Kawasaki-JuneauNote

There are a mere 20 days remaining in the first session of the 34th Alaska Legislature! A lot can happen in these next two weeks and there is much activity that has already begun to slow assuming we will take it back up next year or even over the summer and early fall. I’ll try to keep folks informed on a frequent basis, but as things can change daily, it would also be great to send an email or contact me directly at the office at 907.456.7423.

Today is day 87 of the 34th Alaska Legislative Session, meaning we have a mere 33 days remaining to pass a balanced budget, work on education reforms and pass signature legislation from individual members and committees. I will continue to bring current news to you on a more frequent basis as items begin to move more quickly since the Operating and Capital Budget have been moved from each of the houses of the bicameral legislature along with an education funding bill that passed both houses but has been vetoed by Governor Dunleavy. The veto override of education support will be done after this Easter on Wednesday in a joint session.

Today is day 81 of the 120-day Alaska Legislative session and only 1/3 of the session remains. Boy how time flies.

The House Finance Committee has been trying to approve an operating budget, which is a difficult task, given that the state is facing financial straits and a deficit of $1.9 billion. The House Majority and Minority are deeply divided on how to deal with Alaska’s fiscal problems. There has been some contention this week, as House Finance tries to compromise on a budget to send over to the Senate. Both the House Minority and Majority held separate press conferences on the issue and painted two very different pictures for the people of Alaska.

Today is day 74 of the 120-day Alaska Legislative session. Now that it is April, we are in our penultimate month of this session, so we are really starting to focus on getting things buttoned up. My office had two bill hearings this week. One for SB129, which is discussed later in this newsletter and the other for SB110 which establishes a museum construction grant fund. Both bill hearings were successful, and I expect to have these bills heard again in committee soon. The bill hearing process may seem overly long and onerous, but it is essential to ensure that good policy is leaving the legislature, and my office is dedicated to shepherding these bills through.

Today is the 66th legislative day of the 34th Alaska Legislative Session. Now that we are more than halfway through the session, we are really getting busy! A budget is being approved by the House Finance Committee before it comes to the floor. It still remains with more than $1.6-billion deficit in the next fiscal year and keeps growing from amendments offered by both Republicans and Democrats in the House Finance Committee.

Today is the 60th legislative day, half way through the legislative session, the first official day of Spring and my birthday! The Capitol has been abuzz during this midpoint in the session as bills have begun to move, the budget has taken form, new initiatives have been introduced and others have been met with defeat. The education omnibus bill that has passed the State House is being considered in the Senate, United States Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan visited Juneau to address the legislature in joint sessions with very differing viewpoints and the budget is set to be on the House floor in the upcoming week. Check out all of the news right here or contact me directly at the legislative offices at 907.456.7423.

Today is the 53rd day of legislative session. As usual, there is a lot going on here in the Capitol, as well as a lot going on in local, state and national news that is of importance to those of us who live in the Interior. Support for schools has been the main topic in the House and will now become the major topic in the Senate since passage of a major education funding bill. Springtime also means a focus on the financial outlook for the State and how we choose which public services are most important when compared to the finite revenue.

Today is the 45th day of the Thirty-Fourth Legislature which means we are just over 1/3 of the way through and it is beginning to heat up-both literally and figuratively. Legislators begin to make the mid-session treks home to have town hall meetings (my Republican colleague Rep. Will Stapp and I already hosted one together), education funding and the state budget approach a crucial vote, new revenue discussions begin and spring is almost here! However, Alaskans will LOSE an entire hour of sleep this week as we begin the observation of Daylight Saving Time and we have already lost millions in federal funding, construction, jobs and healthcare with the new administration in Washington. Check out my latest edition of the e-newsletter below!

Today is day 38 of our 120-day legislative session here in Juneau and that means that we are nearly 1/3 of the total way through! It also means that legislators will be returning home over the next two weekends to host town hall meetings, visit with constituents and provide updates on the progress of the budget passage through the State House. I will also return to Fairbanks for a brief weekend to meet with you either individually or at a large town hall meeting or at one of the many public events scheduled for the weekend. Here are some highlights of the week and some details of how to learn more about the start of the 34th Alaska Legislature.

We’ve had a lot of visitors coming to the Capitol these past few weeks. A lot of our visitors were from Fairbanks, including members of the FNSB school board, members of UAF’s faculty union and members from the Fairbanks Borough Assembly. Even Fairbanks Mayor David Pruhs stopped by the office to talk to me yesterday! I also really enjoyed my visit with the Asian American Pacific Islanders Coalition of Alaska. It has been fun seeing so many familiar faces!