House Democrats Filed a Bill Today to Reduce
Class Sizes and Avoid Layoffs

House Bill 154, sponsored by House Democrats, sets school funding at $5,120 a student, the amount pushed by the Anchorage and Juneau school districts and the school advocacy organization Kids Count!, among others.

School district officials and parents flooded the Capitol during the past week, warning legislators that their schools will have to make harmful cuts unless the legislature provides more money than so-far proposed by Gov. Frank Murkowski and legislative committees.

The bill also helps schools plan for the future by raising school funding each year by at least the rate of inflation.

"The legislature should commit to more than a bare-bones budget for our kids, so schools can avoid cutting teachers and have a chance at actually increasing student achievement," said Rep. Woodie Salmon, D-Beaver.

Under the governor's proposal, and similar proposals passed by the House Education and Health, Education and Social Services committees, many school districts face budget deficits. Among them are Juneau, Anchorage, Kenai, Alaska Gateway, Iditarod, Lower Kuskokwim, Unalaska, Wrangell, and Aleutians East. To balance their budgets, some districts would lay off teachers and increase the size of classes. Many schools have already laid off teachers and eliminated arts and other programs in recent years.

"We should create opportunity, not stifle it," said Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage. "Increasing class sizes would be shortsighted, especially in a year of higher revenues."

Click here for School districts' positions

Crawford and Guess Introduce Bills to Curb Meth Production

House Bill 141, sponsored by Representative Harry Crawford (D-Anchorage), and Senate Bill 106, sponsored by Senator Gretchen Guess (D-Anchorage) will strengthen law enforcement's ability to curb the production of meth in Alaska.

Meth use and production is on the rise in Alaska. According to the Department of Public Safety, meth production arrests have doubled and distribution arrests have quadrupled since 2001.

Meth labs across the state rely on large quantities of psuedoephedrine, commonly known as Sudafed, to manufacture methamphetamines, known as crystal meth or crank. HB 141 and SB 106 will limit the sale and possession of psuedoephedrine to nine grams (300 Sudafed pills of 30 mg each) every 30 days. The bills allow a person to purchase enough psuedoephedrine to take it as directed every day while making it more difficult for criminals to acquire the large quantities necessary for Meth production.

In addition to limiting the sale and possession of psuedoephedrine, HB 141 and SB 106 would require vendors to keep a log of all psuedoephedrine sales and report this information to the Department of Public Safety. This sale information will provide law enforcement with another tool for identifying potential meth producers.

HB 141 and SB 106 are awaiting hearings in the Judiciary Committees.

Upcoming Events-

Thursday, February 16th - 12:00 noon - Representative Sharon Cissna (D-Anchorage) will speak at the Egan Forum at the Baranof Hotel. The title of her talk is "Sharon's Alaska Health Odyssey."