Hello fellow Alaskans!

 

As sockeye flood into the Kenai River, we are blessed with an abundance of fish and visitors to our beautiful Peninsula. I recognize that this abundance is a reason for many to celebrate and for others it is a painful reminder of lost opportunities and changing times.

 

With the recent attempt on President Trump’s life, I think it’s important that we count our blessings and seek out ways that we can work together to improve life on the Kenai without forgetting the Alaskan principles that make us great. There will always be doctrine and ideas that we will hold fast and fight for. While working to secure those goals, I am also seeking opportunities to find common ground with those who wish to move forward toward a more prosperous future.

 

Over the last two years in the Legislature, I have learned that working well with others and learning from the experience of hard-working Alaskans ensures that the bills I support will work to improve the lives of people on the Kenai Peninsula. I am thankful to have passed personal legislation like local lumber grading, banning real-estate transfer taxes and reducing taxes on farmers, and honoring our veterans and first responders. Two other good bills, SB 147 and HB 148, were signed into law this past week that include pieces of legislation I proposed. I am grateful that the strong working relationships I’ve built with my fellow Legislators help me make the laws that are passed more effective for you.

 

In this issue of On the Kenai, the most important item is a reminder that now is the time for you to comment on the Sterling Highway Safety Corridor Project. Please don’t miss this opportunity to have your say.

 

North to the Future,

 

 

 

Send your input on the Sterling Hwy Safety Corridor

 

NOW is the time to send in comments on the Sterling Highway Safety Corridor project. The initial design for the project would have built a divided highway between Soldotna and Sterling. It would have changed access to the highway and forced many drivers to turn right and proceed to the next median break before making a U-turn into oncoming traffic in order to complete a left turn. Many people are preferring a five lane with center turn lane option like the Kenai Spur Highway. 

 

Click here to have your say!

 

 

I am proud to have worked on and urged passage of Sen. Kaufman’s SB 147. I am thankful the Governor signed this bill which will help to get individuals back to work faster for their benefit and the benefit of our economy. The final version of the bill contains three measures, including one I sponsored to better ensure injured workers receive timely benefit payments. The bill updates Alaska Worker’s Comp laws to provide more flexibility for initial recovery assessment and save employers the cost of repeated eligibility evaluations and creates a voluntary stay-at-work/ return-to-work program that can keep injured employees in a modified job with the same employer and gets people back in the workforce faster. Because work is recovery.

 

 

I’m thankful the Governor signed HB 148, which will improve opportunities for Alaska’s students. The Alaska Performance Scholarship will now be available to high school students who have focused on vocational education or taken voc-ed classes as their electives. The Senate added provisions rebuilding the education tax credit program to allow Alaska industry to direct some of their tax dollars to workforce development and educational programs and improving grants for technical and vocational education.

 

 

60 years ago, the residents of the Kenai Peninsula had a vision for self-governance that led to the formation of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. I was honored to present the citation from the Alaska Legislature recognizing the foresight and hard work of the creators of our Borough government and the benefits it's provided to Kenai Peninsula residents over the years.

 

 

Preventative healthcare saves lives and saves money. Ladies of the Kenai, the Alaska Breast and Cervical Screening Assistance Program pays for breast and cervical cancer screenings (mammograms and pap tests) for Alaskans ages 21 to 64 who meet income and other guidelines. Check their website to see if you're eligible!

 

 

We’re no stranger to fire on the Kenai Peninsula. The Alaska Division of Insurance can help you prepare and protect your home or business from wildfires. Check out the information on the Division's website and take steps to ensure your home or business is better able to withstand fires and other natural disasters. Post-disaster, the Division can help you navigate claims and policyholder experiences.

 

 

 

Senator Jesse Bjorkman | State Capitol Room 3, Juneau, AK 99801-1182