In case you missed it, here’s a Compass piece I wrote earlier this week.
State Budget, Spending Generate a Bunch of Exceptions
I don’t know if you’ve got enough money to be worth talking about. I don’t. But together, we — and every other Alaskan — have a pile of money. Not a Denali-sized pile, but nothing to sneeze at.
Read More →Doogan bill will protect athletes from serious brain injuries
JUNEAU – Today the governor signed a bill sponsored by Representative Mike Doogan (D-Anchorage) to protect student athletes from serious brain injuries resulting from multiple concussions.
The bill (HB 15) requires that a student with a suspected concussion be removed from play or practice and not return until cleared by a qualified medical professional. It will prevent potential serious brain injuries that can be caused by multiple concussions.
Read More →You were probably as surprised as I was to wake up and find out there’s a guy in Florida who says the rapture will be tomorrow. I guess I always thought I’d get more notice before the end of the world.
I owe you a post-session e-news, and given what might happen tomorrow, I don’t think I have any more time to procrastinate on this. Though it would be nice to get more notice next time if this guy is wrong, like he was in 1994. I’d like to have my house and chores in order before an apocalypse. But I guess, so would everyone else.
Read More →On Saturday, May 14, the special session was adjourned, three days short of the constitutionally mandated 30-day time limit on special sessions. Two final issues were addressed in the last day – the capital budget and the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP). A final version of the capital budget was passed, but legislation to extend ACMP failed. I’m disappointed and admittedly still angry at losing ACMP because I am worried about the affect it will have on coastal communities and the State in dealing with permitting on federal lands and federal waters.
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Read More →In the waning days of the special session, common sense prevailed. After weeks of stalemate we were able to pass both an operating and a capital budget and adjourn.
During the special session we also passed HB 24 reauthorizing the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, HB 126 reauthorizing a number of other boards, and SB 42 which allows the Alaska Energy Authority to pursue new renewable energy projects.
Read More →