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.
Read More →JUNEAU – The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition concurs with Governor Bill Walker in his call for lawmakers to continue working towards a fully funded budget before taking a break from the special session in Juneau. On Monday, without support from the 13 members of the Coalition, the House and Senate Majorities approved a FY 2016 budget that includes a five percent cut to public education and spending over $3 billion more than available revenue. This flawed budget could result in the elimination of vital state services as soon as August.
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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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JUNEAU- On Tuesday, the House Fisheries Committee passed House Bill 119 sponsored by Representative Andy Josephson (D-Anchorage). The bill seeks to protect the world-famous Bristol Bay fisheries from the harmful impacts of any large-scale metallic sulfide mine located within the boundaries of the existing Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve.
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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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