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Senate Majority Bipartisan Coalition Website
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State Senator District E
Senate Majority Leader
Senator Cathy Giessel Newsletter
UPDATES
Issues affecting
your family, community and jobs.
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Dear friends and neighbors,
Meet your State Senate District E team in Juneau: (House Districts 9 & 10)
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District 10
Representative Chuck Kopp
"I am excited to work with our Senate District E team to make great progress on our state’s most critical needs of affordable, secure, and diverse energy supply and distribution; workforce retirement security; reliable education funding; and fiscal responsibility to ensure a healthy and prosperous future for the next generation of Alaskans.
I will be working with Law, the Alaska Railroad, and affected private property owners on mitigation of a recent egregious 9th Circuit Court decision against Flying Crown HoA, which stripped adjacent and underlying land owners to the Railroad right-of-way of any property interest, including the right to access their own contiguous piece of property over which the Railroad easement crosses, or for other non-interfering uses such as lawns and gardens, including the ability to protect impacts to their own land from the Railroad’s decisions to allow non-railroad purpose uses of the right-of-way. My focus will be balancing the burden of the easement across these private properties in such a way that both the Railroad’s right to safely operate and landowners' property rights are protected."
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Senate District E
Senator Cathy Giessel
I am excited and looking forward to working with these two Representatives. We are, all 3, working with the rest of the Legislature as members of the Bipartisan Coalitions in the House and Senate. These two coalitions will be working together to accomplish these shared priorities, based on shared Alaska values.
I will be chairing the Senate Resources committee for the 13th year, and co-chairing the Special Committee on Arctic Affairs. Resources is oil, gas, mining, fisheries all of which feed our revenue stream and the Permanent Fund. I recognize that many folks are very happy about the new federal administration's pledge to remove regulatory barriers to development; but I offer a balance on that - I do not want to see our land, air and water polluted because safeguards have all been removed. It's time Alaska got regulatory primacy over our environmental issues.
Arctic Affairs will be looking at security, defense, and sustainability of our Arctic. These are broad topics and I will be calling on diverse entities for input, including the Wilson Center, Ted Stevens Center and Denali Commission.
My Staff:
I have 2 returning staff and 2 new folks. See the next section to see photos and read short bios, as well as their work assignments in my office.
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District 9
Representative Ky Holland
"I'm pleased to join Senator Giessel and Representative Kopp as part of the South Anchorage team in the upcoming legislative session. Together, I am looking forward to working on initiatives that build a future where all Alaskans have the opportunity to thrive, including keeping and attracting future Alaskans. As a lifelong Alaskan with deep roots in our community, I'm eager to collaborate on initiatives that ensure South Anchorage (including Basher to Whittier!) remains a vibrant and resilient place for families to live, work, grow - and STAY.
My priorities for this session start with work to support our schools and teachers and as co-chair of Energy, ensuring we have secure and affordable gas and electricity in the Cook Inlet. Looking beyond the urgent, I'll continue my work supporting growth in emerging industries, advocating for world-class education, and supporting the development of resilient local infrastructure, including efforts to reduce the risk and damage of wildfires.
Thank you to everyone in the community who helped me - I could never have done this without your support, and I'm honored to represent House District 9."
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Items in this Newsletter:
· My Office Staff 2025
· Alaska Senate Gavels in the 34th Alaska State Legislature
· Current Topics, Stuff I Found Interesting, National Security, Fisheries, Economy, Politics, Healthcare
· Resource Values, Permanent Fund
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Jane Rohr, Office Manager
Born and raised in Alaska, Jane Rohr hails from Homer where she spent the last three years working in the non-profit and healthcare sectors. She is excited to learn more about the inner workings of the legislative process and bring her organizational skills and constituent relations experience to our team. In her off-time Jane enjoys hiking, knitting and baking sweet treats.
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Paige Brown, Legislation Aide
Paige has worked for my office for the last 2 years, and previously worked at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska.
Paige was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She was in the Russian Immersion Program K-12, and graduated from West High School with a Seal of Biliteracy in 2020. She is currently in the Construction Management program at UAA. In her free time she enjoys snowboarding, hiking, and fishing.
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Jane Conway, Chief of Staff
Jane Conway hails from the Kenai Peninsula and is my Chief of Staff. She has been with me for 9 years and carries my healthcare-related legislation.
A Minnesota native, Jane adventured to Alaska in 1990 on the very common “5-year plan” and never returned to the Lower 48. She lived in Homer for 15 years, then Anchorage for 5, and now lives in Soldotna where she helps run a sheep and chicken farm on a pre-statehood homestead just outside of town.
Prior to the Alaska Legislature, Jane received her B.S degree in Social Work and worked as a counselor in a residential treatment center for troubled youth and then worked for the HeadStart program as a teacher and home-visitor. From there she migrated to Homer where she was the advertising director for the Homer News from 1992-2001. Following that she began her career in the Legislature, with a 2-year stint as the Kenai Peninsula Regional Director for Senator Lisa Murkowski from 2020-2022.
