Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It has been an exciting past week for Alaska and West Anchorage! The flurry from the President’s visit is quieting down while flurries of termination dust begin to appear at the tops of the Chugach. And great news for West Anchorage: Mayor Berkowitz put the proposed Coastal Trail land swap on hold.

Additionally, Medicaid expansion started on Tuesday, making affordable healthcare a possibility for thousands of Alaskans. The Legislative Council Committee has nevertheless decided to move forward on the $450,000 lawsuit against the Governor despite rulings approving the Governor’s action by both Alaska Superior Court and the Alaska Supreme Court. Community councils are back in action this month; I hope to see you there soon to discuss these topics or any other!

Coastal Trail Land Swap

Earlier this summer, I wrote a piece in the Alaska Dispatch News outlining my opinion on the Assembly ordinance that would swap land between the State and the Municipality. In that article, I urged that the State and the Municipality to forego the land swap and focus on a long-term lease for the snow dump facility in West Anchorage. Once the long-term lease is secured, we can upgrade the snow dump to protect our waterways and the community can engage in a long-term plan for our West Anchorage parks.

In recent weeks, my office has discussed our recommendation with Mayor Berkowitz, the airport administration, the Transportation Commissioner, the Governor’s Office, and many West Anchorage neighbors. It’s great news that Mayor Berkowitz has announced that he will put the land swap ordinance to rest! This announcement is good news for the Coastal Trail and good news for Anchorage.

Medicaid Expansion Lawsuit

In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about why the Governor’s action to expand Medicaid was not a surprise to the public or Legislature. Yet despite a memo by the Legislature’s own legal team and another memo from the State’s Attorney General, both explaining that the Governor is authorized to expand Medicaid, 10 legislators on the Legislative Council Committee chose to file suit against the Governor.

Last Friday, Superior Court Judge Pfiffner issued an order denying the Legislative Council’s request and denying the request for a preliminary injunction, which would have prevented Medicaid expansion from taking place September 1st. The Legislative Council immediately appealed that decision, and the Alaska Supreme Court unanimously denied the appeal on Monday. On September 1st, Alaskans began signing up for affordable healthcare.

The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition and the Alaska Senate Democrats wrote a letter to the Chairs of the Legislative Council Committee asking that they drop the lawsuit against the Governor. Instead of fighting the Governor in court, we should be working together to reform the Medicaid program and make it better for Alaska.

Nevertheless, on Wednesday, the Legislative Council Committee met in a private executive session and decided to move forward with the lawsuit against the Governor. They have agreed to spend up to $450,000 on lawyers ($400,000 on lawyers from Washington DC) to continue a lawsuit in which they have already lost the most important issue. Throughout the regular and special sessions, by failing to address Medicaid expansion, the Legislature also missed an opportunity to work on Medicaid reform. Medicaid expansion and reform would have been a win-win for Alaska. Instead, we have a lawsuit and an obligation to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to Washington lawyers.

Anchorage Economic Development Council Recommends Balanced Approach to State Budget

Recently, the AEDC wrote to the Legislature about the State’s fiscal challenges. Taking a thoughtful and pragmatic approach in these tough times, the AEDC asks the Legislature to continue cutting waste from government and, at the same time, look at ways to make the State’s budget more sustainable in light of the low price of oil. Feedback from groups like AEDC, the Rasmuson Foundation, the Institute for Social and Economic Research, and individual Alaskans will help us develop a long-term fiscal plan. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions as we look ahead to next year’s budget negotiations.

Community Councils

Community councils are back to work this month! Below are the community councils I attend for the district. I hope to see you there soon! For more information about your community council click here.

Turnagain Community Council: Meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. on the 1st Thursday of the month, September through Juneat Turnagain Elementary School Library (3500 West Northern Lights Blvd.)

Sand Lake Community Council: Meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. on the 1st Monday of the month at Sand Lake Elementary School (7500 Jewel Lake Road.)

Spenard Community Council: Meets monthly at 7 p.m. on the 1st Wednesday of the month at the Spenard Recreation Center (2020 W 48th Ave.)

As always, please let us know if you have suggestions or concerns.

Sincerely,

    Rep. Matt Claman

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