APRIL 10, 2015

Budget Update and Bills on the Move

Dear Fairbanks Neighbors,

We’re down to the last two weeks of the legislative session, which is scheduled to end on April 19.  As we get down to the end of session the pace has picked up and our floor sessions have been getting longer as we debate more bills and resolutions.  You can follow online by watching committee meetings at AKL.tv and floor session at GavelAlaska.com.

Representatives, floor staff, and clerks wore blue today for Child Abuse Prevention Month

Budget Moves to Conference Committee

The Senate has passed their version of the operating budget on Friday, and a conference committee has been appointed to work out the differences between the House and Senate budgets.  I voted against the budget that passed the House. I was disappointed that it made significant cuts to essential services- including eliminating early childhood education and the severe cuts to the University of Alaska- without addressing the underlying budget problems.

I Voted for Over $200 million in Savings

As Governor Walker exposed recently, Alaska is paying out more in oil tax credits than we take in oil taxes.  I voted to cap the amount of tax credits paid each year so that we don’t have to pay more money to the oil industry than we take in oil taxes.  This could have saved $200 million dollars but unfortunately it did not pass.  This would have allowed for fully funding the University and education while reducing the overall deficit.

Senate Education Cuts Would Cost 55 Fairbanks Teachers Their Jobs

The Senate made even deeper cuts to education funding.  The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District had already voted to cut eliminate 60 full time positions, but with the deeper cuts from the Senate they would have to lay off 55 additional teachers.  I will continue to fight to provide our adequate funding for Alaskan schools and reverse these cuts in the final budget.  The Senate budget was not all bad though, I did appreciate that they restored $5 million in funding for the University system that would help preserve academic programs that students rely on.

My family got to visit the Capitol last month and Evelyn got to meet with her favorite governor

Bills on the Move

A few bills I’ve been working on have been moving over the last week:

• The Senate Resource Committee unanimously voted to advance my bill to expand Creamer’s Field Refuge by adding four state owned parcels to the refuge.  This was the last committee of referral, so its next stop is the Senate floor for final passage. 
• Last Friday Governor Walker signed House Bill 43 into law establishing Alaska Law Enforcement Officers Day on January 9 of every year.  I sponsored this bill with a bipartisan group of five colleagues as a small way to show our appreciations for the Alaskans who spend their careers keeping us safe.
• Today the House Energy Committee which I serve on introduced House Bill 187 to lower electric bills by consolidating transmission management in the “Railbelt” grid that goes from Homer to Fairbanks.  You’ll be hearing more from me on this over the next year as we work out the details to get this right.

As always please call or email me with your thoughts, ideas, and concerns.

Sincerely,

Representative Adam Wool