Alaska House Majority Coalition

It's never good to say you know the law when you don't. New Chief of Staff Tuckerman Babcock got it wrong in stating publicly that it was OK to ask for thousands of resignations, in effect, so he could make sure employees would be "loyal" to the new Governor's "political agenda" (paraphrase quotes). At least morally, and possibly legally, in my view. He was recklessly wrong when he proclaimed that the folks he was targeting - "at will" employees" - had no legal rights. They actually do.

The session for the 31rst Alaska State Legislature will begin on January 15, 2019. This is the time when legislators, both newly elected and re-elected, begin to prioritize their efforts for the coming year. A lot still remains to be seen about the election process, as the outcome of the race in House District 1 in Fairbanks is yet to be determined. This race will determine what the State House, and the Legislature as a whole, will look like. No matter who is in charge, there are a few issues I plan to focus on during my time in Juneau this year. While quick fixes don't exist for the challenges we face, the following will be my priorities to work on this year

This week I had the opportunity to join Alaska’s Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs on a tour of the joint operations at JBER – the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson. Highlights included visiting the barracks of the 22-week Alaska Military Youth Academy, climbing in a helicopter with the National Guard, and watching the Homeland Security and Emergency Management teams in action responding to the 7.0 earthquake.

The snow has finally arrived! Roads are icy, so please remember to drive slow and take a few extra seconds at the stop light for oncoming traffic.