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IntiMayo Harbison, Resource & Arctic Affairs Committee Aide
IntiMayo (Inti) Harbison is a lifelong Alaskan who serves as the Senate Resources Committee Aide and the Senate Arctic Affairs Committee Aide in the Alaska State Legislature.
Born in Homer Alaska to two teachers, he spent the early part of his life on Lake Iliamna in the village of Kokhanok, before moving to the Kenai Peninsula.
Growing up in the Central Kenai Peninsula, Inti graduated from Soldotna High School before attending the University of Alaska where he received a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science.
Inti now lives in Anchorage with his wife and daughter where they enjoy skiing, biking, hiking, and exploring the outdoors.
Most recently Inti was the State Director for Representative Mary Sattler Peltola. Previously in the Alaska Legislature he has worked for Senator Joshua Revak as Senate Resources Committee Aide, Senator Natasha von Imhof as Senate Finance Committee Aide, and as Staff to the late Representative Gary Knopp.
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Alaska Senate Gavels in the 34th Alaska State Legislature
Senate Majority will Prioritize Education Funding, Retirement for Teachers and Public Employees, Energy, and Election Reform
JUNEAU – Today at 1:00 p.m., the Alaska Senate gaveled in the 34th Alaska State Legislature. Senator Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, was officially elected as Senate President by his colleagues. Senator Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, will serve as Majority Leader, and Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, will serve as Rules Chair. To complete the Majority’s leadership team, Senator Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, will serve as Majority Whip, Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, will chair the Legislative Budget & Audit Committee, and Senators Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, and Donny Olson, D-Golovin, will serve as Finance Chairs.
The 14-member Senate Majority also announced their legislative priorities for the legislative session, which will build upon previous efforts to strengthen Alaska’s economy. These beginning-of-session priorities include boosting public education funding, addressing public employee and teacher retirement, updating election processes, and tackling Alaska’s ongoing energy challenges to ensure long-term sustainability and affordability.
“The future of Alaska is bright, and I am looking forward to working across chambers, caucuses, and party lines to address the challenges Alaska faces,” said Senate President Gary Stevens. “Both chambers have tremendous opportunities to tackle the issues with the ability to do it through bipartisan collaboration—something Alaskans want and deserve.”
“Addressing Alaska's recruitment and retention challenges is essential to rebuilding a robust workforce,” said Senator Cathy Giessel. “To ensure a thriving economy and attract top talent, we must remain competitive with other states and create opportunities that keep and bring the best and brightest right here in Alaska.”
"Ensuring Alaska’s public schools receive reliable and adequate funding is our top priority," said Senator Bill Wielechowski. "Year after year, our schools struggle to keep up with inflation, leaving students and educators with fewer resources. Every child deserves access to a high-quality education and if we want Alaska to thrive, we must invest in our next generation and equip them for success."
The Senate Committee on Committees also met this afternoon to review and approve legislative committees for the 34th Alaska Legislature. You can view the Committee on Committees report here to see a full breakdown of committee assignments and chairs.
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Current Topics
Alaska officials preparing geothermal lease sale at Cook Inlet volcano. Alaska Beacon
Alaska officials are preparing to hold a lease sale for geothermal exploration rights at Augustine Volcano, a 4,133-foot peak that forms its own cone-shaped island in the southern part of Cook Inlet. The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas, which manages the state’s geothermal program, issued a formal finding on Jan. 10 concluding that a geothermal lease sale at Augustine would be in the state’s best interest. Such findings are required as precursors to lease sales.
National Security
Successful deployment of Canadian Arctic monitoring satellites by Space Flight Laboratory. Space Daily
This mission, developed for Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), comprises three 30-kg formation-flying microsatellites. The launch took place on January 14 as part of the SpaceX Transporter-12 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
ACEP contributes to Arctic security discussion. ACEP UAF
At the workshop, ACEP’s Director Jeremy Kasper and Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives Vanessa Raymond provided insight into Alaska’s energy context. They also shared details about the data challenges for understanding and assessing Alaska’s energy capabilities and gaps. “Providing reliable heat and energy in the Arctic is extremely challenging and costly. This is true in both the civilian and security contexts,” Kasper said, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts.
Energy
Number of the day: Over 70 gigawatts. Axios
It's "one of the highest levels seen since 1990," IEA said. Half of this capacity is in China.
Health Care
State confirms measles case in Alaskan who traveled overseas. ADN
The infected individual, who has not been identified, was unvaccinated and began experiencing symptoms on an international flight to Seattle, according to a public health alert blasted primarily to in-state medical providers Thursday afternoon.
Opinion: RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine rhetoric is a threat to public health. Alaska's children deserve better. ADN
Measles contributed to high infant mortality in Alaska in the 1960s. School measles vaccine requirements led to high coverage and complete elimination of measles in Alaska in 2000, but repeated cases have been brought in by travelers. In the 1980s, Hib bacteria was the most common cause of meningitis in Alaskan infants and children, leading to death or permanent brain damage in one-third of those who contracted it. With routine child vaccination, Hib disease decreased 99%.
(My comment: I still think of the family that lost their two small sons to polio, in Fairbanks, in the mid-1950s. They lived 3 houses down the street from us.)
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