JANUARY 6, 2014
Representing District 15:
Midtown, University, and East Anchorage
I Answer to You!
Contact my office:
716 4th Ave, Room 390
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 269-0265
(800) 465-4939
Click here to write me an email
Click here to visit my website
Write a Letter to the Editor
submit your 175 word letter
to the Anchorage Daily News via e-mail letter@adn.com,
or fax them to 258-2157, attn: letters to the editor.
Contact other elected officials
Governor Sean Parnell
907-269-7450
EMAIL: Gov. Sean Parnell
Senator Mark Begich
907-271-5915
EMAIL: Sen. Mark Begich
Senator Lisa Murkowski
907-271-3735
EMAIL: Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Congressman Don Young
907-271-5978
EMAIL: Rep. Don Young
|
Looking Forward to a New Year and a New Session
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Five days from now I will pack up the car and begin the drive to Haines, at which point I will board a ferry headed to Juneau. In my previous newsletter I may have mislead you regarding the start date of the legislative session. To be clear, the first day of session is Tuesday January 21, 2014. However, before I leave, I hope to see you all tomorrow night at Wendler Middle School from 5:30pm – 7pm to discuss the future of natural gas in Alaska with specialist Larry Persily. Best wishes in the New Year!
|
Join us tomorrow at Wendler Middle School! |
New Year’s Day not only marks the start of a new year in Alaska, but also the first day you can register for the Permanent Fund Dividend. You will have until March 31st to file for your PFD; which you can access here. The director of the Permanent Dividend Office says the PFD is likely to be higher this year, possibly in the four digits. With that in mind, when you file for your PFD please consider donating to one of the 512 non-profits participating in the “Pick. Click.Give” program. Pick.Click.Give allows Alaskans to donate all or some of their PFD (in $25 increments) to any of the participating non-profits. Last year, more than 26,000 residents gave about $2.4 million.
|
Learn more about the Pick.Click.Give program here |
The Northern Access/U-Med Road project continues to move forward; however, not without a hitch or two. DOWL/HKM has published a December Project Update on their website, which says that depending on the route chosen the cost for the road could be anywhere from $20 - $40 million. The Legislature appropriated $20 million for the road in last year’s capital budget. The increase in cost is due partly to pricey right of ways that surround two of the road’s proposed routes. DOWL/HKM will continue to take public comment, and is using that information to determine which route is most cost effective and least invasive to the surrounding community.
There will be a public meeting in February with a presentation on the selected route. Whether you support or oppose the road, I recommend submitting public comment to DOWL/HKM in order to ensure the community has as much involvement as possible in this project. I am very aware of the passion and care many of our neighbors have regarding this project and will continue to monitor its progress.
|
If you have not yet submitted public comment, please do so here |
While I am in Juneau, please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions or comments. I (or one of my staff) will be on the line for all community council meetings and will be more than happy to answer questions at those meetings. Otherwise, contact me via email at rep.andy.josephson@akleg.gov, phone at (907) 465-4939, or by post.
As we head in to this session there are several issues I would like to highlight, which are of high importance and concern to me:
1) House Bill 77 – Although this bill already passed the House (I voted “no”), I am highly concerned about its future in the Senate. This piece of legislation aims to shut out the public in permitting processes and leaves the Governor’s Natural Resources Commissioner the authority to take unsustainable amounts of water out of fishing streams in favor of large mining projects like Pebble (read my recent opinion piece on Pebble) and Chuitna.
2) Public Education – As we work to tighten our budget in the coming months, I do not want our public education system to get short changed. I am also concerned that a push for a school voucher system will be explored in this session. I will continue to be a devout supporter of public education by giving it the support it deserves.
3) Worker’s Rights – As a member of the Labor and Commerce Committee I will be very aware of legislation aimed to reduce fair protections of worker’s rights. This includes, but is not limited to “right-to-work” legislation as well as legislation reducing worker’s compensation.
These are just a few of the many subjects I believe will be explored in the upcoming session. I hope to see you at tomorrow’s community meeting! Thanks for reading!
As always, please contact me if I can be of service to you or your family,
I Answer to You!
Sincerely,
![Andy Josephson[signed]](../../josephson/sig.gif "Pete [signed]")
Representative Andy Josephson
716 4th Ave, Room 390
Phone: 907-269-0265
Rep.Andy.Josephson@akleg.gov |
