Representative BERTA GARDNER

Democrats’ Resolution Calls on Governor to Opt-Out of No Child Left Behind

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:03:42 +0000

ALASKA HOUSE
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
(907) 465-3842 Room 404
WWW.AKDEMOCRATS.ORG
CONTACT: Mark Gnadt (907) 465-3842

February 22, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Democrats’ Resolution Calls on Governor to Opt-Out of No Child Left Behind

“The federal program has never worked for Alaska. It’s time we set our own standards”

JUNEAU – Today, Rep. Bob Miller and three other Democrats in the Alaska House of Representatives introduced a resolution (HJR 39) calling on the state of Alaska to opt-out of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program and to develop its own Alaska-appropriate education standards.

“No Child Left Behind was a federal mandate that never worked for Alaska,” said Rep. Miller. “It’s time we develop our own Alaska-appropriate standards and get out from under this federal program that set too many of our schools up to fail.”

In order to opt out of NCLB, a state must develop its own standards that incorporate rigorous college and career standards, focus on fixing the worst performing schools and those with the biggest achievement gaps, and adopt teacher and administrator evaluations based partly on test scores.

“No bar in the opt-out process is too high,” said Miller, “and going through the opt-out process gives Alaskans the chance to set our own goals for our children’s education.”

As stated in the resolution, “developing an improved, Alaska-specific educational plan to meet the requirements of the waiver request will allow Alaska to develop rigorous but relevant state standards.”

In the first round of submissions, eleven states applied for NCLB waivers, and 28 additional states have already filed intent to apply in the second round.

The resolution calls on the governor to “direct the Department of Education and Early Development to develop Alaska-appropriate educational standards that will serve to improve the quality of education in Alaska and that will qualify the state to opt-out of NCLB” and to “pursue a waiver to the NCLB Act by the September 6, 2012 deadline established by the United States Department of Education.”

Representatives Gardner, Kawasaki and Gara are co-sponsoring the resolution. HJR 39 was referred to the Education committee.

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Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Safety is on My Mind

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:58:23 +0000

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Samantha Koenig who was tragically abducted from a coffee stand in Midtown where she worked. I know the Anchorage Police Department, the FBI, Samantha’s family, and the Anchorage community, are doing everything they can to bring Samantha home. We are all waiting for the news that she has been rescued and is safe.

Democrats Call on Governor to Make Stronger Commitment to Education

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:49:45 +0000

ALASKA HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
(907) 465-3842 Room 404
WWW.AKDEMOCRATS.ORG
CONTACT: Mark Gnadt (907) 465-3842

February 13, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Democrats Call on Governor to Make Stronger Commitment to Education

Keeping up with inflation allows schools to focus on where to improve, not where to cut

JUNEAU – Today, House Democrats called on the governor to join them in an effort to prevent Alaska’s school districts from having to make more cuts in the classroom due to inflation. The legislators sent a letter to the governor earlier today requesting that he be open to meeting school district needs by increasing the per-student allocation enough to cover the costs of inflation.

“The governor’s support could make the difference in giving local districts the resources they need to prevent more cuts in the classroom,” said Rep. Pete Petersen (D-Anchorage), the prime sponsor of legislation to ensure the per-student allocation keeps up with inflation. “It’s the state’s duty to make sure schools get those resources, and it’s important for our future that we honor that obligation to our students this year and every year.”

The Alaska Constitution requires the state to “establish and maintain” the state’s public schools, and court rulings have interpreted that to mean the state is obligated to provide adequate resources to school districts.

“Alaska’s educators need to know they have a commitment from the state so they can focus on where to improve, not where to cut,” the representatives say in the letter.

Alaska House Democrats are working to garner support in the House for increasing the per-student funding amount enough to cover the costs of inflation. There was no increase to the per-student allocation last year, and the governor has proposed to flat-fund it again this year. The Alaska Senate passed legislation to increase the per-student allocation incrementally over the next three years.

“The Senate bill is a good start,” said House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau), “and if we’re going to expect our schools to improve and to perform to the standards they need to, we should do even better and at least keep up with inflation.”

Read the letter: http://akdemocrats.org/docs/021312_letter_to_gov.pdf

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Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Update on Cell Phones and Driving

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:02:07 +0000

It's the second year of the two-year legislative session and this is the time that bills start flying or dying. Many people have contacted me to tell me how they feel about using cell phones while driving. It is an issue about which Anchorage residents have many different opinions. Some people believe that using a cell phone while driving should be completely banned, while others believe the government should stay out of regulating personal behavior. Still, others believe that hands-free devices are one solution to permit safer use of a phone while on the road.

