Dear Neighbor,

Lawmakers are in day 22 of the special session and I will remain here in Juneau as a stalemate continues between the Legislature and the Governor. The problem in Juneau continues to be the threat of the Governor’s vetoes in retaliation for the Senate not passing a bill aimed at tax breaks for big oil producers. Though things are moving slowly, negotiations between leadership and the Governor continue and there has been movement.

No Government Shut-Down

The House and Senate finally passed the Operating Budget which funds everything from education to public safety. The Senate did great work by adding in many priorities of the House Democratic Caucus and the Interior Delegation. Senator Joe Thomas (D-Fairbanks) was a member of the conference committee to hash out the compromises on the spending plan.

The hard work has paid off and I am proud to recognize some of the highlights in this year’s funding:

· $150,000 for Autism Resource Center

· $ 87,500 match for Alaska State Council on the Arts, which fully funds the NEA match

· $300,000 Senior Meals on Wheels program

· $108,500 for Veterans’ Services Officers in Fairbanks and Juneau

· $100,000 for UAF Honors College

· $3 million for AlaskaAdvantage education grants-the needs based scholarship

· $6 million for Alaska Performance Scholarships-the merit based scholarship

· $1.7 million for Pilot Pre-K Program

· $200,000 for Best Beginnings early learning

· $20 million for education to school districts

· $20 million of community revenue sharing

These are just a small portion of the entire operating budget but, I believe we were able to support and fund some of the most important services to keep moving Alaska forward and growing.

What’s Next

I think it will come down to the wire in order to pass the Capital Budget and the Alaska Performance Scholarship Bill in just over a week. I am ready to return home and begin working on important projects for Fairbanks. My Fairbanks office is up and running, so please call or drop in if you have questions or concerns or need help with an issue. You can also email me at Rep.Scott.Kawasaki@legis.state.ak.us while I am in Juneau and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,

Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Representative