Rep. Wool’s Newsletter: Why is the State of Alaska Suing Itself?! And Fox Spring Update
August 20, 2015
It’s been a pretty bizarre week in the Legislature. The Legislative Council voted 10-1 to sue the state to attempt to prevent Medicaid expansion from providing 40,000 Alaskans access to healthcare while saving the state millions of dollars a year. I won’t go into all of the details about why expansion is good for Alaska and good for Fairbanks, but you can read the article I wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News Miner last month.
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Note from Rep. Gara: Medicaid Lawsuit Wastes State Money
August 19, 2015
Getting the Feds to pay for what the state used to pay for was once on Page One of the Alaska playbook. But yesterday some legislative leaders voted to spend $450,000 of your money on corporate law firms to sue Governor Walker on, well, a policy decision he made that saved the state money by leveraging those federal funds. To be exact, $145,000,000 in federal funds that would create 4,000 Alaska jobs, and ripple through our ailing economy.
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NEWS: The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition Endorses Governor Walker’s Plan to Expand Medicaid
July 16, 2015
ANCHORAGE – Today, Alaska Governor Bill Walker announced plans to take advantage of federal funding to expand eligibility for Medicaid in Alaska. This action is supported by the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition, which made Medicaid expansion a priority during the First Session of the 29th Alaska Legislature.
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NEWS: New Report Questions Wisdom of Large Oil and Gas Tax Credits
July 10, 2015
ANCHORAGE – A new report from the Alaska Department of Revenue shows a substantial negative effect on the finances of the State of Alaska from large oil and gas tax credits. The report concludes that North Slope oil and gas production tax credits may be an inferior investment for Alaska compared to investing in the Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund.
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NEWS: Medicaid Expansion Can Help Avoid the Risk of a Recession in Alaska
June 25, 2015
ANCHORAGE – A recent report commissioned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority suggests Alaska is at risk of a recession for the fourth time in the state’s history. The report indicates a recession could be prolonged due, in part, to the downturn in oil prices and subsequent decreases in state spending. However, the report outlines options to mitigate a recession including accepting Medicaid expansion, which will be paid for almost entirely by the federal government. House Finance Committee member Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) tried repeatedly this past session to garner legislative approval for Medicaid expansion but the Republican-controlled Majorities refused to allow the issue to be put to a vote.
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