|
Current Hot Topics
OPINION: A bright future for Alaska requires a fair tax structure. Anchorage Daily News
The state’s tax code was written decades ago to apply to publicly held corporations, before companies like Hilcorp and thousands of other Alaska businesses organized as privately held corporations or limited liability companies (LLCs). Those increasingly popular corporate structures are not an issue at the federal level or in states with a personal income tax — the companies’ profits flow through to the owners, who pay personal income tax on the money. But Alaska has no personal income tax; the Legislature abolished it in 1980 as the state got rich from oil. Which means the state collects no income taxes on the profits of privately owned companies.
(My Comment: This is a more-than-$1Million-per-year in lost state revenue for Alaska, if Corporate Income Tax were applied to Hilcorp, an "S Corp" under Federal Tax Law. The company is owned by Jeffery Hildebrand, a Texas billionaire. Yes, its great that he has a profitable company and that his company entered Cook Inlet in about 2003 to revitalize oil and gas production there. As a capitalist, he saw opportunity to buy up BP assets on the North Slope. Alaska has 2 options: #1-institute a tax specifically on S-corps that produce oil (or all S-corps like attorney and doctor offices) or #2-reinstitute an income tax.)
Anchorage airport expecting new routes, record growth. Alaska's News Source
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is expecting record numbers of both passengers and cargo this year.
The Northwest Arctic Borough is the first Alaska region in years to arm a VPSO. ADN
The Northwest Arctic Borough armed one of its VPSOs in April, which no other organization has done since 2015. By the end of summer, the borough plans to arm the rest of its officers and form the first fully armed VPSO program in the state.
Converging around standards for carbon offsets Axios
With the market for carbon offsets stifled by concerns over the legitimacy of projects and greenwashing, the public and private sectors are coalescing around new standards that could boost carbon markets and cut emissions.
(My Comment: The Legislature passed laws that allow Alaska to enter the "offset" market. No encumberment of our forests has occurred yet, as regulations are still being written. The prices/market for "offsets" is sketchy. Many of us legislators are skeptical about this, though several Alaska Native Corps are in this market now and reportedly making significant money.)
Stuff I Found Interesting
Earth irregular magnetic field headaches. Phys.org
Fluctuations in the strength of Earth's magnetic field—caused by daily changes in solar wind structure and intermittent solar storms—can impact the use of geomagnetic field models which are essential for navigation in satellites, planes, ships and cars.
MLB incorporates Negro Leagues records Axios
Negro League players who were barred from MLB during segregation, but called greats by those who saw them, will hold some of baseball's most prominent records. Negro Leagues legend Josh Gibson will become MLB's single-season and career record holder in batting average (.466 in 1943 and .372 career).
(My Comment: I read a book about Satchel Paige about 35 years ago. I was so impressed and grieved that he was never allowed to pitch against Babe Ruth, the speculation being that Satchel would have regularly struck out Babe Ruth. I'm so glad to see some clarification of records!)
Life in the skies: "Everybody needs a little love". Axios
Bette Nash — certified by Guinness as the world's longest-serving flight attendant, with 66½ years under her belt — has died at 88.
(My Comment: Did you know that Alaska Airlines flight attendants don't start getting paid until the aircraft door is closed?! So all that time, waiting for a late passenger or a "quick mechanical fix", is unpaid time, until that door is closed. Their union is negotiating for better pay.)
Economy
Permanent Fund board discusses investment referrals after concerns with vice-chair. ADN
The Alaska Permanent Fund’s board is considering changes to how board members make investment referrals to corporation staff.
(My Comment: Alaskans should care a lot about what’s going on with the APFC Board. This was supposed to be a professional, nonpartisan board. It’s not so now.
The Governor appoints all members of this board. The Legislature is prohibited from confirming them, so in the last 6 years, the board has become completely partisan. The board lacks professional financial experts. I have very great concerns that the in-fighting among the partisan members will jeopardize the Fund that provides more than 50% of the state’s revenue.)
The new inflation. Axios
Inflation, at least as officially measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has come down sharply from its peak of 9% in mid-2022. It now stands at 3.4%, broadly in line with where it was for the quarter-century between 1983 and 2008. The headline measure of inflation is based on something pretty arbitrary — where prices were exactly one year ago. The more salient timeframe, especially in an election year, might be what has happened to prices since the pandemic, or since Joe Biden took office. In that time, prices have jumped 19.4%.
