Kawasaki-JuneauNote

Today is Day 45 of the 120-day legislative session convened in the State Capitol in Juneau. Legislators are preparing for debate and discussion on the only ‘constitutionally’-required items which is the operating and capital budget.

It is day 39 of session which means we are over a third of the way through session! Bills are moving, even if slowly, in both bodies! After much negotiation in the State House, a historical increase to the BSA was passed last night by a vote of 38-2.

SB 207, my Military Help Desk Bill is being heard in the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee! SB 207 creates a military help desk to ease the transition for service members and their families coming to Alaska. Public Testimony will take place TODAY starting at 1:30pm!

The Legislature completed the third week of a 16-week legislative session beginning with the State of the State address by Governor Dunleavy and rounding out the week with movement on important legislation. I am excited to announce yet another opportunity to meet in town with the Fairbanks District legislators in the upcoming week. Check out and keep informed with another e-newsletter update from the Capitol in Juneau!

The first day of the 2nd Session of the 33rd Alaska Legislature began yesterday afternoon with some excitement. The 2nd Session is a new start to the end of the session in May and so all of the legislation and committee assignments start where they ended and the legislators get to review how the budget met expectations midway through the budget year.

I hope you enjoyed a safe and festive Christmas and a great start to the new year! With the Second Regular Session beginning on January 16, I am hopeful the House and Senate can come together, balance the budget the Governor has provided, set priorities like public education, health and safety and pass essential legislation to improve the economy and lower the price of energy.

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year and winter solstice. Today and every day after will be a little bit brighter! Christmas and then the New Year is almost upon us, which means the Legislative Offices will soon be closed in Fairbanks and then reopened in Juneau. I wanted to let you know of a few items before we fly south for the legislative session. Alaskans had a first peak at Governor Dunleavy’s budget last week leading to many questions surrounding items such as senior benefit funding. The holidays are a time for joy and happiness but also a time to watch for your neighbors and there is a future constituent town hall meeting and coffee chat coming your way!

The Holidays are upon us! There are many exciting things happening in and around town, but there are also important things awaiting us in the new year as the Legislature sets the agenda. The Governor will introduce his budget in a little over a week and priorities of education, energy and the economy will dominate the legislative session-again!

As Fairbanks approaches the ‘holiday’ season, it has been exceptionally busy. In the city, the election was finalized and new members of the School Board and Borough Assembly were sworn in and seated, the holiday season means that some vulnerable families are in need and you can help, time keeps on ticking-or backwards if you were on Daylight Savings Time (is it ‘time’ for change?), school and child support will be a huge and important lift this year. Check out the holiday beginning enewsletter today!

Winter is finally in full swing. The latest snow will stick and the temperatures are regularly below freezing all day long. With temperatures dropping, more and more people are turning on their heaters and wood stoves