Protecting Your Rights: Serving West Anchorage | |
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Vetoed Legislation
This session, the Legislature came together to debate, find compromises, and pass important legislation to help our local economies and improve public health and public safety for all Alaskans. It is disappointing that the Governor vetoed good, bipartisan legislation passed to help Alaskans across the state.
Senate Bill 127: Vehicle Rental Taxes
Our office sponsored Senate Bill 127, relating to vehicle rental taxes. The bill, which passed with broad bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, would have lowered the existing tax rate from 10% to 8% for vehicle rental platforms such as Turo. We received strong support for this legislation—a compromise between Turo and traditional rental car operators in Alaska—because most Turo owners don't collect the tax and Turo doesn’t collect the tax on the app. The bill would have required Turo to collect the tax on behalf of their Alaskan owners, making it easier for Alaskans to comply with the existing law. And, perhaps most importantly, SB 127 would have protected Turo owners who haven't been collecting the tax from back-tax collections.
In his veto letter, Governor Dunleavy described the bill as "unnecessary taxation of a new and growing industry.” But the bill does not establish a new tax: it reduces an existing tax and protects Alaskans from back-tax collections. Throughout the legislative process, the Department of Revenue supported this bill and the Governor’s veto is, as my colleague Senator Giessel put it, puzzling.
To read our previous coverage of Senate Bill 127 and watch my Senate Floor Speech, visit our previous newsletter here. To read the Anchorage Daily News' (ADN) recent report about the veto, please visit the article here.
HB 17: Insurance Coverage for 12-Month Contraception Prescriptions
House Bill 17 required insurance coverage for orders of up to twelve months of prescription contraceptives. This insurance law change is especially important for women who live or work in rural Alaska with limited access to pharmacies. The legislation would have allowed religious employers to opt-out of contraceptive insurance, and does not include coverage for emergency contraceptives such as Plan B.
The Governor wrote that “compelling insurance companies to provide mandatory coverage for a year is bad policy.” But this bipartisan measure had broad support and was the result of many years of discussion, collaboration, and compromise. My office carried this legislation for seven years in the House, and I was pleased to see the legislation pass with broad bipartisan support during the legislative session. A special thank you to Representative Ashley Carrick and Senator Löki Tobin for sponsoring the legislation this year. To learn more about the bill, click here. To read ADN's recent report of the veto, please visit the article here.
House Bill 88: Worker Warehouse Quotas
This legislation would have required employers to make work quotas available to workers in warehouse settings, so that workers can know how much work is expected. It also included provisions to prioritize worker safety. The bill, sponsored by Representative George Rauscher, passed the Legislature with broad bipartisan support. The governor wrote that the bill created "excessive regulation.” To learn more about the bill, click here. To read ADN's recent report of the veto, please visit the article here.
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Passed Legislation
While we remain disappointed by the Governor's vetoes, the Governor approved some good bills and allowed other bills to become law without his signature.
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House Bill 233: Auto Dealers Warranty Rates
HB 233 requires auto manufacturers to pay their Alaska dealers fairly for warranty work performed by Alaska mechanics. Representative Frank Tomaszewski carried companion legislation to our SB 144. Thank you to Representative Tomaszewski for helping to get this important legislation across the finish line!
To read more about the bill, please click here.
House Bill 238: Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree
HB 238 increases the penalty for vandalism of a place of religious education or worship from a class A misdemeanor to a class C felony. Representative Andy Josephson introduced HB 238 to address the rise in antisemitic crimes throughout the country. To read more about the bill, click here.
House Bill 344: Medical Assistance; Food Stamp Program
The Governor introduced HB 344 to expand services covered by Medicaid to include workforce development and food security. During the legislative session, Representative Genevieve Mina and Senator Cathy Giessel worked to amend their legislation to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) access into HB 344. Representative Mina and Senator Giessel's provisions were especially important to Alaskans using SNAP because of recent Department of Health failures to process thousands of SNAP applications within the legal timeline. This backlog of applications left thousands of Alaskans without financial food aid for months at a time. To learn more about the bill, please click here.
Senate Bill 151: Missing/Murdered Indigenous People; Report
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis is real and has been an issue for decades across Alaska and the rest of the country. While Indigenous girls and women are the primary victims of violence and human trafficking, the atrocities are also happening to Indigenous boys, men, and elders. SB 151 makes meaningful progress to help address the MMIP crisis by directing the Department of Public Safety to hire two permanent investigators to solely investigate MMIP cases, requiring the state to incorporate cultural training into police officer training, and establishing the MMIP Review Commission. The Commission will review unresolved MMIP cases from different regions across the state and submit a report to the legislature every three years with findings and recommendations.
Thank you to Senator Donny Olson for sponsoring SB 151 and Representative CJ McCormick for carrying the House companion. I was honored to be a co-sponsor of SB 151. To learn more about the bill, please click here.
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Last week, Congresswoman Mary Peltola hosted a convention at the University of Alaska Anchorage campus to talk with community leaders, business sectors, elected officials, and other stakeholders and advocates to discuss outmigration from Alaska. Our office attended to learn more and discuss solutions moving forward.
