Juneau – Today, the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 27 to make significant reforms to help improve the lives of foster youth in Alaska. The bill, sponsored by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage), includes provisions to get youth into stable, permanent, loving homes and out of foster care, where youth often bounce between a dozen or more homes.
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Juneau – Today, the Alaska House of Representatives approved House Bill 247 to significantly reform Alaska’s unsustainable oil tax credit subsidy system. The members of the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition (AIDC) cautiously supported the legislation after participating in a bipartisan effort to amend the bill to dramatically increase savings and fix flaws included in previous versions of the bill.
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Nothing about my first legislative session has been “normal.” I came to Juneau to fill the seat vacated by the passing of Rep. Max Gruenberg, my first day of work was a 20 hour budget floor session, and now we are on day 116 of a 90 day session as we are working to fill in a $4B deficit. I expect that the legislature will make headlines with some historic decisions in the coming weeks, but today I want to update you on a few key issues.
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JUNEAU – The Alaska Senate voted unanimously Sunday night in favor of House Bill 126 to reform the Alaska National Guard by creating a Code of Military Justice based on the federal Uniform Code of Military Justice. The code has not been updated since 1955, and most Guard members did not know a Code of Military Justice existed. HB 126 passed the Alaska House of Representatives in February, also by a unanimous vote. The new Code of Military Justice lays out the process to deal with members of the Alaska National Guard who violate military rules and orders.
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The voter mandated last day of session (90 days) has come and gone and the Legislature is now in overtime. Although we worked past midnight on Sunday passing bills, the budget remains incomplete. The state still faces a $4.1 billion deficit and we need a responsible action plan for Alaska. Separate from major pieces of legislation, like the budget and revenue generating bills, several good pieces of legislation passed the House and Senate this session. As we continue discussions about the budget and a responsible action plan for Alaska, please feel free to contact my office at (907) 465-4919.
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