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Current Topics
Hats to go at the Kentucky Derby. Axios
(My Comment - I have no idea that this was a “thing”!)
Wife to auction off late husband's one-of-a-kind wagon. Alaska's News Source
Radio Flyer Car: There’s a car currently up for auction in Anchorage that almost everyone has a childhood connection to. It’s not a station wagon—but it is a wagon.
Report: Internal emails at Alaska Permanent Fund show financial manager raising ethical concerns about fund's vice chair. ADN
A top financial manager with the $80 billion Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. in emails raised concerns about efforts by the fund’s vice chair to set up meetings between Permanent Fund staff and business associates or companies with ties to a company she owns.
The U.S. was supposed to get keys to a new heavy icebreaker this year. Instead, construction is years late as costs soar. Alaska Public Media
The Coast Guard’s plan to build three heavy icebreakers is five years behind schedule and the price has ballooned to $5.1 billion from an initial estimate of less than $2 billion, according to projections from Congressional Budget Office and other watchdogs.
Economy
Alaska lawmakers aim for last-minute review of public pension reform. ADN
Amid high vacancies and turnover in the ranks of public employees, some lawmakers are hoping that a major overhaul of Alaska’s public retirement system could be adopted in the final days of the legislative session.
Permanent Fund should divest from a bad investment bet. ADN
Once again, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. trustee Gabrielle Rubenstein is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
$100 million-plus tax boost on oil company Hilcorp added to carbon storage bill. ADN
The House bill was amended in the Senate Resources Committee on Friday to close the so-called S-corporation loophole. Hilcorp, which is privately owned, does not pay state corporate income taxes. Hilcorp is among Alaska’s top oil companies as the current operator of the Prudhoe Bay oil field, and is by far the largest producer of Cook Inlet natural gas. Luke Saugier, senior vice president at Hilcorp Alaska, sent an email to electric utilities and Enstar: “Due to this new tax’s vague and uncertain language, as well as the provision not being sufficiently modeled, we are unsure what the impact will be on our ability to meet your gas supply needs as we will need to re-examine the investment we had planned for Cook Inlet,” he said. ”Unfortunately, it will also negatively impact our ongoing negotiations related to gas storage options, jack-up rig availability, new gas supply contracts, and could harm our ability to meet existing interruptible contracts.”
Ratings firms upgrade Alaska's credit rating, outlook. Alaska Beacon
The two largest credit rating firms issued positive reports for Alaska’s state government last week, noting growing state budget reserves and progress on future North Slope oil projects.
Education
Judge grants stay until June 30 on correspondence school ruling, says state 'mischaracterizes' order. ADN
Zeman wrote Dunleavy’s administration “mischaracterizes and misreads” the court’s April decision. The judge went on to reiterate that his decision only affects two state statutes that expanded correspondence programs when they were enacted in 2014. Those statutes were originally proposed by Dunleavy in 2013, when he was a state senator. Correspondence programs, which generally allow homeschooled students to receive public funds to pay for educational materials under the direction of certified teachers, long predated Dunleavy’s proposal. That proposal limited the guardrails that the state and districts could implement on the uses of correspondence allotments.
Dunleavy says lawmakers shouldn't pass bills to address homeschool decision. Lawmakers say that's risky. Alaska Public Media
Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling on lawmakers to pause their efforts to address a court ruling that threatens the state’s homeschool system, saying they should wait for a ruling from the Alaska Supreme Court.
In reversal, Gov. Dunleavy signals support for correspondence school program legislation. ADN
In a course reversal, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Friday that he would support legislation to ensure correspondence schools can continue to operate, after an Anchorage Superior Court judge last month found some public spending on the programs violated the state constitution.
State lawmakers hear public testimony on possible legislative actions to ruling on homeschools reimbursements. Alaska's News Source
As the State of Alaska appeals a ruling that would delay a decision on Alaska’s homeschool correspondence funding until the end of June, public testimony was heard Friday in Juneau on separate House and Senate bills that are viewed as possible, legislative actions to a judge’s ruling.
