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Hello!
It is great to be back on the Kenai Peninsula this weekend and great to see so many of you at town halls in Cooper Landing and Soldotna. If you weren't able to make it to one of these events, I hope you'll use the contact information below to share your thoughts with me.
Last Thursday night, AGDC President Frank Richards signed agreements that make Glenfarne the 75% owner, lead developer, and operator of the AKLNG project. I am cautiously optimistic about this long-awaited opportunity finally coming to fruition. I am eager to see publication of the contract between AGDC and Glenfarne and learning more about how the gas line project will affect our lives on the Kenai Peninsula.
I am honored to be your effective advocate in Juneau. Please contact my office when you have ideas or concerns by calling 907-283-7996 or by email at sen.jesse.bjorkman@akleg.gov
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I introduced SB 151 to help prevent lice at school. When a child gets lice, it creates an immense amount of work for parents to treat their child’s hair and the surfaces in a home where lice can live. This extra work and stress on families is preventable. The Legislature can empower school nurses to support families in killing lice and better yet, preventing lice from living in kids’ hair.
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Senate Bill 79 gives employers another option to pay wages, allowing employers to directly credit wages to an employee on a payroll card account. This legislation, which was sponsored by my Labor and Commerce Committee, had a hearing last week. It ensures that employees without a bank account can access their wages without having to pay a check cashing fee and then carrying their entire paycheck in cash. Employees have easy access to their wages when they are on a payroll card. They can make point of sale purchases without fees and withdraw cash from their cards at ATMs.
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Another Labor and Commerce bill also had a hearing last week. Senate Bill 137 extends the sunset date of three State of Alaska boards: Direct-Entry Midwifery, Nursing, and Parole. The Division of Legislative Audit conducts a review of boards such as these the year before their sunset date, considering each board’s performance against its statutory mission and providing an assessment of whether the board continues to perform a public service. The audits highlight areas where a board could improve its performance, if there are any, and how long a board should be extended for before the next sunset review. The Division found all three boards provide a public benefit and recommended extending the Boards of Midwifery and Nursing to June 30, 2031 and the Board of Parole to June 30, 2029. The bill I introduced incorporates these recommendations.
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