Giessel-Newsletter

Dear friends and neighbors, Rep Justin Ruffridge, D.Ph., and I (MSN, FAANP) were honored by the Alaska Pharmacy Association for our work to bring lower cost pharmaceutical medication and greater access to healthcare in Alaska.

Dear friends and neighbors, The Senate Resources Committee made changes.eliminated sales tax and all references to itmoved oil tax structure from tax on net profits to tax on gross value of oilaccepted Governor’s idea of 15 cent surcharge on TAPS oil, goes to General Fund and intend use to maintain the Dalton Highway

Dear friends and neighbors, We have a Saw Whet Owl in our neighborhood! I first heard the little guy at the end of January, when walking my dogs at 6 AM. I thought the sound was a truck backing up. He was heard in the dark of 7 PM also. We’ve heard him every day

Dear friends and neighbors, The University of Alaska has an Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) that Alaskans can be very proud of.ISER was established 60 years ago.The research covers a wide range of topics. You can see more at ISER website.The economists who have worked there over the decades have been George Rogers,

Dear friends and neighbors, Budget. This is the most important topic we deal with this year. I have a section on Senate Finance meetings week, and will repeat it each week, so you can follow along. In the section are links to actual meetings and documents, and summary notes from the meetings.

Dear friends and neighbors, We have a lot on the Legislative plate. If you are reading this before 9 AM on Jan.22, you could sign onto Alaska State Legislature (chose “live now”) to listen to the Joint Session (House and Senate meeting) in which we vote on the question to override the Governor’s veto of SB

Dear friends and neighbors, As the New Year begins, we hope for calmer, more rational times.But the challenges keep coming.

Dear friends and neighbors, My staff and I are in the process of moving to Juneau, saying good-bye to family, friends, and homes. We all continue to respond to email and phone messages.

Dear friends and neighbors, Happy New Year and Happy Alaska Statehood Day, January 3!On this day, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act. This photo is of Pres. Eisenhower with Mike Stepovich, Alaska Territorial Governor, and Frank Seaton, Sec. of Interior. (I went to grade school with one of the Stepovich sons, in Fairbanks.)

Dear friends and neighbors, Tuba Christmas performance is something Rich and I look forward to every year. They were at Bell’s Nursery on Specking on Dec. 20. They played to a large crowd amid the Christmas cheer of trees, wreaths, and poinsettas, along with vendors from the Farmer’s Market.