Fairbanks: Agriculture, Eavesdropping and Fairbanks Events

February 20, 2025

Dear Neighbors,

We’ve had a lot of visitors coming to the Capitol these past few weeks. A lot of our visitors were from Fairbanks, including members of the FNSB school board, members of UAF’s faculty union and members from the Fairbanks Borough Assembly. Even Fairbanks Mayor David Pruhs stopped by the office to talk to me yesterday! I also really enjoyed my visit with the Asian American Pacific Islanders Coalition of Alaska. It has been fun seeing so many familiar faces!

Just some of the many people I have met with this week!

Department of Agriculture

Last week, Jodie Anderson, the director of the UAF Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension (IANRE) visited us in the Capitol with members of the Alaska Farm Bureau. Director Anderson spoke to the unique challenges surrounding arctic agriculture and highlighted what IANRE does to help Alaska, and the Alaska Farm Bureau members talked about some of their personal farming projects. I learned a lot from their presentations, including the fun fact that cows eat kale.

The purpose of their visit was to speak in favor of Governor Dunleavy’s Executive Order (EO 136) to create a Department of Agriculture for the state of Alaska. As a founding member of the Food and Farm Caucus, I am in support of this plan, but I think that we need to very carefully figure out how to fund it. We did disavow the bill in the Resources Committee, but only so that it will now go to the Finance Committee, where legislators can discuss where the funding for a Department of Agriculture could come from, because, of course, our priority for our funds is education.

The different areas a Department of Agriculture can influence

Update on House Bill 69

The votes that passed HB 69 to the Finance Committee

Speaking of education, I have good news about HB 69, the bill to increase the amount of money that we spend on every student in Alaska (the BSA.) Yesterday, the bill passed the Education Committee and moved to the Finance Committee, where it passed today! The bill is now awaiting transmittal to House Rules.

Eavesdropping Bill

Governor Dunleavy has proposed a bill, SB 85, that would require the consent of all parties involved order to legally record a conversation. Right now, we have one-party consent, which means that you can legally record any conversation that you are a part of without asking permission.

I have deep concerns about the significant change in policy and law as proposed by the Governor. My initial reading of the bill is that it would pose serious risks to the people of Alaska, whistleblowers, those who are victims of crime or those in workplace disputes and civil disagreements. On the other side, it seems to protect those who are committing crimes, stalkers, scammers, those who wish to avoid accountability for their actions and those engaged in corruption an easier way to avoid prosecution.

The bill would also exclude law enforcement and government from the same policy of one-way recording which strikes me as contrary to the way a civil government operates as a republic. The people should continue to have the power to expose governments when there is a breach of the law, and this could undermine the basic tenet of transparency and accountability in government.

The SB85 will continue to be heard in future committees, and I will take a very cautious approach to amending or even passing this bill through the process.

Upcoming Legislation

Now that the session is in full swing, bills are hitting the floor. A couple bills that I really like will be heard next week:

Senate Bill 39: SB 39 seeks to protect Alaskans from being taken advantage of by predatory payday lending programs.

Public testimony on this bill will be on Monday (February 24^th) at 1:30 pm.

House Bill 35: HB 35 would allow prisoners to use electronic devices such as tablets.

Public testimony on this bill will be on Tuesday at 9 am.

A prisoner in another state using a tablet

Events

As always, there are some great events coming up in Fairbanks in the next few days!

Black Business Expo: Saturday February 22, 11am – 4pm at the JP Jones Community Center

Celebrate Black history month by checking out the local Black-owned businesses that you can support here in Fairbanks! This is a free event for the community to celebrate and support Black business owners and learn about some great businesses that we have here in Fairbanks.

For more information go to: https://allevents.in/fairbanks/2025-fairbanks-black-business-expo/200027790996331

Alaska ComicCon 2025: Saturday 11 - 6 and Sunday 10 – 4 at the Carlson Center

This event will include presentations, events, and even a costume contest – what fun!

For more information and to buy tickets go to: https://www.alaskacomicon.com/

Town Hall and Constituent Meeting Next Weekend:

I will be in town next weekend and will be having three events!

Town Hall: Saturday March 1st, 11:30 am -- 1:30 pm at Pioneer Park Centennial Hall.

Come meet Representative Stapp and me to discuss what's going on in the Legislature. Snacks will be provided!

Constituent Coffee Meeting: Sunday March 2nd, 9 - 11 am at the Alaska Coffee Roasting Company.

Come join me for coffee and talk about your questions and concerns!

Constituent Meet and Greet: Sunday March 2nd, 12:30 - 2 at the Badger Plaza House of Fire

Come have pizza and chat with me!

The star studded guests of the 5th annual Fairbanks ComiCon!

My Staff and I are Here for You

I will continue to keep you updated both on cool events that are going on around Fairbanks, as well as what I’m working on in Juneau throughout the session. If you have any questions about anything going on in the Capitol or at home, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email – as always, my staff and I are working for you. We will assist you with the issues important to you and your family.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,