Rep. Sam Kito’s Newsletter: Bills on the Move
April 3, 2014
This week, the education debate has heated up with House Finance releasing a Committee Substitute and considering amendments to the omnibus Education bill (HB 278). The bill that finally came out of the committee included some troubling changes from the Education Committee version. I am especially concerned about the changes to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS), which could cause the insolvency or exhaustion of the trust fund in ten years. This would result in a pay-as-you-go plan that would make active teachers pay for retired teachers and significantly increase the required contribution by active teachers.
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NEWS: Democrats Move to Fix Broken Education Bill
April 2, 2014
JUNEAU – Today, Representatives Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and David Guttenberg (D-Interior/Wade Hampton) offered amendments before the House Finance Committee to make much needed improvements to the committee’s omnibus education bill (HB278).
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NEWS: Erin’s Law Continues to Build Momentum in Alaska Legislature
March 28, 2014
JUNEAU – “Erin’s Law” continued to gain momentum today in the Alaska Legislature as it moved from the House Education Committee with unanimous support.
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Rep. Kreiss-Tomkins’ Newsletter: What are those yahoos in Juneau up to now?
March 7, 2014
Like a good story, most legislative sessions have a narrative. Last session’s narrative was simple and wholesome: the passage of a multi-billion dollar tax cut for oil companies. And by golly, we got the job done with SB 21, which passed the Senate 11-9, and fulfilled its unfortunate destiny by a vote of 27-12 on the floor of the House of Representatives at 2:07 a.m. in the wee hours of April 14, 2013. (I was among the dozen dissenters.)
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Rep. Kawasaki’s Juneau Note: Measure Twice, Cut Once, Voice Your Opinion, Water Rights Bill, Arctic Winter Games
March 7, 2014
There has been a disturbing lack of rigorous vetting of bills during this legislative session. Since 2008, the legislature shortened the session from 120 to 90 days. When the change first took place I was a strong proponent. However, experience has taught me that 90 days is simply not enough time for the legislature to thoroughly understand bills or get adequate public input. Recently, we’ve seen a concerning trend where bills only receive one committee of referral, reducing the opportunity for public input and resulting in less scrutiny on the effects to Alaskan families.
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