Anchorage – This past Saturday was National Adoption Day, held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Currently, Alaska has the second highest number of youth per capita in the nation waiting for an adoptive home. There are over 700 youth in Alaska’s foster care system that are ready and waiting for adoptive parents.
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Juneau – Alaska Governor Bill Walker is scheduled to sign House Bill 27 during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the University Center in Anchorage. The bill, sponsored by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage), passed the Alaska Legislature unanimously earlier this year. H.B. 27 will make significant reforms to help improve the lives of foster youth in Alaska.
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This week, the legislature passed a statewide operating budget and a capital budget. Passing this budget compromise means the state has avoided sending lay-off notices to state employees. Although passing the budget is a step in the right direction, the legislature has not adopted a long-term solution to Alaska’s financial challenges. There is more work to be done to implement a responsible action plan for Alaska.
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Juneau – Today, the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 27 to make significant reforms to help improve the lives of foster youth in Alaska. The bill, sponsored by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage), includes provisions to get youth into stable, permanent, loving homes and out of foster care, where youth often bounce between a dozen or more homes.
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ANCHORAGE — For the past month, Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) has been on what he quips is a “World Tour in His Own Car”, pitching to large and small groups how they can help with Alaska’s exploding numbers of neglected and abused foster children. Just five years ago, Alaska had fewer than 1,800 foster youth. Today, that number has exploded to over 2,800. Rep. Gara is working to help these children to succeed and not face continued excuses and neglect.
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