewide support from lawmakers. The 30-day special session began today at 1pm at a price tag of around $35K per day.
Read More →Rep. Lindsey Holmes’ Newsletter: One Session Ends, Another Begins
Regular Session Ends on Day 90
The regular session wrapped up late Sunday night in a flurry of activity. Among the highlights are:
• A one-time increase in K-12 education funding to keep up with inflation. This also includes funding for Parents as Teachers, which encourages parents to get involved in their children’s education early on.
Read More →Note from Rep. Gara: End of Session, Pre “Unspecial Session” Update - The Good, Bad and Ugly.
Well, a flurry of bills passed the last 24 hours of the regular legislative session. I’ll give you the highlights and low lights, and a short preview of special session.
I’m able to write now that my blood pressure is back to normal. What caused the rise? The few legislators who pride themselves on blocking good legislation out of pure partisanship and animosity. Would anyone outside the Legislature (or Congress where the same stuff is done) really make the state a worse place just because you’re trying to block legislation by an “opponent” – or trying to make your opponent’s election chances worse? It’s a sick part of the legislative process that, I’m happy to say, most legislators don’t tolerate. But the few that do make life, and the state, worse for the rest of us.
Read More →Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL HERE WE GO AGAIN EDITION
Just an hour away from a clean getaway
The legislature starts a special session Wednesday, the eighth in the six years I’ve been a part of the circus. There’s a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth about this, especially among the freelance commentators, a surprisingly large number of whom can actually spell simple words. Unfortunately, all they have to offer to the discussion is spleen, and we’ve got plenty of that already.
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