Claman-AKMatters

Dear Friends and Neighbors, The Primary Election is on August 18th. We want voters to feel confident and informed about their vote, so we’ll be discussing ballot measures and voting in a weekly series up until the election.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, The Legislature met in this year’s second special session to continue working on legislation related to the gas pipeline project. The Legislature again made progress, but the Legislature did not pass the measure and the Governor will call a third special session to begin July 27th.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, The Governor called the Legislature into special session on May 21st for the purpose of discussing and passing legislation related to the LNG project. The Legislature made progress, but did not pass a bill and the Governor has called a second special session.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, The Legislature adjourned Sine Die from the regular session on Wednesday. The Governor called us into special session immediately afterwards at 10am on Thursday, May 21st to consider legislation for a gasline.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, The last day of the regular session is May 20th. The Governor can choose to call a special session within one hour of adjournment, if he chooses.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, Last week, Governor Dunleavy vetoed Senate Bill 64, a bipartisan elections bill that made our voting system in Alaska more accessible to all eligible voters and more secure against voting fraud. On Monday, the Legislature met in joint session and failed to override that veto.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, This week, the Legislature passed House Bill 78 to establish a pension retirement plan for public employees. The Senate Judiciary Committee also passed a consolidated crime bill that includes legislative priorities to improve public safety. Yesterday, the Governor vetoed the elections bill.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, This week, the Senate passed a capital budget focused on investing in the much-needed maintenance and construction of public schools.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, This week, the House passed an operating budget with much-needed funding for public school maintenance, a $1,500 dividend, and a $200 million deficit.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, This week, we discuss the current legislative proposals regarding the natural gas pipeline. A gas pipeline from the North Slope could bring revenue to the state and help secure gas for Alaskans. But significant questions remain.