Competing Alaska House and Senate bills propose fixes to homeschool laws ruled unconstitutional. Alaska Public Media
Just 14% of students at Alaska’s largest statewide correspondence school participated in state reading and math tests last year, but, speaking remotely alongside Dunleavy, Education Commissioner Deena Bishop said that’s no cause for alarm. “I don’t have a concern. In fact, statistically speaking, a 14% return is an excellent way to understand how, you know, a survey or some type of program, if you look at any type of research, is doing,” Bishop said.
Politics
As session end looms, Alaska lawmakers juggle bills addressing Southcentral natural gas crunch. Alaska Beacon
Because the issue is so important, several bills are making progress, said Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage. Even as lawmakers in both the House and Senate debate the details, they are united in a common search for solutions, she said.
Alaska gas line leaders ask lawmakers to support year-end deadline for signs of progress. ADN
“At some point, you’ve got to wind it down if there’s not a project, and those discussions will go on between now and when we wrap up conference committee with the administration,” Stedman said. Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski said Alaska LNG and the gas line corporation should probably be “shut down.” He said a variety of trans-Alaska gas line projects have come and gone over the decades, never to be built.
Energy bills intended to address Cook Inlet gas shortage in doubt as end of legislative session approaches. ADN
Lawmakers have broadly said that passing energy bills this year is a top priority. But the Legislature did not have an oil and gas consultant under contract until April, which could threaten some bills from passing into law.
Ranked choice voting works for the overseas military. Why not for everybody? Governing
It’s difficult to understand. RCV is such an effective tool that military voters can continue using it as they have for years. So why this panicked rush to ban it for others? It doesn’t make sense. Here’s why RCV helps, especially in races with more than two candidates that might be forced into a runoff. In an RCV election, voters can rank the candidates in order of preference — first choice, second choice and so on. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the race goes to an “instant runoff.” The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice have their vote count for their second choice. This process repeats until a candidate wins with a majority of the vote.
Judy Woodruff discusses political division on America. Alaska Insight
Longtime PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff has been traveling the country talking to Americans in the lead up to the next Presidential election to explore the causes and effects of intense political division. Woodruff was in Alaska recently to report on the state’s open primary system and ranked choice voting and she joins host Lori Townsend to discuss her series on this Alaska Insight.
Alaska Senate committee proposes same-day voter registration, but key Republicans oppose the idea. Alaska Beacon
The Senate State Affairs Committee turned the bill into a comprehensive elections overhaul with a major amendment that incorporates elements of other bills:
· Voters would be allowed to register for an election within 30 days of Election Day, something currently allowed only for presidential votes.
· The Division of Elections would have to create a method for voters to fix errors on absentee ballots that have already been mailed.
· Absentee ballots would no longer require the signature of someone who witnesses the voter fill out the ballot.
· Ballots filled out by voters with special needs couldn’t be rejected because of errors by poll workers or the person delivering the ballot to the polls.
· If someone uses AI computer software to fake a candidate’s appearance in an election ad, the fake would have to include a legal disclaimer.
· A candidate would be able to transfer leftover campaign donations to a legal fund for election-related lawsuits.
· The Division of Elections would have to develop a cybersecurity program and develop procedures for audits intended to reduce risks.
Alaska House votes to require that schools stock overdose-reversal drugs. Alaska Beacon
Alaska schools may soon be required to stock drugs that reverse opioid overdoses.
Alaska House nears vote on big increase for public school maintenance statewide. Alaska Beacon
A key Alaska House committee has approved funding for the most school maintenance projects in several years — from new roofs to copper pipe and electrical replacements.
Alaska House committee kills state-owned corporation's plan to borrow up to $300 million. Alaska Beacon
Members of the Alaska House have refused a request by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority for permission to borrow up to $300 million for unspecified mining-related projects.
Healthcare
Alaska officials announce "One Pill Can Kill" campaign to address fentanyl crisis. Alaska Public Media
Alaska officials have announced a new awareness campaign aimed at highlighting and combating the growing danger of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
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