Bjorkman-OnTheKenai

Hello! I hope that you all are enjoying the Christmas season with your friends and family. It is interesting to think about all the people and effort involved in producing the food that we eat and what it takes to support the homes we gather in. Property tax assessments are on the rise and almost all […]

Hello! The first Session of the 34th Alaska State Legislature has ended. I am humbled by the opportunity to go to Juneau and work hard to represent the interests and concerns of folks from the Kenai Peninsula. Here are three items that will have a lasting impact.

Hello! Last week the Alaska Senate passed an austere budget that zeroed out requests from the Governor for new spending, defunded many programs, and made spending cuts that will be noticed by Alaskans across the state. Although the budget will change because of the upcoming conference committee, reductions in spending must be carried out because of

Next week is a busy week, and a number of my bills have hearings. Below are some highlights about what’s going on. Senate Joint Resolution 19 encourages the Federal Government to honor Alaska’s birthright of the 90/10 split of revenue from mineral production on federal lands and guaranteed by the Alaska Statehood Compact. SJR 19 will

Yesterday the State Senate passed House Bill 57 by a vote of 19-1. This bill provides a small increase to per-pupil K12 education funding as well as multiple school policy reforms that will lead to better outcomes. 

In the last week, the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget passed out of the House, the Capital Budget passed the Senate, and the Senate Finance Budget Subcommittees for each State agency finalized and forwarded their reports to the full Senate Finance Committee. It’s tempting at this point to focus on what’s in and what’s out

Hello! This week the Senate Education Committee forwarded a bill that will secure stable and predictable funding for schools. The bill provides a 4.6% increase in state funding compared to last year. These additional dollars are vital to empowering successful learning outcomes.

Hello! This week the Senate Education Committee forwarded a bill that will secure stable and predictable funding for schools. The bill provides a 4.6% increase in state funding compared to last year. These additional dollars are vital to empowering successful learning outcomes.

Hello! It is great to be back on the Kenai Peninsula this weekend and great to see so many of you at town halls in Cooper Landing and Soldotna. If you weren’t able to make it to one of these events, I hope you’ll use the contact information below to share your thoughts with me.

Hello! This past week the Senate Education committee began hearings on increasing K-12 school funding and new policies that will lead to improved education outcomes. The bill that came over from the House must be amended to work for Alaska’s families and all forms of public education.