Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

May 20, 2020

In this issue:

• Legislature Authorizes Federal Emergency Relief Funds

• Voting Open for Chugach Electric Board of Directors

• Community Events

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the legislature voted to get $1.5 billion in federal emergency relief funding into the hands of Alaskans, local businesses, communities, and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Legislature Authorizes Federal Emergency Relief Funds

In response to a lawsuit that could delay federal aid intended for small businesses, municipalities, and fisheries, the legislature passed House Bill 313 this week. HB 313 ratifies the previous action of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee to allocate the money sent to Alaska through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which we discussed in our May 13, 2020 e-newsletter.

Communities, businesses, and families will now see hundreds of millions of federal dollars come through to help tide them over as we all deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal relief funds will be directed to the following initiatives in our state:

$568.6 million to help communities and local governments impacted by COVID-19, distributed in a model that follows the precedent set by the longstanding Community Assistance Program.
$290 million for the state to provide relief to Alaska small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The money will be distributed through grants at the direction of the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. DCCED estimates this funding will help 10,000 small businesses that were unable to obtain loans through the federal Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.
$100 million in economic stimulus for Alaska fisheries, which will help a wide variety of individuals and entities that rely on fishing and will be impacted by the substantial reduction in revenue associated with diminished opportunities to fish commercially or operate charters and guided fishing tours.
$51.6 million directed in the federal CARES Act to be used for rural airports and other programs managed by the Alaska Department of Transportation, money which will go toward improvement of the statewide aviation and rural airport systems where additional needs have occurred due to COVID-19, as well as funds for the Whittier Tunnel.
$45 million to help stabilize K-12 classrooms impacted by COVID-19.
$42 million for child nutrition programs that serve children forced out of school by the pandemic.
$29 million to address rural transportation costs, including the Alaska Marine Highway System.
$10 million for the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation to help prevent homelessness. By helping people make mortgage and rent payments, Alaskans will be less likely to become homeless. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some people experiencing homelessness are at higher risk of moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19.
$5 million for direct financial aid grants to help University of Alaska students, and to help minimize systemic impacts of COVID-19 on the university system.
$3.6 million in critical funding for state, local, and tribal governments to provide a range of programs including law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, courts, crime prevention and education, corrections, and drug treatment and enforcement.

With this critical vote completed, the legislature formally ended the legislative session by adjourning sine die.

Voting Open for Chugach Electric Board of Directors

If you pay an electric bill to Chugach, you are permitted to vote in Chugach Electric's annual board election. Chugach members with an email on file with Chugach will have receieved an electronic notification email letting them know that voting is open and linking them to the voting process. If you don't get an electronic notification or do not have an email on file, you can email service@chugachelectric.com or call 563-7366. Electronic voting closes June 15.

The four candidates all took part in a recorded forum answering questions about serving on the Chugach board. The answers are posted on the Chugach Electric website under the Candidate Forum. You can also access the answers by clicking here.

Community Events

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event:

Virtual Outdoor Week 2020

Celebrate the 46th annual Outdoor Week partner event virtually! Explore environmental science and natural resource careers digitally from anywhere! On May 19, 20, & 21 the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center will host #AKOutdoorWeek2020 on the Bureau of Land Management - Alaska Facebook Page. Each day we will highlight a video to help you learn about, and safely explore the outdoors in #Alaska.

Visit https://www.blm.gov/ccsc/outdoor-week for the schedule and topic descriptions.

When: Tuesday, May 19 - Thursday, May 21

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

Ongoing Events

Daily Briefings for Small Businesses

When: Monday - Friday at 2:00 PM

Join the Alaska Small Business Development Center Business Advisors for the latest updates in COVID-19 related news and resources (Emergency Loans, Unemployment, etc.) for small businesses. Participants will be able to ask the advisors and guests questions in real time to get the latest information and support.

These live webinars will be recorded and will be stored in the COVID-19 Informational Videos Channel.

Hunker Down Anchor Town

When: Thursday at 4:00 PM

The Mayor is giving weekly community updates about the Municipality’s response to COVID-19.

The discussion is hosted by longtime Alaska broadcaster, Steve Heimel. Community members may ask the Mayor questions by calling 907-222-1061 during the show or tweeting @outnorthradio.

Listeners outside of the Anchorage area can listen online from anywhere by visiting outnorthradio.com/stream from a computer or smartphone.

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