Dear Neighbors

This week we are debating the operating budget. It’s roughly 4% higher than last year, and while I work in a GOP-controlled House, I also believe in trying to find common ground when I can. I don’t believe in the worst we see from Washington, D.C., where many members reflexively oppose measures sponsored by members of the opposite party. If you want knee jerk politics, there are plenty of people nationally you can idolize. Those people – whether on the state level, or in Congress where folks constantly filibuster to prevent votes and debate, and the ability for compromise, get nothing done. And they harm the constituents they take an oath to represent.

I’ll give you a brief skinny in three paragraphs, and then, a few paragraphs of detail if you’d like to read on.

The Budget: I was able to work across party lines for a budget that I think uses today’s resources responsibly to promote Alaska’s future. There were many changes I would have liked to make, in terms of savings and on things that I believe are needed to create more opportunity for more Alaskans in education, and other areas. I voted for amendments on those issues to try to make those improvements. In the end, it’s not the budget I would have written, but I will explain why I voted for it, and why I appreciate the Chair of the House Finance Committee for working with me and others to make those changes he was able to agree with. Trying to convince a member of the other party of your ideas, and working with someone who will listen, is a better option than knee jerk voting, and party line voting. I can respect my colleagues who disagree with me, who voted for or against the budget based on their value systems. As a personal matter, I believe in making progress, and voting for bills by members of either party if they do more good than bad – but not if the reverse is true.

This budget, in my view, after changes were made during a bit of back and forth, met that test in my mind. I’d rather vote for bills that do all good, and that are perfect. I don’t get that opportunity too often. But I also don’t take all my marbles and go home just because I can’t get my way on everything.

No Soup, I Mean, Scholarship for You! On a related note, the Governor pulled his support for his so called “merit” scholarship bill this week. I was disappointed. Just like the budget, we all don’t get our way in politics all the time. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t sit down, listen to each other, and try to craft measures that move the state forward. If I just walked away from every bill that was positive, but not perfectly in sync with everything I wanted, I’d get nothing done. I hope the Governor will respect that his bill was amended, made much better in my view, and that it still makes the state a better place. Not in the way he would have done it, or the way I would have done it, if either of us were kings of the universe. But still, far better for all Alaskans who cannot afford college and vocational education. Money should never be a barrier to success.

The Budget Skinny

The operating budget has many positives that caused me to vote for it. It included many items our office worked on, and, unfortunately, didn’t include others. But on balance it moves Alaska forward. Items that will enhance opportunity, family stability, and education include the following.

The budget includes:

- Modest funds ($200,000) so that we can provide adequate job training, dorm space, and related help to foster youth, too many of whom end up homeless (40%) or in jail today after they leave the system. Helping a youth, who doesn’t have any responsible parent in his or life, pursue education and employment is more humane and cheaper than jail or dealing with the costs of homelessness. This is both a money saver, and the right thing to do for youth for whom the state is the legal guardian.

- Federal funds to get housing for victims of domestic violence, which, as a positive side effect, frees up space on the waiting list for Alaskans seeking housing assistance. That includes families that are homeless because the demand for housing help in Alaska far exceeds the available funds.

- An expansion of pre-kindergarten by adding funds to Alaska’s Parents as Teachers schooling, which is non-classroom Pre-K. Parents as teachers works, increases achievement, involves training for families who want it so they can maximize the brain development of their infants and young children (Rep. Chris Tuck, I and others have a bill to establish a better-funded Parents as Teachers system statewide. In addition, the bill adds needed courses at the University of Alaska to train pre-Kindergarten teachers so they can meet new, more stringent, federal education and training requirements. Without these courses, current teachers won’t be able to teach, and we’ll take a step backwards in our already too thin pre-k system.

- Funding for University courses that aim to meet openings for high demand jobs in Alaska – so Alaska students can fill these Alaska jobs. These include nursing, physical therapy, engineering, veterinary medicine, marine transportation, and process technology, and to fill the gap so that the university can provide students with needed advisors.

