Wielechowski-Capitol-Brief

The 2nd regular session of the 33rd Alaska State Legislature came to a close last Wednesday night. Below is a rundown of what was accomplished.

During a joint session last Monday, I voted to override the Governor’s veto on the education bill, SB 140. Although 65% of the legislature voted to override the Governor with a vote of 39 to 20, we were still one vote short of the 40 votes required.

A significant amount of effort and compromise was evident in the capitol during the passage of SB 140, the new education funding bill. This legislation marks the most substantial increase in funding for Alaskan schools in our state’s history. Specifically, it includes the following provisions:

I hope you and your family have been staying safe and warm this remarkable winter. Even in Juneau, we’ve experienced record levels of snow.

I hope you are having a great start to the new year! My Juneau office is open and getting ready for the upcoming session that begins next Tuesday, January 16. This being the second session of the Thirty-Third Legislature,

Happy Holidays to you and yours! It has been great to see many of you around the community this season. This newsletter is to provide an initial overview of the Governor’s proposed budget that was released last Thursday. I also provide some links to information about road plowing, holiday events, and how to give to

I hope you are enjoying this fall weather. I would like to update you on the impending natural gas crisis in Cook Inlet and what the recent amount of the Permanent Fund Dividend means for our state’s troubling fiscal situation. I also have updates from the Food Bank of Alaska and a comment opportunity for

It’s already halfway through September, and that means winter is fast approaching. There is still plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors before ice and snow arrive.

It’s that time of year again! As the Alaska State Fair is getting ready to kick off this weekend, that means Anchorage students are heading back to school tomorrow – Thursday, August 17.

The Legislature approved a one-time increase of $680 per-student education funding to local schools, known as the Base Student Allocation (BSA), totaling $175 million. The Governor vetoed this increase in half to $87.5 million, or a $340 increase per student.