NEWS: Legislature Reinstates Texting While Driving Ban
April 15, 2012
Bi-partisan Bill Will Prevent Deadly Practice
Today, the Legislature passed bi-partisan legislation led by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and Representative Bill Thomas (R-Haines) to put Alaska’s strong anti-texting law back on the books. Last year, a number of judges questioned whether the existing law covers texting while driving.
“The Legislature intended to ban dangerous conduct like texting while driving. Rather than wait for appeals, we’re sending a clear message to the public, now, that texting, and typing on personal and computer devices can cause death and serious injury. In an average text you drive the length of a football field before paying attention to driving. We don’t want cars to be moving weapons,” said Rep. Gara.
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NEWS: Bill Protecting Public Access To Fishing Streams Sent to Governor
April 14, 2012
Today, the Speaker of the House sent Representative Les Gara’s legislation to ensure future public access to Alaska’s fishing streams, House Bill 144, to the governor for his signature. The bill passed the House last year with a vote of 38 Yeas and passed the Senate by a vote of 20 to 0 on February 27.
“I want to thank the Speaker for sending this bill to the governor and the legislative body for their support in protecting Alaskans’ access to fishing streams for this and the next generation. In other states you have to pay access fees to fish a stream, or are simply blocked from this public resource. We don’t ever want that to happen in Alaska,” said Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage), an avid fisherman and fishing writer.
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NEWS: Rep. Gara Again Calls for Answers from Port
April 12, 2012
The state needs to know if Port of Anchorage will keep coming back for more $$
JUNEAU – Today on the House Floor, Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) again demanded the Port of Anchorage tell Alaskans whether it’s asking for $350 million as it now claims or $1.2 billion as it has as recently as November 2011. The Port project has been plagued with hundreds of millions of dollars in cost overruns.
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Note from Rep. Gara: Mourning the Loss of a Great Legislator: Rep. Carl Gatto
April 11, 2012
Yesterday Alaska lost a great legislator, and a great family man. He was a friend of mine and of many. Carl Gatto, a fiercely independent Palmer Republican, fought prostate cancer for roughly a decade, and, though spry and active until very recently, passed away after bravely battling a month of rapidly declining health.
Carl and I had a running joke. We were both born in New York, and in our first year as legislators, voters, administrators who sent us our hiring packets, and many others got us mixed up. For a year I got blamed for his votes and he got blamed for mine - which we kidded about. I claimed the confusion got him votes because people thought he was me; he claimed it got me votes because it was obvious people thought I was him. He was probably right.
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NEWS: Rep. Gara to Point Out Potential $2+ Billion State Liability for “Private” Knik Arm Bridge Project;
April 9, 2012
“Until 2 years ago the state and federal officials promised the Knik Bridge would be built with private funds, and operated by a private company. With a new Governor and new mayor in Anchorage, that has changed. Now the state is likely on the hook for upwards of $2 billion or more in liability to the “private” developer when tolls don’t pay for the cost of construction and operation of the project,” said Rep. Gara.
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