Rep. Josephson’s Newsletter: The Special Session So Far
We are now 10 days into the Special Session that Governor Walker called for on April 28th, but based on the level of activity it would seem that some are not using this time wisely. Governor Walker called for the legislature to discuss three (3) things during the special session: the budget, Erin’s Law, and Medicaid Expansion. Well, apart from some hearings by the House Finance Committee on the budget, we have yet to have a hearing on either of the other issues. What is the hold up?
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Rep. Josephson’s Newsletter: What on Earth is/was Happening in Juneau?
It has been a few weeks since my last update to you and I apologize for that. There are a lot of events to cover, so this update will be slightly longer than others. I hope you enjoy it and learn something about what has been happening in Juneau since the Legislature was supposed to adjourn on April 19th.
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NEWS: The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition Pledges Continued Work and Negotiations in Juneau for Fully Funded Budget
JUNEAU – The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition concurs with Governor Bill Walker in his call for lawmakers to continue working towards a fully funded budget before taking a break from the special session in Juneau. On Monday, without support from the 13 members of the Coalition, the House and Senate Majorities approved a FY 2016 budget that includes a five percent cut to public education and spending over $3 billion more than available revenue. This flawed budget could result in the elimination of vital state services as soon as August.
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Rep. Josephson’s Newsletter: The 91st Day
Well we have officially gone over the 90-day threshold. It seemed all but a foregone conclusion that we would not finish on time, but the real question is, how long will we stay? There is still much to do. Both the Operating Budget and the Capital Budget have to be agreed upon by both bodies. The Legislature’s only constitutional requirement is that we pass a budget, but with the Governor signaling that he will call a special session to address Medicaid if the legislature fails to act I would prefer to just finish the job before going home. Below is a brief rundown of where the budget discussions are now as well as an update on the Governor’s appointments.
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Rep. Josephson’s Newsletter: The Budgets and HB119
Before I start I want to say “Thank You” to all the people that have been emailing me lately. My email box is overflowing with emails from concerned constituents on a variety of issues ranging from education funding and Medicaid expansion to comments on some of the people the Governor has appointed to various Boards and Commissions. It may take me awhile to reply to you all, but know that I appreciate and personally read every email that comes to me.
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