Juneau – Today, the Alaska House of Representatives passed House Bill 273 to simplify, speed up, and lower the cost of vehicle transfers on death. HB 273 will allow a vehicle owner to file an application with the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to designate a beneficiary to take title of a vehicle upon the death of the owner.
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Now that the House and Senate have both passed an operating budget, the next question is “How do we fund state government?” We did not look at cost savings and revenue generation at the same time, which means we have a lot of work to do with only 30 days left in the session. West Anchorage constituents have told me that we can’t kick the can down the road and hope that the price of oil goes up. We need a responsible action plan for Alaska—and we need it this year.
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The House debated the budget until early this morning, which finally passed around 3am. The House consider several amendments, which included additional cost savings as well as funding for programs benefitting seniors, early childhood education, and public safety.
Read More →Juneau – The Democrats in the Alaska House of Representatives will meet as soon as possible to deliberate on Governor Walker’s choice of Ivy Spohnholz to replace the late Representative Max Gruenberg as the Representative for House District 16.
Read More →Juneau – Today, the Alaska House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 23 by a vote of 36-0. The bill, sponsored by Senator Johnny Ellis (D-Anchorage), passed the Alaska Senate last year by a vote of 19-1.
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Thank you to everyone who completed our constituent survey! Your feedback is very helpful as we work through the state’s budget challenges. There are still several opportunities to share your perspective at hearings on the budget and the Governor’s revenue bills. I will keep you notified as more opportunities become available. Currently, no public testimony has been scheduled for
Read More →Juneau - Today, Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner issued a ruling in the case brought by the Alaska Legislative Council against Alaska Governor Bill Walker over his decision last year to expand Medicaid without legislative approval. Judge Pfiffner found that the Social Security Act requires Medicaid expansion, and that existing state law required Governor Walker to provide Medicaid to the group of Alaskans eligible for expansion. In his 26-page ruling, Judge Pfiffner granted the Governor’s motion for summary judgement and dismissed the case brought by the Alaska Legislative Council, which is made up of ten members of the Alaska Legislature.
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Please join me this Saturday to share your thoughts and concerns with all Anchorage legislators. The Anchorage Caucus Public Hearing is this Saturday, February 27 from 11am to 2pm at the Assembly Chambers in the Loussac Library.
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JUNEAU – Today, Representative Matt Claman (D-Anchorage) introduced House Bill 345 that would require health insurance providers to cover 12 months of prescription oral contraceptives at a time. The bill would improve women’s access to reliable birth control across Alaska, overall reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in the State, and reduce the complexity of healthcare delivery.
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JUNEAU – The Anchorage Legislative Caucus will hold its mid-session public hearing in Anchorage on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at the Loussac Library in Anchorage. Representative Matt Claman (D-Anchorage) is the Democratic co-chair of the Anchorage Legislative Caucus. He will co-chair Saturday’s meeting with Representative Liz Vazquez (R-Anchorage), the Republican co-chair of the caucus.
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