Why your grocery bill stings. Axios
The inflation rate for "food at home," basically the stuff you buy at the supermarket, is really low these days, with prices rising just 1.1% over the last year. But since January 2021 prices are up nearly 21%.
Education
Bill to ease teacher shortage awaits Governor's signature in Alaska. Your Alaska Link
Currently, there are caps when it comes to how many years of out-of-state experience will be considered when setting teacher salaries in Alaska.
Visa programs draw foreign teachers to Alaska's rural school districts. KYUK
When special education teacher Dale Ebcas moved from his home in the Philippines to the tiny Alaskan village of Upper Kalskag back in the winter of 2020, the warmest layer he brought with him was a trench coat.
Alaska college scholarships poised to see first boost in years. ADN
House Bill 148 broadly passed the Legislature on the final day of the legislative session. The measure would boost the maximum amount of an Alaska Performance Scholarship from $4,755 to $7,000 per year and expand the program’s eligibility qualifications.
Himschoot's education bill allows out-of-state teachers to bring more years into state retirement system. KCAW
House Bill 230 removes the limit on the number of years of experience teachers moving to the state can bring with them (six for a Bachelor’s Degree, eight for a Master’s Degree), when they enter the state’s Teachers’ Retirement System.
Alaska lawmakers move to double state support for head start early childhood programs. Alaska Beacon
“I’ve been going to Juneau now for 20 years and have never felt such a successful legislative session for early childhood." – Mark Lackey, director of Head Start programs in Wasilla.
Politics
Judicial Council recommends Alaskans keep all judges, including figure behind correspondence ruling. Alaska Beacon
Meeting Wednesday, two of the council’s six members voted against the recommendation for Judge Adolf Zeman, citing Zeman’s recent ruling on the constitutionality of the state’s allotment system for students in correspondence programs. The “no” votes came Kristie Babcock and Denny DeWitt. Both are appointees of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who as a state senator authored the allotment system that Zeman struck down.
(My Comment: Justice is supposed to be “blind”, based on constitutional law, not political winds and whims. The votes of these two political appointees to the Judicial Council disqualifies them from those positions, in my opinion. I voted against confirmation of Babcock (knowing her blind allegiance to a political agenda) but in favor of confirmation of DeWitt.)
Recapping the 33rd Legislature. Alaska Insight
The challenges of funding Alaska government services, education and the Permanent Fund dividend have become more intense as the state’s fiscal situation grows tighter. On this season finale episode of Alaska Insight, Lori Townsend speaks with the Senate President Gary Stevens and the Speaker of the House, Rep. Cathy Tilton, about the work they accomplished, and what was still on the table at the end of the 33rd Legislature.
Ranked-choice voting has challenged the status-quo. Its popularity will be tested in November. AP News
Alaska’s new election system—with open primaries and ranked voting—has been a model for those in other states who are frustrated by political polarization and a sense that voters lack real choice at the ballot box.
(My Comment: I support our Open Primaries/Instant Runoff (RCV) that requires 50%+1 votes for someone to be elected. To continue the great progress made in the 33rd Legislature on energy, education, and balanced budget, we need people who are willing to work together, find agreement on the major items Alaskans care about. Polarized political parties should not be driving the agenda.)
Healthcare
Parents are (still) not OK. Axios
The widening divergence may have to do with the increasing costs of child care. It's a massive expense for parents, close to what people spend on housing, which is the largest single monthly expense most people have. Nearly 3 in 10 parents living with kids under 13 pay for child care; it's nearly 4 in 10 for parents of kids under 6. Those not shelling out for child care are likely losing out on income to do it themselves. Mothers who were surveyed by the Fed "frequently said that they were not working for child care reasons,"
(My Comment: The Legislature passed the Child Care Tax Credit that will help businesses support childcare services for their employees. While the Senate Finance Cochairs Bert Stedman and Lyman Hoffman opposed the tax credits, the rest of us prevailed to pass the tax credits.)
Alaska lawmakers pass child care legislation to buoy sector 'in crisis'. Alaska Beacon
The proposed law expands eligibility for families to get financial assistance for child care, offers tax incentives for companies to invest in child care options and gives the state the option to consider the actual cost of care, rather than the market rate, when setting its rates.
The appendix gets a glow up. Axios
A new analysis from Epic Research indicates the appendix may help individuals fight off a common and potentially deadly gastrointestinal infection.
|