- Funding to help recruit and train foster parents for special needs children. Without this funding the state would pay more money by institutionalizing youth who could otherwise have a home.

- Funding for a needed high level University of Alaska so Alaska can become a leader in adaptation to and slowing of climate change, alternative energy, and sustainable fisheries and forestry research.

Much of the funding in the budget continues current state operations at the same level as last year.

I also pushed, in amendments, a number of cuts and additions. In the end we don’t all share the same views in the Legislature, and that’s healthy. The following amendments did not pass, but I felt they would have improved the budget, from my personal perspective, and were worth an attempt. There was an honest disagreement, largely along party lines, on these amendments.

They included a requirement that tourism companies help fund the state’s tourism advertising effort. The Governor proposed a $4 million increase to $16,000,000. I felt that industry, which apart from cruise ship companies, has paid no taxes in the past three years, should chip in for this effort, and we aimed to save $8 million by requiring a 50-50 match from tourism companies to get $8 million in state funds. We pushed to place $2 billion of the state’s over $15 billion in savings and projected surpluses into the Permanent Fund, as needed savings. We sought to get Alaska away from its roughly 40th place ranking in statewide voluntary pre-kindergarten, by making pre-k available in more communities, to more youth (we’re in the third year of a “pilot” pre-k program that was supposed to be expanded after the third year upon proof it’s working – and the proof is that more than 50% of youth entering the program were in the bottom 50% in academic proficiency when starting; and that more than 50% are now in the top half in that category after attending the pilot schools. Right now the pilot plan only helps 350 youth. It’s time to move ahead on this, or Alaska will continue to send fewer children to college than any other state, and retain its 45th place ranking in 3rd grade reading levels).

I hope that some of these matters get addressed as the Senate takes up the operating budget. On the other hand, those who opposed these efforts have their philosophical reasons, and will likely continue to work on these issues too.

Governor “Pulls” Scholarship Bill

Alaska currently ranks 49th in the nation in terms of college and vocational education scholarship funds provided to students who cannot afford higher education. That’s bad for Alaskans not born wealthy, and bad for the economy, as educated Alaskans become working Alaskans. The Governor originally wanted just a merit scholarship, though it would have granted substantial assistance to A, B and C students. It would require an additional year of math and science by applicants. It had problems, and included no needs-based aid. I’ll leave aside my disagreement that merit aid should go to C students who don’t need financial aid. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and while low income students who are college eligible should get aid, it shouldn’t be merit aid.

I tried fixing them on the House side, and the Senate is trying now in a slightly different way.

There seemed to be agreement that the Governor would accept demands from some legislators, myself and Senator Ellis included, for a needs-based component to this bill. Things were sailing along until the Senate added an amendment somewhat along the lines of one that I won, and then lost the next day in the House when some votes were changed, to fix a flaw in the Governor’s merit plan. First, many rural schools don’t offer the additional year of science and math required to get the merit aid. There should be a way rural students can qualify for this scholarship, perhaps by taking these courses when they get to college, or by testing well in these areas. And the Governor blocked those who are smart, but get a GED, from his bill. There are many dedicated students who, perhaps because they had to drop out of school to go to work, or because they had less than ideal parents, earn a GED. Many of these students are quite bright.

Most states that have a merit based law allow non-traditional students to prove their aptitude through testing, grades, or by taking additional coursework. That’s what the Governor has balked at. Well, the Governor needs to realize we don’t all come from families with parents who went to college, or who are wealthy enough that their children don’t have to leave school for work. Not all families are ideal. Not all students move ahead at the same pace. But in the end, if they are bright, and meet equivalent standards, through separate coursework or testing, they should qualify for merit aid too. Alaska shouldn’t depart from the merit aid model followed by most states in this regard.

I hope the Governor comes back to the table on this one. We have a broken, underfunded college and vocational education aid system. We should fix it so this and future generations have real opportunities to become our next leaders.

As always, I hope you are doing well. And, please let me know if we can help in any way.

My Best,