Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

April 15, 2021

Legislation Update

House Bill 10: Funter Bay Marine Park: Unangax Cemetery

On April 9, the House passed Rep. Hannan's Ho use Bill 10 to preserve the Unangax Cemetery by incorporating it into Funter Bay State Park. When the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands during WWII, U.S. officials forcibly removed hundreds of Alaska Native Unangax people from the Pribilof Islands and interned them in a makeshift camp on Admiralty Island's Funter Bay.

The conditions at the makeshift camp were deadly, and many of the Unangax people who died during this time were buried in a cemetery on the shores of Funter Bay. Today, the cemetery holds over 30 gravesites of Unangax people who died during the war. The descendants of those who died have maintained the cemetery for over 75 years, and this bill will ensure that we preserve the cemetery for future generations.

Senate Bill 70: Opioid Overdose Drugs

The House and Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 70. Naloxone, which is more widely known under its brand name "Narcan," is a non-addictive opioid overdose reversal drug that saves lives when administered in a timely fashion. In 2017, Alaska's chief medical officer issued a naloxone standing order, making the life-saving drug available to first responders, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, the general public, as well as local and regional overdose response programs. Under this standing order, Alaska's take-home naloxone program has distributed 41,000 Narcan kits since 2017. 42 states and the District of Columbia have similar standing orders. Under current statute, Alaska's naloxone standing order sunsets June 30, 2021, compromising widespread access to this safe and effective drug. SB 70 removes the sunset date and allows long-term access to this lifesaving drug.

House Bill 27: Naming irene Webber Bridge

House Bill 27, sponsored by Rep. Stutes, renames Bridge 406 on the Copper River Highway after irene Webber in recognition of irene's contributions to the community of Cordova. In the wake of her sobriety, irene (who spelled her name with a lowercase "i") became a passionate a dedicated runner. She went on to fuse her love of running with her love of community. After running as the sole participant in Cordova's inaugural King Salmon Marathon in 1986, irene established the annual Alaska Salmon Runs, which have over 300 participants each year. She also founded the Cordova 2x2 Cancer Walk, which to date has raised over $100,000 for Cordovans seeking cancer treatment or screenings. irene passed away in 2018.

A Special Order on the House Floor

Today, I made a Special Order on the Floor to recognize someone important to me.

Happy 26th birthday to our son Ben!

Click HERE to watch my Special Order

Community Events

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event:

Anchorage City Wide Career & Job Fair

The Anchorage City-Wide Career and Job Fair is a joint endeavor by a coalition of organizations dedicated to connecting job-seekers and employers in a manner that promotes respect, dignity, and continued employment for all Alaskans.

The Job Fair will be held virtually and broken up into four sessions over two days:

Wednesday, April 28 from 10:00 AM – Noon and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Thursday, April 29 from 10:00 AM – Noon and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

To register and become familiar with the virtual platform:

https://ancjobfair.wixsite.com/2021/job-seekers

Businesses looking to hire can lock in a virtual booth here:

https://ancjobfair.wixsite.com/2021/businesses

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