Democrats Push for Hearing on Oil Tax Credit Accountability

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:01:46 +0000

REPRESENTATIVE BERTA GARDNER

(907) 465-4930 1-800-331-4930
www.repbertagardner.com
rep.berta.gardner@legis.state.ak.us
CONTACT: Noah Hanson Legislative Aide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Democrats Push for Hearing on Oil Tax Credit Accountability

“Alaskans need to know what we got for our four billion dollar North Slope investment”

JUNEAU – Today, House Democratic Whip Berta Gardner (D-Anchorage) called for a hearing on two bills designed to provide Alaskans more information on the State's North Slope investments. The bills will help Alaskans know if our massive investments are meeting our twin goals of more oil in the pipeline and more jobs for Alaskans. Recent testimony puts the state’s investment at over $4 billion over the last five years.

“This year, Alaskans invested another $850 million on the North Slope, yet we still haven’t asked for or required a public description of what exactly we bought with that money,” said Rep. Gardner. “How do we make sure our investments are working toward more oil in the pipe and more jobs for Alaskans if we don’t ask? It’s time we did.”

Each bill would require that, when an oil company applies to receive tax credits from the state for an investment, it makes public certain information on the expenses incurred for which it is seeking state credits. The first bill (HB 263), would require a simple description of the creditable expenses, such as the name of the company, a brief description and location of the project, and the purpose of the expense. The second bill (HB 268) would require the company to report the number of jobs resulting from the investment and the number which went to Alaskans.

“These bills simply require the industry to report to Alaskans the projects they’re doing and the Alaskans they’re hiring when they ask the state to participate in the costs,” said Rep. Gardner. “We’re not asking companies to share proprietary information, just include enough of a description for Alaskans so we can know what we bought with our public dollars.”

“A big part of why Alaska invests in the oil patch is to create jobs for Alaskans,” said Representative Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage), a co-prime sponsor of the legislation requiring more information about job creation related to the oil tax credits. “The state should make sure Alaskans know about the job opportunities that come from these investments and how many of them went to Alaskans.”

Since going to a profits-based oil tax, the state has given over four billion dollars in tax credits to oil companies who invest in Alaska. In the oil tax discussions last session, the Department of Revenue stated that it either did not know or could not release without changes to state law the information about the work companies were doing to earn the credits they were claiming. These bills would allow Alaskans to know what Alaska is buying with our own investment.

Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage), Representative Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage) and Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) are co-prime sponsors of HB 263 requiring more information about the expenditures. House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau) is a co-sponsor.

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House Bill 305 “Property Tax Fairness Act”

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:16:50 +0000

In 2006, the Legislature significantly broadened the definition of religious property by including exemptions for the residence of “an educator in a private religious or parochial school.” This legislation also expanded the definition of “minister,” broadened the ordination standard for ministers, and made these tax exemptions mandatory for all Alaska municipalities – creating another unfunded mandate...

Democrats Work to End Unlimited Campaign Spending

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:50:23 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Democrats Work to End Unlimited Campaign Spending

Legislation would make Alaska a leader in national effort to rein in big-money politics

(JUNEAU) – Today, 13 House and Senate Democrats introduced legislation aimed at scaling back rules allowing corporations, wealthy donors, and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money, sometimes in the millions, to get candidates elected. Companion resolutions (HJR 33 and SJR 13) introduced today in the Alaska House and Senate call for a federal constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United case that opened the corporate and union campaign spending floodgates. A separate House bill would return Alaska’s right to limit corporate contributions by making corporations not considered “persons” for purposes of Alaska election law.

“The more states that call on Congress for a Constitutional Amendment, the more likely we’ll be to take big money out of politics. Until then, the money of the few, and the money from Super PACs will drown out the voices of 99% of the electorate,” said Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage), the prime sponsor of HJR 33.

“Unlimited spending from Super PACs and billionaires is threatening democracy in America,” said Senator Bill Wielechowski, prime sponsor of SJR 13. “We cannot continue to allow giant corporations and the super-rich to dwarf average Americans in the political arena.”

“The corporate mission is to make money for itself, and that mission will often conflict with the voters’ desire for good schools, plowed roads and a safe community. There is a reason why corporations can’t vote, and they shouldn’t be allowed to buy elections either,” said Sen. Hollis French (D-Anchorage) who joined Sen. Wielechowski and Rep. Gara at a press conference this morning to discuss the issue.

In 2006, Alaskans overwhelmingly passed a voter initiative that capped union and corporate political action committee (PAC) contributions at $1000 per candidate. Until the 2010 Citizens United decision, that law stood and was widely successful in ensuring individual Alaskan voices were not drowned out by big money influence. Representative Scott Kawasaki’s legislation (HB 244) would make Alaska a leader in the national effort to protect individual voices by challenging the Citizens United ruling.

“Alaskans said time and again that they want to keep big money out of Alaska politics,” said Rep. Kawasaki. “And when it comes to government for the people, by the people, corporations should not be allowed to drown out the public.”

