A recent commentary in the Dispatch from Senate leadership omits some important facts concerning the present legislative stalemate. This omission calls for clarification.
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Today marks the 109th day of the second session of the 29th Legislature and we are still here in Juneau. There are three major issues in front of the legislature that are keeping us from adjourning. One of those issues, the Criminal Omnibus legislation, was passed from the House. It awaits a vote on “reconsideration” next week. It will likely pass on reconsideration and be returned back to the Senate where they will vote on concurrence (in other words, they will decide whether they like the House’s changes to the original bill). I will cover this topic more in a subsequent section, so be sure to read below.
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We are now 95 days into the second session of the 29th Legislature and there are still a number of issues that have yet to be resolved. These include the Omnibus Crime Bill (SB91), the Operating and Capital Budgets, a new plan for drawing from the Permanent Fund Earnings Reserve (SB128 & HB245), and a revision of our generous Oil and Gas Tax Credit System (HB247). At this time, most other legislation is essentially dead and the majority of the attention has been focused on these key issues. (Some bills, like the Campus Carry Bill could always resurface, however).
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The end of the 90-day session is quickly approaching. Conference committees were appointed by both the House and the Senate earlier this week so we are now in the 24-hour rule. If you are not sure what the 24-hour rule entails here is a short video explaining the rule by journalist Jeremy Hsieh.
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If you haven’t done so yet, please don’t forget to apply for your 2016 Permanent Fund Dividend. The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm tonight, March 31.
Read More →So much happens in Juneau during the legislative session, and I want to make sure that I stay in good contact with you all even though I’m currently far away from the district.
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