Giessel-Newsletter

Dear friends and neighbors, At 9 AM this morning, the Joint Session of the 34th Legislature voted (46-14) to override the Governor’s Veto of the Education Bill (SB 57). The last time a Governor’s veto was overriden was under Governor Sarah Palin in 2009.

Dear friends and neighbors, Budget work is a mystery unless you know the system. Here is “Budget Conference Committee 101”

Dear friends and neighbors, I will be sending out a couple newsletters as things happen fast in the remaining 6 days: Budgets. Bills. Vetoes.

Dear friends and neighbors, Thank you to everyone who attended the Town Hall meeting on May 3. Representatives Kopp and Holland joined me in hearing from about 45-50 folks.

Dear friends and neighbors, Art work from Alaska schools is displayed in the Capitol. These are art pieces from St Elizabeth Ann School on Huffman Rd.

Dear friends and neighbors, April 24 Alaska Constitution Day On this day, April 24, 1956 , the people of Alaska voted to ratify the Alaska Constitution that had been drafted by the Constitutional Convention. The Convention had met at the University of Alaska (in Fairbanks, the only campus in those days) from November 8, 1955 to

Dear friends and neighbors, Education: Accountability “Schools need to be accountable.” “No increase in school funding until there’s accountability.” The Anchorage School District has more data on their website than you would have time to read: spending, testing results, staffing numbers. Links to the ASD data are below, in a section of this newsletter.

Dear friends and neighbors, Mike Sfraga, PhD., former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, presented to Senate Special Committee on Arctic Affairs. Great insights and recommendations.

Dear friends and neighbors, “All Public Policy is Math.” Oil execs vent on tariffs. Axios ‘Drill, baby, drill’ is … a myth and populist rallying cry. Tariff policy is impossible for us to predict and doesn’t have a clear goal,” said one exec who was quoted anonymously. “Uncertainty around tariffs and trade policy continues to negatively impact our

Dear friends and neighbors, I was humbled to be honored by the Key Campaign last week. They gave me this beautiful flower art piece, made by folks at Hope Community Resources art programs.