Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

March 24, 2020

In this issue:

• COVID-19 Updates

• West Anchorage Candidates Forum: Questions & Responses

• Alaska Legislature Passes House Bill 124

• Community Events

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The legislature continues work to finish the FY2021 budget as soon as possible. House Bill 205, a bill acting as both an Operating budget and a budget making Capital appropriations, passed the Senate on Monday afternoon and was referred to a conference committee Monday evening. It includes many substantial funding

measures to address the COVID-19 crisis, including $75 million for public health emergency response programs. We will continue to provide details on HB 205 as the bill moves forward.

COVID-19 Updates

This week, the legislature passed House Bill 308 in the effort to provide much needed aid and comfort to Alaskans displaced by the pandemic.

Alaska Legislature Passes Immediate Relief for Laid Off Workers Affected by COVID-19

On Saturday, the Senate unanimously passed House Bill 308, which provides retroactive unemployment insurance for Alaskan workers hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the House concurred with the changes. The bill now goes to the governor for his signature. This bill:

Allows Alaskans who are unable to work, or who are underemployed because of public health measures, to become eligible for unemployment benefits and help prevent the spread of COVID-19;
Waives the standard 1-week waiting requirement to begin receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits and the able/available to work requirement;
Increases the weekly per-dependent benefit from $25 to $75, providing relief for families who have lost childcare and income simultaneously;
Applies to those who are currently staying home to take care of children and therefore unable to work and who pay into the unemployment insurance fund;
Provides emergency relief for up to one year; and
Retroactively goes into effect on March 1 to cover those who have already applied before the outbreak.

If you have been affected by COVID-19 closures and lost work, you can access the State Unemployment Insurance Program online at my.alaska.gov. Once on the homepage, click on “Unemployment Insurance Benefits.” You can also call for assistance: Anchorage residents (907-269-4700), Fairbanks residents (907-451-2871), Juneau residents (907-465-5552), and people who live anywhere else in Alaska (1-888-252-2557).

COVID-19 Forecast Tool

In partnership with a team of epidemiologists and data scientists, Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins helped create a model to forecast how long Alaska has until COVID-19 overwhelms our hospitals.

The projection is helpful for the decisions we face as a state. The model includes all 50 states. You can find each state’s projection here: covidactnow.org. Click on the image below to view projections for the state of Alaska.

West Anchorage Candidates Forum, Spring 2020:

Questions & Responses

West Anchorage Candidates Forum: Candidate & Props Responses

Assembly (District 3, West Anchorage) and School Board candidates (Seats C and D, all citywide seats) were asked to provide written responses to several questions prepared by the sponsoring councils: North Star, Sand Lake, Spenard, Taku-Campbell and Turnagain Community Councils.

The planned format for the Forum also included brief position statements and Q&A opportunity for representatives of "Yes" or "No" positions on Props 11, 12 and 13 were asked to provide a brief position statement and contact information (including a website).

Other propositions were asked to provide informational materials and were therefore not asked to provide a presentation. The following documents provide information about the April 7, 2020 election, followed by responses in each category.

CLICK HERE for Assembly, District 3 Candidates Responses

CLICK HERE for School Board, Seats "C" and "D" Candidates

Responses

CLICK HERE for Information about Propositions 1 - 13, and

Position Statements from Props 11, 12 and 13

Alaska Legislature Passes House Bill 124

This weekend, Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 124, legislation sponsored by my office that opens new opportunities for commerce and helps build Alaska with a strong economy. HB 124 establishes a secure process for remote online notarization to facilitate commercial transactions in Alaska. The use of electronic records in commercial, governmental, and personal transactions has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. HB 124 allows Alaskans to keep up with these trends and perform notarizations with greater ease.

Setting up a system to allow for remote online notarization is particularly useful in Alaska given the state’s immense size and the fact that many of our communities are not connected by road. At present, commercial transactions within the state often necessitate delays as parties involved ship documents back and forth for the purpose of notarization. By creating a process for remote online notarization, we can improve the efficiency and convenience of transactions in the state.

House Bill 124 passed the Alaska House of Representatives by a vote of 34-3, and on Sunday, the bill passed the Alaska Senate by a vote of 19-0. The bill now goes to the governor for his signature.

Community Events

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event:

West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project: Virtual Meeting

The Municipality is currently looking at potential locations in West Anchorage for a new Snow Disposal Facility. A virtual Public Meeting will be held to learn more about the project, chat with project team members, ask questions, and provide your feedback on site selection criteria and potential locations to be considered.

When: Tuesday, March 24 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM