Moving Alaska Forward
The House Rules Committee, of which I am a member, will be hearing House Bill 247, the oil & gas tax credits bill, starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday. Public testimony will be taken this Wednesday, May 11, 2016, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. You can testify via teleconference at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office and you can watch the hearing live on Gavel Alaska. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Last week, I updated you about April being Child Abuse Prevention month. April is also national Sexual Assualt Awareness month. Today, in the House State Affairs Committee, we heard a resolution from Senate President Meyer officially designating April 2016 as Sexual Assualt Awareness month in Alaska. The movement to reduce sexual violence in Alaska has been on-going for a long-time now, and according to testimony I heard today it is showing some success–rates of reported sexual violence fell between 2010 and 2015.
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Today is your opportunity to offer public testimony on the oil and gas tax credit reforms proposed by Governor Walker in House Bill 247. There are a lot of issues with the current tax credits we pay to the oil and gas industry, many of which I touched on in a commentary that Rep. Les Gara and I published in Alaska Dispatch this week: Alaska can’t afford the oil industry’s sweetheart deal.
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I’ve been buried in work. Which, of those things you can be buried by, isn’t all that bad I guess. But it’s kept me from getting you an update (Sen. Ellis and I did provide a legislative update in Fairview last week).
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As often happens this time of year, things are moving very quickly during the last month of this scheduled 90 session. Sometimes I will need to give you short notice about important upcoming opportunities and deadlines, and I appreciate your bearing with me.
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It’s that time of year again! I will be back home in Fairbanks this weekend and I want to see you and hear your ideas about the budget, education, and other important issues facing the Legislature. On Sunday (March 20), I will be holding my second annual Pad Thai and Politics lunch from 1 to 3 PM at Lemongrass Thai Cuisine (388 Old Chena Pump Rd) in Chena Pump Plaza. We had a great time last year, and this year should be even better! I will be providing Thai food, and I hope you will bring your ideas and concerns (and of course your appetite!).
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The Alaska House of Representatives met from 11:00 am last Thursday until just after 3:30 in the morning on Friday to debate amendments to the state operating budget. The House Finance Committee had greatly reduced the budget from the original version proposed by Governor Walker and his Administration.
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I want to send my sincerest apologies for not being there in person for the Neighborhood Meeting Pizza Party last Saturday. Unfortunately, there were mechanical issues that led to delays on Alaska Airlines flights from Juneau to Anchorage.
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