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.

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.

Rep. Petersen’s Report from the Capitol: Legislative Session Begins: Petersen’s Priorities Are Cheaper Energy, Safer Neighborhoods, and Better Schools

The Legislature just gaveled into session yesterday. The top priorities I have heard from your emails, and from going door to door throughout our neighborhoods, are the need for lower energy costs, safer neighborhoods, and improving our neighborhood schools. These will be my top priorities for this session. I have a couple of new bills this session, and I have some important bills from last session that I will continue to push.

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.

Rep. Petersen Introduces Permanent Absentee Voting Legislation

Bill would make it easier for seniors, rural Alaskans and people with disabilities to vote

JUNEAU – In order to make voting easier for Alaskans who have difficulty getting to their polling place, Representative Pete Petersen (D-Anchorage) introduced legislation today to allow Alaskans the option to register as permanent absentee voters.

Rep. Petersen Introduces Child Protection Legislation; Measure would make it harder for sex-offenders to bait children

JUNEAU – Today, Representative Pete Petersen (D-Anchorage) announced legislation to protect children from sex offenders who bait children to their residences with toys and play equipment. The legislation would give judges the option to prohibit certain sex offenders from having jungle gyms, trampolines or similar children’s play equipment in their yards as a condition of their parole.

Democrats Welcome Agreement on New NPR-A Oil Development – Agreement between federal agencies and ConocoPhillips means more exploration, jobs

Representative Berta Gardner • Representative Bob Miller • Representative Les Gara • Representative Pete Petersen

Today, Alaska House Democrats welcomed news that federal agencies have reached an agreement in principle with ConocoPhillips that could allow the company to go forward with its plans for a major new development in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A). ConocoPhillips first applied for its permit to expand the Alpine field into the NPR-A over a year ago.

Army Corps Indicates It May Allow Conoco Expansion into NPR-A

House Democrats welcome the signs of progress and new exploration

Today, Alaska House Democrats released a letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that indicates the agency may be prepared to approve ConocoPhillips Alaska’s plans to expand the Alpine unit into the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A).

“We know there is more work to be done, but we take this as a very positive indication that this important development for Alaska could be moving forward soon,” said Rep. Bob Miller (D-Fairbanks).

Rep. Petersen’s Report from the Capitol: East Anchorage Projects included in Draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan; Should Alaska Stop Investing In Companies that Do Business in Iran?

Draft Transportation Plan Include Eastside Projects

Last month I told you about how the Anchorage Metropolitan Transportation Plan is being revised. This plan covers major road, sidewalk, and transit construction projects expected to be built before 2035, and projects identified as short (expected to be built by 2023) or long term (expected to be built between 2023 and 2035) priorities become eligible to be funded through the federal matching funds program. The public comment period on the current draft just closed, and a new draft will be released and public hearings will be held after that draft is available.

Rep. Petersen’s Report from the Capitol: Important Highway Safety Hearing this Week; Anchorage Transportation Plan Under Review; How to Get Local Park Info on Your Smartphone

One the most dangerous pieces of Alaska’s highway infrastructure is the Glenn Highway/ Muldoon overpass right here in East Anchorage. The opening of the Tikahtnu Commons mall has made this already dangerous intersection even worse, and Senator Bill Wielechowski and I worked hard to secure the funding to start the process to fix this intersection. Unfortunately Governor Parnell vetoed this funding. While I agree that budget vetoes had to be made, I found this one to be baffling since this is a state owned intersection that clearly needs to be fixed.