Committee Approves Bill to Restrict Minors’ Cell Phone Use While Driving

Rep. Gardner: “It’s important we do what we can to keep teens focused on the road”

JUNEAU – Today, the House Judiciary Committee passed legislation by Rep. Berta Gardner (D-Anchorage) that would restrict minors from using their cell phones while behind the wheel.

Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Another Way to Get Help with State Government

I have just been appointed to a legislative committee to review candidates for the Alaska State Ombudsman. The Office of the Ombudsman is a state agency, housed in the Legislative Branch, which helps people resolve problems with the state.

The Alaska Legislature created the Office of the Ombudsman to make sure that government follows the rules and treats all citizens fairly and reasonably.

Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: A Pipeline to Poverty?

I think we all want to find a way to harness our state’s natural gas to help Alaskans with high energy costs as well to take our natural resources to market. Unfortunately, a bill which just passed the House Resources Committee – with the stated goals of bringing gas to Alaskans as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible – has identified the right problems and found a very expensive and wrong solution, which is likely to do the opposite of what it intends.

House Bill 9 puts the Alaska Gasline Development Agency (AGDC) in charge of building a small gas pipeline to bring gas from the North Slope to the Railbelt, including Anchorage, of course.

Legislation to Ban Unlimited Corporate and Union Election Spending Passes Committee

Today legislation calling for an end to unlimited corporate and union election spending passed the House State Affairs Committee.

“Unlimited spending by corporations and organizations to influence elections drowns out the public’s voice, and damages the basic democratic priniciple of one person one vote,” said Prime Sponsor of HJR 33, Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage). The legislation calls on the United States Congress to pass a constitutional amendment reversing the controversial 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court, which reversed decades of precedent allowing states and Congress to ban corporate and Union “independent expenditures” by third party groups seeking to influence election outcomes.

Democrats’ Resolution Calls on Governor to Opt-Out of No Child Left Behind

“The federal program has never worked for Alaska. It’s time we set our own standards”

JUNEAU – Today, Rep. Bob Miller and three other Democrats in the Alaska House of Representatives introduced a resolution (HJR 39) calling on the state of Alaska to opt-out of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program and to develop its own Alaska-appropriate education standards.

“No Child Left Behind was a federal mandate that never worked for Alaska,” said Rep. Miller. “It’s time we develop our own Alaska-appropriate standards and get out from under this federal program that set too many of our schools up to fail.”

Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Issues People Care About

Who says people don’t follow what’s going on in our state? This past Saturday, the Anchorage Caucus (comprised of Anchorage-area legislators) held a public meeting to hear from people about whatever was on their minds – and then later, Senator Ellis and I held a constituent meeting for our district. The first hearing was standing room only in the Assembly Chambers and I truly appreciated the thought and preparation people put into their testimony.

Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Safety is on My Mind

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Samantha Koenig who was tragically abducted from a coffee stand in Midtown where she worked. I know the Anchorage Police Department, the FBI, Samantha’s family, and the Anchorage community, are doing everything they can to bring Samantha home. We are all waiting for the news that she has been rescued and is safe.

Democrats Call on Governor to Make Stronger Commitment to Education

Keeping up with inflation allows schools to focus on where to improve, not where to cut

JUNEAU – Today, House Democrats called on the governor to join them in an effort to prevent Alaska’s school districts from having to make more cuts in the classroom due to inflation. The legislators sent a letter to the governor earlier today requesting that he be open to meeting school district needs by increasing the per-student allocation enough to cover the costs of inflation.

Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Update on Cell Phones and Driving

It’s the second year of the two-year legislative session and this is the time that bills start flying or dying. Many people have contacted me to tell me how they feel about using cell phones while driving.

It is an issue about which Anchorage residents have many different opinions. Some people believe that using a cell phone while driving should be completely banned, while others believe the government should stay out of regulating personal behavior. Still, others believe that hands-free devices are one solution to permit safer use of a phone while on the road.

Democrats Push for Hearing on Oil Tax Credit Accountability

“Alaskans need to know what we got for our four billion dollar North Slope investment”

JUNEAU – Today, House Democratic Whip Berta Gardner (D-Anchorage) called for a hearing on two bills designed to provide Alaskans more information on the State’s North Slope investments. The bills will help Alaskans know if our massive investments are meeting our twin goals of more oil in the pipeline and more jobs for Alaskans. Recent testimony puts the state’s investment at over $4 billion over the last five years.