Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

February 11, 2022

State of the Judiciary

Rep. Claman speaking with Chief Justice Winfree after his address.

The Chief Justice used his speech to highlight the court system's ongoing response to COVID-19 and how to safely hold criminal jury trials, the Child in Need of Aid case backlog, and successful programs the court system offers for resolving disputes without trial. The courts have worked to stay open during the pandemic and have adjusted their systems because they remain committed to not putting the general public at risk.

The Alaska Court System accomplished the following in 2021:

Resolved over 30,000 petitions in child in need of aid, domestic relations, probate, and domestic violence cases;
Held more than 327,000 court hearings in criminal and civil cases, nearly the same as in 2019, before the pandemic began;
Over 5,500 trials were held by a judge sitting without a jury, usually in civil cases, again almost the same as in 2019; and
Issued about 88,000 rulings and orders resolving disputes, which might be evidentiary questions, motions to change the amount of child support a parent has to pay, or proceedings to finally close a case.

In 2022, the court system is a seeking funding to reopen the courts on Friday afternoons. They closed six years ago, saving $2 million annually.

Find the full text of his speech here. You can watch Chief Justice Daniel Winfree's full address here.

Chief Justice Winfree spoke extensively about respecting the integrity of the three branches of government. This week, I took a moment to share my thoughts.

Click here to watch my latest video update

Legislation Update

House Bill 60:

Youth Mental Health

As we discussed in our recent e-newsletter, my office is sponsoring House Bill 60, which amends existing K-12 public school health education statute to include mental health education guidelines.

This week, the House Finance Committee heard HB 60 and will hear the bill again in the near future. We heard invited testimony from Jason Lessard and Justin Pendergrass. Jason is the Executive Director of the NAMI Anchorage Chapter and has worked extensively with the Anchorage youth organization MHATS. Justin is a Suicide Prevention Specialist at MyHouse in Wasilla. Justin is a parent, provider, and has survived struggles with mental health in his early life. We are so appreciative to both Jason and Justin for their moving testimony. Thank you!

If you would like to be added to our distribution list for updates moving forward, please enter your contact information here.

Alaska Mental Health Resource Toolkit

NAMI Anchorage - Adult Mental Health Resources

SAMHSA - Mental Health Hotline

In Case You Missed It: APFC Investigation

Last week, I took a few minutes to reflect on the Alaska Permanent Fund Board's firing of their executive director and the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee's approval of a $100,000 investigation into the matter.

Click here to watch

Community Events

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

Landscape Architect & Planning Advice

The Anchorage Park Foundation’s Community Challenge Grant Program supports community-led municipal park and trail improvement projects that benefit the public. Get free advice from landscape architects and park planners about your project idea.

When: Wednesday, February 23 from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Where: Spenard Recreation Center, 2020 W 48th Ave

For more information, visit the event Facebook page.

Ski 4 Kids

The one-day festival will feature outdoor activity stations and a race. Timed race registration ends at 5:00 PM on February 24. Day-of-event registration will run from noon to 1:00 PM, and the timed and untimed races will start at 1:30 PM. The storyboard course will be set up starting on February 26 through the afternoon of Saturday, March 5th. Donations are requested.

When: Saturday, February 26 from 12:00 – 3:30 PM

Where: Kincaid Park, 9401 Raspberry Rd.

For more information, visit the event Facebook page.