Rep. Spohnholz’s Newsletter: Public Safety
I have heard from many community members about public safety concerns in their neighborhoods. There has been an increase in crime in Anchorage which the Anchorage Police Department is responding to with three new training academies this year to get new recruits out on to the street.
In the meantime, I want to share some resources you can use to take action in your own neighborhood.
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Rep. Spohnholz’s Newsletter: The 5th Special Session
Wow… Today the House of Representatives gaveled out of the 5th Special Session. The Senate is expected to follow on Monday. I join many Alaskans in being blown away at the total lack of commitment to coming to a solution to our fiscal gap.
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Rep. Spohnholz’s Newsletter: Special Session Report and a Look Ahead
On Saturday, June 18th, the House gaveled out of the Special Session with the Senate gaveling out the following day. We accomplished a lot during this time, but failed to reach consensus on some of the most important elements on the agenda. Here is a summary of what happened followed by an update on the NEXT special session scheduled to start on July 11th and some information on local events of interest.
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NEWS: Alaska House Ends Special Session Without a Fiscal Plan to Protect the Alaska Economy
Juneau – Tonight, the Alaska House of Representatives closed out the Fourth Special Session of the 29th Alaska Legislature without making any substantial progress towards creating a balanced and sustainable plan to address the ongoing fiscal crisis in Alaska. The House failed to pass any of the revenue measures they were called into Special Session to consider by Alaska Governor Bill Walker. The 13 members of the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition (AIDC) remain committed to working on a comprehensive fiscal plan that will protect the Alaska economy and the essential functions of state government.
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NEWS: Alaska Legislature Should Quickly Act to Continue Insurance for Families of Police and Firefighters Killed in the Line of Duty
Juneau – Common sense legislation to honor Alaska’s first responders and their families is stuck in committee in both the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska Senate. House Bill 4002 and Senate Bill 4002 would allow the State of Alaska to continue insurance coverage for spouses and dependents of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
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Rep. Spohnholz’s Newsletter: Special Session Update
On Tuesday, the legislature passed a compromise budget package funded by the Constitutional Budget Reserve as is needed. This budget compromise is far from perfect, as are many compromises, but it allows us to keep Alaska open for business so that the fishing, tourism and business communities can continue to operate during the summer. The budget compromise ensures that we don’t face a crippling government shut down which would further damage the State of Alaska’s credit rating and hurt the thousands of Alaskan state employees and those who count on their essential efforts. In this special session update, I will describe these budgets generally as well as what is next in the special session.
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