Rep. David Guttenberg's Legislative Report for District 38

The 2015 Legislative session and subsequent special sessions have finally come to a close. It was a long tough road and in the end the House and Senate came to a compromise that included keeping education funding and honoring employee contracts.

While we adverted a government shutdown, a lot of time and money was wasted in the process by the majorities in their decision to fight rather than come to the table. I’ll be publishing a newsletter soon with the highlights of this session and more in-depth coverage on what happened (i.e. Medicaid, public broadcasting, etc.).

Next year will be even more difficult budget wise. My House Independent Democrat Caucus members and I are going to spend this interim finding additional smart ways to cut spending and protect the essential services for healthy Alaskans. The Governor kicked off the statewide conversation on our fiscal future earlier this month, and I look forward to continuing this discussion with all Alaskans.

Be on the lookout for any opportunity to get your ideas heard. I will be hosting a slew of constituent meetings this summer and fall, and you can always reach out to me by e-mail, phone or stopping by the office.

The Department of Transportation will be taking public comment on its plan to sell the Fox Spring well and the surrounding right of way. If you are a past or present user of the well, I encourage you to send your comments to DOT.

This week I spent some time out at the site talking with users and neighbors. No one seemed happy about this DOT proposal- and frankly neither am I. Fox has been a historic site of free water and I am skeptical that even good intentioned private enterprise will be able to keep the cost reasonable.

I want to know what you think. So does DOT. Please take a moment to comment. The Interior Delegation is also working on hosting a face to face public comment session, so residents can have a discussion and voice their opinions in person. Stay tuned.

The public comment period ends Wednesday, July 15th, 2015. To submit a comment e-mail kevin.smith@alaska.gov or mail your comments to Department of Transportation, Right of Way Section, Attn: Kevin Smith, 2301 Peger Road, M.S. 2553, Fairbanks, AK 99709.

Consider also sharing your comments with Governor Walker by calling his office at (907) 465-3500 or visit http://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/contact/email-the-governor.html to send him an e-mail.

Due to budget cuts, the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office will have new hours for the rest of the year. The front office will be open from 9am until 4:30pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. If you are coming by to pick up information, Alaska pins or to drop off information, please take note of the new hours.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to call my office and share your ideas.