Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

April 8, 2021

Operating Budget Public Testimony

Your voice is always important, and this week is an opportunity for you to participate in the legislature’s work. Every year, we must approve a budget. This week, the public can testify about the governor’s proposed budget in the House Finance Committee. We’ve been keeping a close eye on some specific budget issues, and we'd like to hear your thoughts.

Time limit is 2 minutes
Please call 30 minutes before the end of allotted time or testimony may close
All Off Net callers must hang up immediately after testifying to keep lines open
Feel free to continue to watch the meeting through akleg.gov
Send written testimony to house.finance@akleg.gov

For more information, visit the Facebook event page or contact your regional Legislative Information Office.

Click here for Tips for Testifying during COVID-19.

American Rescue Plan Act

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic relief package, was signed by President Biden on March 11. Part of this package includes the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which provides approximately $350 billion in new federal fiscal assistance for states, territories, tribes, counties and municipalities. States and local governments may uses these funds to:

Respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and the negative economic impacts of the pandemic;
Cover premium pay to workers performing essential tasks during the pandemic;
Cover government revenue losses that are due to the pandemic; and
Make necessary investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.

Click here for a detailed summary. Here is a brief list of what's included:

Economic Impact Payments – Provides another round of direct payments of $1,400 for individuals, $2,800 for joint filers, and $1,400 for each qualifying dependent. The Treasury Department and the IRS are dispersing these based on your previous taxes. There is no need to apply.
Child Tax Credit – Increases the Child Tax Credit maximum amount to $3,000 per child and $3,600 for children under age 6. It would also extend the credit to 17-year-olds. The increase in the maximum amount would begin to phase out at $150,000 in income for married couples, $112,500 for heads of households and $75,000 for other parents. Other changes to the Child Tax Credit include making it fully refundable, meaning the entire credit could be provided as a refund if it exceeds an individual’s income tax liability, instead of partially refundable under current law.
State, Tribal, and Local Fiscal Recovery – $1.36 billion has been allocated to Alaska to make up for lost state revenue. Additional money is also going to local and tribal governments and capital projects.
Homeowner Assistance Fund – A minimum of $50 million has been allocated to each state to aid homeowners who have had troubles making their mortgages due to the economic issues caused by the pandemic. This aid will soon be available in Alaska. In the meantime, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation has many programs to help struggling homeowners and renters.
Emergency Rental Assistance – Another round of rental assistance will also soon be available in Alaska. The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation will be able to assist renters when these funds become available.
State Small Business Credit Initiative – The program will provide support to small businesses recovering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by: injecting capital into state programs that support small businesses and provide small businesses access to capital, providing collateral support, facilitating loan participation, and enabling credit guarantee programs. This money will become available once federal guidelines are finalized.
Employee Retention Credit – Extends the employee retention credit established by the CARES Act through Dec. 31, 2021. The measure also would expand eligibility for the credit to new startups that were established after Feb. 15, 2020, and companies if their revenue declined by 90% compared to the same calendar quarter of the previous year. The credit would be capped at $50,000 per calendar quarter for startups.
Paid Leave Credit Programs – Extends tax credits for employer-provided paid sick and family leave established under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act through Sept. 30, 2021. The measure would also increase the wages covered by the paid family leave credit to $12,000 per worker, from $10,000; cover as many as 60 days of paid family leave for self-employed individuals, instead of 50; and bar employers from receiving credits if their paid leave favors highly compensated employees, full-time workers, or employees based on tenure.
Unemployment compensation – Additional unemployment payments are available to qualifying individuals in need through Sep. 6, 2021. It exempts the first $10,200 in 2020 unemployment benefits from federal income tax for households with incomes below $150,000 per year.

Paint the Town

Paint the Town is an annual program that brings people from across our community together to give back to those who do not have the resources to take care of their homes on their own.

Since the 1980s, NeighborWorks Alaska has painted and provided minor repairs to hundreds of homes with the help of businesses and community volunteers. The program was created to help our low income, senior, disabled, and veteran neighbors who face challenges in maintaining their homes as a result of either financial or physical constraints. Nominate a neighbor for this opportunity today!

2021 Constituent Survey

Last month, our office shared the results of our 2021 Constituent Survey. I took a moment to discuss the results of the survey.

Click here to hear about the Constituent Survey Results

Community Events

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

Sand Lake Community Council

When: Monday, April 12 at 6:30 PM

Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting. Click here for details.

Youth & Young Adult Mental Health: A Panel Discussion

The NAMI Anchorage and the UAA School of Social Work Representatives are hosting a panel discussion on youth & young adult mental health.

Join me, members of MHATS (Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling), NAMI Anchorage, and UAA Health Services for a discussion about youth and young adult mental health, House Bill 60 (and it's companion bill Senate Bill 80) and the resources available in our community.

When: Tuesday, April 13 at 6:00 PM

Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting. Click here to join.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the Facebook event page.