It has been a few weeks since my last update to you and I apologize for that. There are a lot of events to cover, so this update will be slightly longer than others. I hope you enjoy it and learn something about what has been happening in Juneau since the Legislature was supposed to adjourn on April 19th.
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Well we have officially gone over the 90-day threshold. It seemed all but a foregone conclusion that we would not finish on time, but the real question is, how long will we stay? There is still much to do. Both the Operating Budget and the Capital Budget have to be agreed upon by both bodies. The Legislature’s only constitutional requirement is that we pass a budget, but with the Governor signaling that he will call a special session to address Medicaid if the legislature fails to act I would prefer to just finish the job before going home. Below is a brief rundown of where the budget discussions are now as well as an update on the Governor’s appointments.
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Before I start I want to say “Thank You” to all the people that have been emailing me lately. My email box is overflowing with emails from concerned constituents on a variety of issues ranging from education funding and Medicaid expansion to comments on some of the people the Governor has appointed to various Boards and Commissions. It may take me awhile to reply to you all, but know that I appreciate and personally read every email that comes to me.
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The legislative session is starting to pick up pace now that there are only 16 days left in the 90-day session. The operating budget was voted on by the Senate today and soon the House and Senate will choose their conference committee members to work out the differences. One of those differences is the funding of education, which is discussed below along with some important information regarding the Anchorage Municipal elections.
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Well, another week has come and gone here in Juneau. While the Senate is dealing with the Operating Budget and Senate Bill 30 (Marijuana Criminal bill) the House continues to work on its own legislation. This week I heard proposals to: raise hunting and fishing licenses for residents and non-residents; create a Marijuana Control Board; require labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), among other different issues. There is seldom a moment to spare now that session is almost over, but I want to make sure that I mention to you a couple of events that might peak your interests.
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We have less than 30 days of session and there is still so much to do. Two weeks ago the House took the first step to passing a budget by passing the operating budget over to the Senate. The process is far from over, though, and will continue on until the last weeks of session. Every legislator will be watching closely and I will be sure to keep you all informed as changes occur.
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