February 20, 2014

Dear Neighbors,

Back in Fairbanks!

I will be returning home later this week to meet with my fellow Fairbanksans about priority issues for the Interior. This has been a busy legislative session and I look forward to hearing your questions, comments and concerns. Please join me Sunday, February 23 from 2-4pm at the Noel Wien Library Auditorium for a discussion about LNG, Flint Hills, air quality, energy prices, and any other topics of your choice.

Education Rally

This session has been deemed the “education session” where we can finally focus on improving Alaska’s public school system. Unfortunately, there is a constitutional amendment proposed (HJR 1 and SJR 9) that would be devastating to public schools if it were to be passed. Under the Alaska Constitution, state money cannot be used for private or religious schooling. However, HJR 1 and SJR 9 seek to change this basic constitutional protection.

Monday, hundreds of people rallied on the capitol steps here in Juneau to protest this amendment. Students, parents, educators, legislators and people from all walks of life joined together to express their outrage at taking public money away from public schools. I was proud of Fairbanks residents who came out to voice their concerns with the new “voucher” amendment. I will continue to oppose HJR 1 and SJR 9 and fight for public schools to keep their constitutionally guaranteed funding.

Bill Highlights

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones, have been a hotly debated topic since they flew onto the national stage due to their use in the Middle East. I’ve led the charge in protecting Alaskans against potential abuses of this new technology. HB 159 ensures that our constitutionally protected right against unreasonable searches is maintained while simultaneously permitting UAVs to be used for appropriate purposes.

Following our theme of protecting Alaskans’ right to privacy, I’ve introduced HB 238 that prohibits state and municipal agencies from assisting a federal agency in collecting certain phone and electronic data. I believe all Americans should be free from snooping federal agencies, especially in their home and private lives.

When SB 21, the Oil Wealth Giveaway, passed the Legislature last year, there were numerous requests from legislators to abstain from voting because they had personal or financial interests in the legislation. Under current rules, there must be a unanimous vote to allow such an abstention (and there is no known record of that ever happening). Senator Wielechowski introduced legislation in the Senate and I’m introducing companion legislation in the House to change this procedure. Under our legislation, it would take a majority to overrule a request to abstain, whereas now it only takes 1 vote to overrule a request to abstain. The change in legislation would force a dialogue and true vote on potentially significant conflicts of interest.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,

Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Representative
District 4 - Fairbanks