Representative
CHRIS TUCK

I’m Here for You

I want to hear from you,
share your thoughts, voice
your opinion. Together we
will make a difference.

Click here to visit my Website
 
Click here to write me an email

Call me anytime:
   (907) 465-2095
   Toll-Free (866) 465-2095

Visit me:
   May-December
   716 W. 4th St., Ste. 340
   Anchorage, AK 99501
   (907) 269-0242 fax

   January-April
   State Capitol Bldg. Rm. 404
   Juneau, AK 99801
   (907) 465-3810 fax

Contact Other Elected Officials:

Governor Parnell,
Anchorage Office:
907-269-7450
EMAIL: Gov. Sean Parnell
www.state.ak.us

Senator Lisa Murkowski,
Anchorage Office:
907-271-3735,
EMAIL: Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Senator Mark Begich,
Anchorage Office:
907-271-5915
EMAIL: Sen. Mark Begich

Congressman Don Young,
Anchorage Office:
907-271-5978
EMAIL: Rep. Don Young

April 17, 2014

Bogus Bill Attempts to Take Minimum Wage Off Ballot
Designed to Weaken Wage Protections

Dear Neighbors,

If you have been a regular reader of my electronic and paper newsletters, you will know that I, like most Alaskans, support increasing the minimum wage and making sure it keeps up with inflation for years to come.  The voter initiative on the ballot this August would do just that, and a strong vote of the people would help keep the measure in place for years to come.

That is why I want you to be aware of a blatant political maneuver underway designed to take away your right to vote on the voter approved ballot initiative and weaken the minimum wage.

Under Alaska’s constitution, a citizen’s initiative may be removed from the ballot if the Legislature passes substantially similar legislation before the next election.  In 2002, with a minimum wage initiative on the ballot, the Legislature passed a similar bill, raising the minimum wage and removing the initiative from the ballot. The very next year, the next Legislature gutted the minimum wage law.

On April 4 of this year, the 74th day of the 90 day legislative session, the House Majority leadership introduced House Bill 384, which is substantially the same as the voter approved initiative signed by over 43,000 Alaskans and certified for the August 19 primary ballot. Its passage would remove the minimum wage initiative from the ballot.

House Bill 384 is not a minimum wage bill, it is a bill to take the minimum wage off the ballot and make it easier for legislators who oppose a fair minimum wage to undo the increase in the coming years. 

On April 13, members of the House Minority joined with a few true free market conservatives, and others from the House Majority opposed to the late introduction and tainted appearances surrounding the legislation, opposed the bill, and House Bill 384 passed the State House by a razor thin margin of 21-19.

House Bill 384 has now been transmitted to the Alaska State Senate, where genuine supporters of the minimum wage have been working round the clock to oppose its passage in order to protect the public’s right to vote on the issue so that it has the best chance of staying in place for more than one year.

I encourage you to call or email your state Senator and tell them to oppose this cynical and insulting attack on the minimum wage and on Alaskan voters.  Pass the word on to your friends and neighbors. 

You can learn who represents you in the Senate and how to contact them at the following link:

http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/

I’m here for you, so please keep in touch on matters important to you and your family!

Warm regards,

      Chris Tuck
      Alaska State Representative
      District 22 - Anchorage