Researchers and economists with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development shared data showing that 2024 is the 12th straight year that Alaska's total outmigration exceeded our in-migration. Between 2022 and 2023, 37,678 people came to Alaska, and 40,924 people left for a total net loss of 3,246 people. But it's not just that more people are leaving Alaska—in fact, large populations have left Alaska every year since statehood. What's changed is that new workers aren't coming in as reliably. While Alaska has always been a place of relatively high migration fluctuation, the past twelve years have seen a steady decline in our young, working-age population. (It's important to note that because of fluctuations in births and deaths, Alaska's total population has not declined at the same rate that outmigration has increased.)
The decrease in working-age Alaskans means that our economy is facing a worker shortage. From construction workers to public defenders to prosecutors, Alaska is short-staffed. It is critical that we invest in solutions to attract new workers to Alaska and keep our young people here. While the causes of the workforce shortage are not definite, there are a few solutions that have broad support and will probably help:
- Reasonable funding for our public education. In order to attract and retain working-age people, we must invest in families. Ensuring that our schools can stay open, that classrooms are fully staffed, and that our kids are receiving quality education is good for all Alaskans. We must also invest in our university system to keep our young people in-state for college, regardless of what career they choose.
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Improving our state retirement system. We’re learning more and more that our state cannot compete with other states to recruit and retain public employees given our current "worst-in-the-nation" retirement system. Senate Bill 88 would have overhauled our retirement system for public employees-including teachers.
- Keeping the cost of living down—particularly energy prices. Between the cost of housing and the cost of energy, far too many Alaskans are struggling to afford to live in their home communities. We must fund solutions for affordable housing, recognizing that the homelessness crisis in Anchorage is linked to the broader lack of housing. And we must prepare for the declining Cook Inlet gas reserves by investing in a wide array of energy alternatives in order to minimize the cost of any single, expensive source - such as importing natural gas.
The outmigration summit reminded us that Alaskans are passionate, innovative, and above all, resilient. We're lucky to call Alaska home, and hope to make sure that it's a place anyone can come, and anyone can stay.
We're grateful to UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, Alaska Federation of Natives, First Alaskans Institute, and Representative Peltola for organizing the event. To read the Alaska Beacon's coverage of the convention, please click here.
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Anchorage Parks and Recreation announced that the portion of the Coastal Trail at Point Woronzof will be closed from now until Monday, September 16th.
Please see the image above for a map of the affected area or click here for Alaska News Source's coverage of the closure with additional maps.
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→ Ted Stevens Legislative Internship
The Ted Stevens Legislative Internship is a fantastic opportunity for students in the University of Alaska system to get experience in the Alaska State Legislature and to learn more about State policy.
If you or anyone you know attending UAA or another UA campus is interested in serving in a state legislative office, earning 12 credits, and gaining invaluable work experience that can supercharge their transition to a career after graduation, please learn more about this program. Any major is welcome!
Applications are accepted online and are due at the end of October. To learn more and apply, please click here.
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ANSEP Acceleration Academy Info Night
When: TODAY Thursday, September 12 starting at 6:00 PM
Where: Anchorage Acceleration Building (3800 University Lake Dr) or online via Zoom. Click here for details.
Join the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) at the Anchorage Acceleration building to learn all about ANSEP's Acceleration Academy for high school students! Moose's Tooth pizza will be provided!
- Learn about spring 2025 acceptance!
- Save at least $75,000 in college costs!
- Find out how to go from eighth grade to a bachelor's degree in five years or less!
Please click here to RSVP.
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Anchorage Remembers Its Military & Vets
When: Saturday, September 14 from 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Where: Alaska Army National Guard Armory (Bldg 49000, JBER)
Mark your calendars for September 14, from 1-4 PM at Memorial Park and the parking lot of Bldg 49000, JBER! Bring your family for a day of fun with activities like scarecrow building, hay rides, pumpkin decorating, face painting, and games! This is a great opportunity for all service members, friends, and their families to connect and enjoy a day together.
For more information, please click here.
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Parks and Trails Recreation Fair & Moose Loop Challenge
When: Saturday, September 21 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Where: Kincaid Bunker
Help support Anchorage Parks and Trails at their first ever Recreation Fair on September 21 from 10 AM to 2 PM. This is a FREE event.
They are seeking volunteers for the recreation fair so please let the coordinators at Anchorage Parks and Trails know if you are interested.
For more information about the Recreation Fair, please click here.
Additionally, registration is open for the for the Moose Loop Trail Challenge. This is an asynchronous challenge taking place from September 21 to September 28. You can find additional information and register for the challenge by clicking here.
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As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
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CONTACT INFORMATION
(907) 465-4919
Sen.Matt.Claman@akleg.gov
State Capitol Bldg. Rm 429
Juneau, Alaska 99801
https://www.alaskasenate.org/matt-claman/
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CONTACT THE GOVERNOR
(907) 465-3500
550 West 7th Ave. Suite 1700
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
STATE OF ALASKA
State Info: (907) 269-5111
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CONTACT THE ADN
Write a Letter to the Editor
Submit your letter to the Anchorage Daily News via email or web form.
attn: Letters to the Editor
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