Easter Weekend Let us Break Bread and Discuss The Key Issues.

1 April 2026

Dear Neighbors,

Easter is this coming Sunday and the Legislature has a long-held tradition of taking a brief break to spend time with family. It means that we will have a short week of legislative hearings and I will be back in Fairbanks to host another Town Hall meeting with my colleagues Rep. Ashley Carrick and Rep. Maxine Dibert. While we have this break to meet with the public, there are a lot of things moving very quickly for which we would like to hear public support or public opposition.

Discussions about mail in ballots and voter registration is heating up in D.C., but Alaska has just changed election laws through a major reform bill that was 10 years in the making. AKLNG looks like it may get a new, fresh start with direct cash support from the White House, but there are still many unanswered questions of how much this will cost local taxpayers. Finally, there are several bills on the move that I have worked on behalf of the residents of Fairbanks. Details are in the latest version of the e-newsletter!

Elections Reforms Pass Both Houses

While there is banter in the U.S. Congress about federalizing elections, the laws of the US and Alaska are clear – the State of Alaska runs elections within the state. Over the last decade, I have worked on small and large voting reforms that would make it easier for Alaskans to cast a ballot and also clean up old election laws that make the process complicated.

SB64 passed the House early last week by a vote of 23-16 and then was concurred with in the Senate by a super-majority 16-4 vote. I am proud of the work I did to pass the elections bill thanks to groups like the Alaska Federation of Natives, the League of Women Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union to name a few. The bill would create a system to "cure" ballots that are mailed early but are missing a signature or identifier, codify laws on removing voters who have moved or registered in another state and ensure that mail-in ballots include pre-paid postage envelopes. The bill would also create a cybersecurity plan, establish a faster timeline for votes to be counted, for elections to be certified and build out a ballot tracking system to alert voters on the process of their ballot

Senator Murkowski mentioned the bipartisan nature of which the bill passed as a model of cooperation and I agree! The bipartisan bill on elections reforms will now to go to the Governor for his signature so that the 2026 election can have these higher efficiency standards.

Back Home! Let’s Meet Up!

The long weekend will include many opportunities to meet directly with me at home in Fairbanks! First, I will host ‘Open Office’ Hours at the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office at 1292 Sadler Way on Thursday and Friday during regular office hours.

On Saturday from Noon-2pm, I will be joined by Rep. Maxine Dibert and Rep. Ashley Carrick in a live Town Hall meeting that will be broadcast on both Facebook and Microsoft Teams. Contact my office for details.

Finally, I will host a Coffee with Kawasaki before school starts on Monday, April 6^th from 8:30-10:30 at the Alaska Coffee Roasting Company at 4001 Geist Avenue.

A Long-Awaited Gasline? Hopefully!

One of the central debates in the Legislature in the last two months will center on the building of a large liquified natural gas export facility and a pipeline. I’ve spoken about the topic several times since the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation inception in 2010. In those 16 years, AGDC has made several predictions that the LNG Pipeline was only years away, but those predictions have not yet come to fruition. Now, with the participation of Glenfarne and a federal administration favorable to oil and gas development it appears that there is more momentum than in the past. Though without strings attached.

SB280, which I heard in the Senate Resources Committee, proposes municipal property tax exemptions for the construction of the entire LNG project during a “ramp-up” period. This “ramp-up” period would end either when the pipeline achieves a throughput of 1 million cubic feet of natural gas per day or 10 years after the date of commencement of commercial operation. Whichever happens earlier. The tax break during the “ramp-up” period would exempt Glenfarne from paying an annual tax of 20 mils on the property full and true value that local Fairbanksans know very well. The Governor claims that without these tax breaks, the gasline will not happen. Mayors of the five largest communities impacted by the potential gasline were also on hand and made comments that these exemptions would cost their communities dearly because of the potential of new needs on public roads and municipal services like what happened in the 80’s in Alaska and even the 2010’s in North Dakota.

There is no doubt about it. A gasline would be of great benefit to Alaskans present and future generations-but only if it is done right.

The legislation states that any spur lines would still be subject to municipal taxes, I am disheartened that Glenfarne has not yet announced any plans for a spur line to Fairbanks which is a must-have for me and for the constituents in the interior. I’ll continue to monitor this situation closely.

Wrongful Conviction Compensation Advances

In a significant step toward fairness, Senate Bill 167 a bill dedicated to restoring Permanent Fund Dividends (PFD) to Alaskans who were wrongfully incarcerated, was recently passed out from the Senate Finance Committee and moved out with efficient, bipartisan momentum.

The legislation addresses a specific gap in our state justice system: while incarcerated individuals are ineligible for the PFD, those who are later exonerated often return to society with nothing, having lost years of dividends through no fault of their own.

If the State of Alaska makes a mistake that leads to a wrongful conviction, it has a moral and civic duty to restore the individual to the best of its ability. This is not about compensation for pain and suffering, but rather the restoration of a benefit that belongs to every eligible Alaskan.

Although we cannot give them their time back, this bill would restore the monetary sum of foregone dividends to those who have been wrongfully convicted, helping to assist with a more successful reentry to civilian life.

This is not a new concept. In 2017, a nearly identical measure HB127 passed the House with an overwhelming 38-1 bipartisan vote. The current momentum of SB167 in the Senate suggests a continued recognition that righting a systemic wrong is not a partisan issue.

Break Up Warnings For Fairbanks

April is an amazing time of the year in the interior. Normally from late April–May we have a dramatic transition from winter to spring, featuring massive river ice movement on the Chena River, rapid snowmelt and flooding risks to local roadways which may become hazardous. At night, the roads may still become icy and slick, while the constant freeze and thaw cycle will leave roads damaged and in need of repair.

The Alaska DOT Maintenance and Operation can help with potholes on state-maintained roads, while the City of Fairbanks or your local road commission may address roads near homes. Try to contact the correct office to get pothole fix requests done in a timely manner. You can report a pothole on a state road at dot.potholes@alaska.gov today!

Hearings and Public Testimony

The Legislature publishes the next week hearing schedule on Thursdays and one can find them at the Alaska Legislature website HERE. There are also a couple of hearings that directly impact the interior and Fairbanks that are highlighted below.

Legislative Teleconference Phone Numbers

All other Callers (844) 586 - 9085
From JNU 586- 9085
From ANC 563 - 9085

Notable Public Testimony Opportunities

April 2

HB234 "PERS: EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS" House Community Affairs 8:00 AM

HB133 "PAYMENT OF CONTRACTS" House Finance 9:00 AM

HB57 "EFFECT OF ADOPTION DECREE ON SIBLINGS" House Health 3:15 PM

HB244 "CNA TRAINING" House Health 3:15 PM

HB188 "WELCOMING ALASKA OFFICE" House State Affairs 3:15 PM

My Staff and I are Here for You

As always, I will continue to keep you updated on 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,