The resolutions are aimed at stopping the influence of so-called “Super PACs”, which are often funded by wealthy individuals and corporations.

The Citizens United decision reversed decades of Supreme Court rulings allowing states to limit corporate money in politics, and authorized corporations and unions to make unlimited contributions. HJR 33 and SJR 13 also call on Congress to limit spending by wealthy individuals – something allowed by an older Supreme Court ruling, Buckley v. Vallejo.

Both resolutions, and the Citizens United ruling, target what the law calls “independent expenditures,” which is campaign money aimed at electing or defeating a candidate with advertising that is not controlled by a candidate. From 2006 to 2010, national corporate independent expenditures rose from $37 million to over $210 million according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Representatives Les Gara, Berta Gardner, David Guttenberg, Lindsey Holmes, Beth Kerttula, Chris Tuck, Scott Kawasaki, and Bob Miller are joining with Senators Bill Wielechowski, Johnny Ellis, Hollis French, Joe Paskvan and Dennis Egan to introduce the House and Senate resolutions.

Representatives Chris Tuck, Berta Gardner and Les Gara are co-prime sponsors of HB 244 with Rep. Kawasaki, and Representatives Bob Miller, Beth Kerttula and Pete Petersen are co-sponsors.

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Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: Introduction of “PROPERTY TAX FAIRNESS ACT”

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:36:52 +0000

You have probably heard the commotion relating to property tax exemptions for some religious properties in Anchorage. Property tax exemptions for religious facilities and for pastor housing have been a longstanding practice in states and municipalities throughout the nation, including in Alaska. In 2006, the definition of religious property was significantly broadened to include some residences of teachers serving at religious institutions.

Democrats Prioritize Education, Promote Solutions; FOCUS: parent involvement, commitment to districts, lowering cost of college and job training

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:48:44 +0000

ALASKA HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
(907) 465-3842 Room 404
WWW.AKDEMOCRATS.ORG
CONTACT: Mark Gnadt (907) 465-3842

January 27, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Democrats Prioritize Education, Promote Solutions

FOCUS: parent involvement, commitment to districts, lowering cost of college and job training

JUNEAU – The state of Alaska needs to make education more of a priority, House Democrats told reporters at a press conference in the capitol today. House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula (Juneau), Representative Chris Tuck (Anchorage), Representative Pete Petersen (Anchorage) and Representative Les Gara (Anchorage) outlined their proposals to increase parent involvement in early education, to make sure school districts have the resources they need, and to make college and job training more affordable for Alaskans.

“We’re the wealthiest state in the nation, and it is unacceptable for the governor to put education at number six on his list of priorities,” said Rep. Kerttula. “We are a great state, but we will not have a great future unless we educate our children.”

Rep. Tuck’s “Parents as Teachers” legislation (HB 49) would expand voluntary training for parents on how to effectively engage in their children’s education before kindergarten. Currently military bases in Alaska operate the program under the name “Homes for Heroes.” Children who receive this or other early learning pre-kindergarten opportunities are shown to do better in school and in the job market later in life.

“We can all agree that education starts in the home,” said Rep. Chris Tuck. “[My Parents as Teachers bill] is designed to get parents involved early in their child’s education. And studies have shown that once parents get involved at the pre-K level, parents stay continually involved throughout their child’s educational career.”

Today, Rep. Petersen introduced an updated version of his legislation to ensure that schools don’t have to continue to absorb the costs of inflation by making cuts that affect the classroom. The bill would increase the state’s per-student commitment to districts by exactly the cost of inflation from one year to the next for three years beginning this year. To keep up with inflation from last year, this year’s per-student increase would be $187.52. The bill (HB 143) also requires that the Department of Education and Early Development determine the actual rate of school cost increases for a current year and present suggested funding adjustments based on those numbers for each subsequent year.

“In the governor’s state of the state last week, he had several priorities, but education wasn’t toward the top, and when you look at his budget, it gives every agency enough to cover the costs of inflation except school children,” said Rep. Petersen. “Our young people need to be a top priority.”

Rep. Gara described how his legislation (HB 272) to make college and vocational education more affordable for Alaskans by reducing student loan rates for Alaskans who put their education and job training to work in Alaska. The bill would give a three percent interest rate reduction on Alaska student loans to students who work in Alaska.

“Money should never be an obstacle to success. It should never be an obstacle to jobs, and it should never be an obstacle to college,” said Rep. Gara. “If you want to bring your jobs skills back, which we need for our economy, we will help you and we will reduce your [Alaska student] loan rate.”

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Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: This Year’s Legislative Priorities

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:27:59 +0000

As the 2012 Legislature begins to unfold, I wanted to give you a sense of my goals for this session. All of these ideas have evolved from important conversations with you, my constituents, as well as from community council discussions and what I have learned in legislative committees. Here is some key legislation I am supporting or sponsoring...