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.”

Alaska Legislators Endorse Injunction Against Sheraton Anchorage Hotel Management

Alaska state senators and representatives endorse and commend District Judge Timothy Burgess’ February 2nd order granting a preliminary injunction against Remington Lodging and Hospitality, the Texas based managing company of the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage, in order to provide immediate relief to Alaskan workers from irreparable harm. Further, in light of hotel management’s refusal to comply by filing a motion to stay the Judge’s order, Legislators call upon management to respect Alaskan workers and obey the rule of federal law.

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.

Interior Delegation Sends Letter Opposing Potential Alaska Military Base Closures

Today, the Interior Delegation sent a letter to the United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressing support for keeping Alaska’s military bases open and fully operational. The letter is in response to Secretary Panetta’s announcement of two more rounds of potential base closures through the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

“The military bases in Interior Alaska are of unique importance to our communities and our nation. It is absolutely imperative they are kept open and maintained at a strong capacity,” said Interior Delegation Chair Representative Bob Miller (D-Fairbanks).

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.

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.

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.

Committee to Hear Democrats’ Bill to Create Non-partisan Primary Election

Bill would give Alaskans freedom to vote for any candidate, regardless of political party

JUNEAU – Today, the House State Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear Democratic legislation (HB 77) to establish a non-partisan primary in Alaska so Alaskans can have the freedom to vote for whomever they want in each election, regardless of their, or the candidate’s, party affiliation. Representative Max Gruenberg (D-Anchorage), Representative Sharon Cissna (D-Anchorage) and Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) sponsored the legislation, and Representative Pete Petersen (D-Anchorage) is a co-sponsor.

House Democratic Caucus Announces Social Media Pages

Today, the House Democratic Caucus announced its presence on three major social media websites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The caucus will post timely news, legislative updates, and other points of interest throughout the legislative session and the rest of the year.

Please find us on the following pages:

Facebook: facebook.com/AKdemocrats
Twitter: @AKHouseDems
YouTube: youtube.com/user/AKHousedemocrats

All content is public and available to use for any non-campaign related purpose.

Democrats: Today’s Resources Build Tomorrow’s Opportunity; Democratic Response to the State of the State shows vision for Alaska

JUNEAU – In her response to the governor’s state of the state speech tonight, House Democratic Leader Beth Kerttula (Juneau) told Alaskans that Alaska must use today’s resources to build tomorrow’s future.

“You’ve elected us to lead, and it’s our job to lead in a way that honors Alaska’s courageous spirit by using today’s resources to build tomorrow’s opportunities,” said Rep. Kerttula.