This week, the House has been focused on “closing out” the House Finance Budge Subcommittees. For a refresher on the budget process, check out my December 30 newsletter. Now the work done by the subcommittees will come back to the full Finance Committee. You have the opportunity to testify on the budget on Tuesday, March 1. For more information, see article below.
I hear it has been nothing but snow, snow and more snow back home! Students from around the state were here this week to advocate for the University system. I was proud of the students from UAF who I visited with, they were knowledgeable and professional. Go Nanooks!
Thank you to everyone that came out for our District get together. It is good to see so many people involved with their state government. I cannot stress enough the importance of activism, those that give input and are active truly do set the direction of this state government. My number is to the right or respond to this email with even a short message.
Yesterday a constituent called to ask why my most recent newsletter did not mention the oil and gas tax debate, the single most important issue before the legislature. I told him that I actually think about little else and I know that if we don’t get this one right, we might as well forget about the rest of state government because the Alaska we know and love will just dry up and go away.
I am going home this weekend and will be hosting a constituent meeting tomorrow. Do you have kudos? Complaints? Comments? I am happy to hear all of them and carry your message back to Juneau with me!
I’ve been closing out the state operating budget all week. If that sounds like I’ve been performing some vital and important function, I haven’t. I’ve been working on a small part of the long and complicated process that produces a budget every year. Without it, there’d be no public schools for your kids, no police to round up miscreants and no guards to keep them inside.
What: Midsession Update with Senator Johnny Ellis and Representative Berta Gardner
When: Sunday, February 27th; 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Tudor Elementary; 1666 Cache Dr.
The House Fisheries Committee passed a bill last night to protect Alaskans’ access to their favorite fishing spots. Other states have lost public fishing stream access, forcing people to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to fish stretches if prime water.
“The tie that binds more Alaskans than almost any other is that we fish—sometimes really closely together, sometimes in solitude. But we enjoy our fishing in Alaska.”
