Rep. Josephson’s Newsletter: The Special Session So Far
May 8, 2015
We are now 10 days into the Special Session that Governor Walker called for on April 28th, but based on the level of activity it would seem that some are not using this time wisely. Governor Walker called for the legislature to discuss three (3) things during the special session: the budget, Erin’s Law, and Medicaid Expansion. Well, apart from some hearings by the House Finance Committee on the budget, we have yet to have a hearing on either of the other issues. What is the hold up?
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Note from Rep. Gara: Op-Ed: Shiny New Legislative Building No Place To Get People’s Work Done
May 7, 2015
Below is an Op-Ed I wrote yesterday. It explains why the Legislature’s work isn’t that hard, should be done by now, and why taking a break from work in the Capitol doesn’t move our work forward. Here’s the link. The text is pasted below. As always, call or write if you have any questions!
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NEWS: Juneau Delegation Applauds Capital City Preparations for Special Session
May 6, 2015
Juneau legislators announced the capital city has space set aside for use as legislative chambers and committee rooms throughout the special session. As work begins on the seismic upgrades to the Capitol itself, the city has space dedicated for chambers and committee rooms for the legislature through at least the end of May.
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Rep. Josephson’s Newsletter: What on Earth is/was Happening in Juneau?
May 4, 2015
It has been a few weeks since my last update to you and I apologize for that. There are a lot of events to cover, so this update will be slightly longer than others. I hope you enjoy it and learn something about what has been happening in Juneau since the Legislature was supposed to adjourn on April 19th.
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Rep. Claman’s Newsletter: Special Session
April 28, 2015
Yesterday, the Legislature adjourned by passing a budget that does not provide access to affordable healthcare to all Alaskans through Medicaid expansion and does not meet our constitutional duty to adequately fund public education. In addition, the budget provides only partial funding for next year and does not reflect the legislative consensus that the Alaska Constitution demands in challenging fiscal times. This Legislature needed to make smart cuts to the budget, but the cuts approved only by the majority are not in line with the interests of the people of Alaska, the Governor, and the Independent-Democratic Coalition.
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