My colleagues in the Legislature and I have been called to the Capitol in Juneau for the third Special Session of the year. The Legislature must authorize certain key decisions that are vital if we are to move forward on the natural gas pipeline in a timely manner.
Read More →ANCHORAGE – The third Special Session of the 29th Alaska Legislature is scheduled to start Saturday morning with House and Senate floor sessions. Governor Bill Walker has scheduled a briefing for all lawmakers Saturday afternoon to outline the details of the three pieces of legislation that will be under consideration. The members of the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition (AIDC) are looking forward to the Governor’s detailed briefing but are dismayed by today’s announcement from the Senate President and the Speaker of the House that members of the House Finance and Senate Resources Committee’s will be encouraged to skip the briefing in favor of committee hearings on the same subjects at the same exact time as the Governor’s briefing.
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In response to recent arsons and vandalism at our parks and schools, I have been hosting a series of meetings throughout the district to learn about ways we can better prevent crime and promote public safety.
Here are the details for people wishing to attend the latest meeting:
Read More →ANCHORAGE – Three Democratic legislators will share their vision for the 2016 legislative session at the State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Anchorage tomorrow.
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Recently Governor Walker issued a proclamation calling for a legislative special session to convene in Juneau on October 24 to address two key topics:
First, we will explore putting in place a gas reserves tax on undeveloped North Slope natural gas. Currently, companies purchasing leases from the state have a contractual obligation to bring profitable gas to market. However, without a reserves tax there is little means to enforce this “duty to produce” other than by revoking the leases.
ANCHORAGE – Earlier today, the Alaska State Legislature’s Republican-controlled Legislative Council failed to withdraw its ill-advised lawsuit against Governor Bill Walker over his decision to accept federal funds to expand eligibility for the Medicaid program in Alaska. The Legislative Council, which only includes one member of the minority in the House and Senate, met behind closed doors in Anchorage to discuss the Council’s lawsuit. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Council took no action. The result of this inaction is that the lawsuit will continue.
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