Representative SCOTT KAWASAKI

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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Alaska Legislators Endorse Injunction Against Sheraton Anchorage Hotel Management

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:50:56 +0000

Alaska State Legislature

For Immediate Release

February 16, 2012

Alaska Legislators Endorse Injunction
Against Sheraton Anchorage Hotel Management

Alaska state senators and representatives endorse and commend District Judge Timothy Burgess’ February 2^nd 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.

“I am glad that workers in this state have been awarded the confidence that Alaskan employers will provide a positive working environment. We want to keep people in the state and abiding by best practice labor laws is good for everyone,” said Representative Scott Kawasaki.

Beginning over two and a half years ago, the ongoing labor dispute between Sheraton management and UNITE HERE! Local 878, the worker’s union, has included a complex and prolonged legal battle predicating the need for an injunction. The length of this dispute creates a risk that Remington’s flagrant violation of federal labor laws may allow them to accomplish their unlawful objectives before being placed under any legal restraint. In order to ensure the public interest, and recreate the conditions and relationships that would have been had there been no unfair labor practices, an order to return the status quo is necessary.

This injunction will provide immediate meaningful relief to Alaskan workers employed by the Sheraton Hotel from their employer’s interference with their self-organization, collective bargaining rights, and labor union; their employer’s discrimination against employees in the terms and conditions of their employment; and more.

“This is a victory for workers all across Alaska and will help hard-working employees everywhere in their efforts to ensure a fair days wage for a fair days work,” said Senator Bill Wielechowski.

The following Alaska State Senators and Representatives endorse and commend Judge Timothy Burgess’s order granting a preliminary injunction against Remington Lodging and Hospitality, and demand respect for Alaskan workers and their contribution to the State of Alaska:

Sen. Bettye Davis

Sen. Dennis Egan

Sen. Johnny Ellis

Sen. Hollis French

Sen. Bill Wielechowski

Rep. Scott Kawasaki

Rep. Bob Miller

Rep. Chris Tuck

Rep. David Guttenberg

Rep. Les Gara

Rep. Lindsey Holmes

For questions or comment, please contact Matt Moser: 907-465-1887

Rep. Kawasaki’s Juneau Note: Special Call to Action

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:43:43 +0000

Democracy works when people claim it as their own. ~BILL MOYERS, The Nation, Jan. 22, 2007 Public testimony is an extremely important part of the democratic process. I often hear about the lack of interest in the political system today. I still find that hard to believe. Today, there are several opportunities to become engaged in an issue that is important to you. I’ve sponsored two bills that are scheduled to be heard in House committees that directly focus on SAFETY and FISH.

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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Rep. Kawasaki’s Juneau Note: Military Closures, What’s Movin, and Energy

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:09:47 +0000

The Alaska State Legislature is in full motion, and I have been hard at work standing up for issues that are important to Fairbanks and the Interior. It is not always an easy battle, but with the help and cooperation of the Interior Delegation, I am encouraged by the dialogue with the rest of the Legislature. While we have been busy in Juneau advocating for Interior issues, we know Fairbanks is facing some tough news. Last week we received word of the Department of Defense’s plans to relocate the Eielson Air Force squadron to Anchorage and retire four C-130 transport aircraft at Elmendorf.

Interior Delegation Sends Letter Opposing Potential Alaska Military Base Closures

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:34:34 +0000

Alaska State Legislature
INTERIOR DELEGATION

CONTACT: Representative Bob Miller (907) 465-4976; representative_bob_miller@legis.state.ak.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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).

Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base, the military bases in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, account for 16 percent of the Borough’s population. When combined with the other military installations in the Interior, Fort Greely and Clear Air Station, they inject $3.9 billion dollars a year into the local economy.

The letter states, “Their unmatched strategic and combat capabilities are an incredible source of pride for all Alaskans and an integral part of our nation’s security…Respectfully, we cannot overemphasize the full value of Alaska’s military bases and their importance to Alaska communities.”

Besides their vital economic role in our local communities, Interior Alaska bases provide the nation’s premier access to cold-weather testing and training. These installations are strategic locations for military requirements that include potential first response and defense operations in support of international stability throughout Asia and the Pacific.

Furthermore, the completion of the Tanana River Bridge will expand these benefits by creating the Joint-Pacific Area Range Complex, a project the Interior Delegation secured $84 million in state funding in 2010-2011.

Senator Coghill had additional concern, stating that “I just learned of the announcement about the Air Force moving the F-16 Aggressor Squadron from Eielson to Joint Base Elmendorf. I am still trying to understand the reason for this move. It looks to me like a realignment without the public input.”

Copies of the letter were sent to Governor Sean Parnell, and the members of Alaska’s Congressional Delegation.

Link to the letter: http://akdemocrats.org/miller/020312_Interior_Delegation_Letter-BRAC.pdf

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Democrats Push for Hearing on Oil Tax Credit Accountability

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:04:36 +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 38 “University Institutes of Law and Medicine”

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:04:06 +0000

Alaska remains one of only six states that have no medical school and the only state without a law school. Alaska has a shortage of doctors which is likely to worsen as the state’s population increases and ages. The cost of healthcare and legal services will only continue to rise. That is why it is time to invest in education and build the workforce Alaska will need for the next 20 years...

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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Rep. Kawasaki’s Juneau Note: Energy, Education and Going RED

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:37:44 +0000

The House Resources Committee heard a resolution urging the US Congress to take over Central Park. Many of you may have heard and seen the media attention surrounding HJR 31, a resolution. While I may have found the attempt humorous, most importantly, it’s a huge waste of time and state money. I spoke up against this kind of satire legislation in the House Resources committee meeting, as the committee awaits 35 bills, some dealing with much-needed relief from the cost of energy that will help Fairbanks families. The message I want to send to the rest of the US is that we are good stewards of our resources, accountable to our constituents, and ready to lead the nation as an energy state.