February 20, 2017

The Coalition working for you

Rep. Tarr’s Newsletter: 8 Budget Meetings, 1 Budget Survey, and Working Towards a Fiscal Plan

February 20, 2017

I just want to take a moment to review where we’ve been and where we are now regarding the budget and a fiscal plan. The conversation about the budget and how to get our fiscal house in order is not new. I held my first community meeting in the Fall of 2015 because I knew then we needed to take action. I was pleased with the large crowd in attendance because that told me you all cared and knew we had to take action too. We had Bob Loeffler of ISER bring the Budget Balancing Game and we spent time trying to figure out how to balance the budget ourselves. Options ranged from just using the Permanent Fund to statewide taxes like sales and income taxes or more cuts. The game demonstrated the challenge of finding the right solution.

NEWS: Legislation Approved Protecting Reemployment Rights of National Guard Members

February 20, 2017

Juneau – Today, the Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage) that extends a vital employment protection to Alaskans who serve in the National Guard of another state.

Note from Rep. Gara: A Picture Story (OK, Graphs not Pictures): Why We Need to Fix The Budget Now

February 20, 2017

You know I like writing a lot. But a picture tells as much as my amazingly awesome – or perhaps not amazingly awesome – writing.

Rep. Seaton’s Feb. 20th Newsletter

February 20, 2017

Greetings from Juneau this 35th day of session. Last week we held several hearings on the State Revenue Restructuring Act, HB 115. The state’s need for diversified revenue came up repeatedly during questions and modeling of the bill. For the past 30 years, we have relied on a volatile source of revenue, which was oil. Having too heavy a reliance on volatile revenue sources creates uncertainty in budgeting, and that includes relying too heavily on the permanent fund earnings as our only other revenue source.

EVENT: Tuesday’s Press Availability Will Include Reps. Tuck, Gara, Wool, and Ortiz

February 20, 2017

Juneau – The Alaska House Majority Coalition will hold a press availability Tuesday morning to answer questions from reporters covering the 30th Alaska State Legislature. Participants will include Majority Leader Rep. Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage), Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage), Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-Ketchikan), and Rep. Adam Wool (D-Fairbanks).

Contact Info:
Graham Judson Press Secretary
(907) 465-5284
120 4th St, Juneau, AK 99801