NEWS: Bill to Improve Lives of Foster Youth Passes Committee
April 3, 2015
JUNEAU— Thursday, the House Health and Social Services Committee passed House Bill 27 sponsored by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage). The bill seeks to improve the lives of foster youth in Alaska by getting them into permanent loving homes, so they don’t keep suffering damage and neglect caused by bouncing between multiple temporary foster homes and schools. Rep. Gara thanks the members of the Health and Social Services Committee for their work on the bill.
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NEWS: Legislation Introduced to Allow Schools, Hospitals, and Senior Centers in Alaska to Serve Donated Fish and Game
April 1, 2015
JUNEAU-Today, eight legislators in the Alaska House of Representatives introduced HB 179 to allow Alaskans to donate sport- and subsistence-harvested fish and game to nonprofit meal programs, such as those in schools or senior centers. The bill allows schools and senior centers (and other nonprofit meal programs) to serve the fish and game – such as moose, caribou, venison, and salmon – in their meal programs to elders, school children, and other Alaskans. The sponsors believe that schools and senior centers should be legally allowed to have the option of serving Alaskans caribou instead of corn dogs.
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NEWS: House Minority Coalition Shakeup: New Leader, New Whip and New Media Outlet
April 1, 2015
JUNEAU- Today, Representative Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage) suddenly resigned as leader of the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition. Rep. Tuck intends to spend mornings before the daily floor sessions co-hosting a public radio program focused on children.
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NEWS: Fiscal Crisis Prompts Common Sense Solution
March 31, 2015
JUNEAU— In the next fiscal year, the State of Alaska will be required to pay out $700 million in oil company tax credits while the state is projected to only take in $300 million in production taxes. That will result in a net loss of $400 million to the public. Senator Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage) and Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) have sponsored legislation to protect Alaska in times of depressed oil prices by adjusting the current production tax floor from 4% to 12.5%.
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NEWS: Twenty Days Left in Session - Still No Erin’s Law
March 30, 2015
JUNEAU – There are 20 days left in the first session of the 29th Alaska Legislature but there is still no movement on legislation that could help end the epidemic of childhood sexual abuse in Alaska.
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