Now that session is over and interim is underway, I will have less pressing legislative news to share with you. You may not hear from me regarding legislative updates for a few months, but I want to impress on you that I am always a phone call or an email away. Feel free to reach out at any time:
This week, Senate Bill 63 was signed into law, which will ban smoking tobacco, marijuana, and electronic cigarettes inside places of employment statewide. The bill mirrors local laws already in place in Anchorage and other cities. About half of Alaskans already live in communities that have chosen to prohibit indoor smoking in public, so this bill would extend to the rest of the state.
In 2017, after hearing about the way that health care costs were bankrupting families, crowding out profits and wage growth in the private sector, and forcing state budgets upward, I introduced legislation to make the price of the most commonly provided health care services available to the public.
During campaign years, ethics rules recommend that legislators take a break from sending out “mass mailings” (both mail and electronic newsletters) within 30 days of a primary or general election. This is to help make sure state resources aren’t used in a way that could be confused with “campaign mailings.”
So, while I am still very much working for the district, this will be my last e-news for a while. That said, please know I’m still here and available, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
Fairbanks – Today, Alaska Governor Bill Walker signed legislation into law updating the penalties for burning offenses on publicly and privately forested land in Alaska. House Bill 355 was sponsored by Representative David Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks) and passed the Alaska Legislature this year with significant bipartisan support.
Working together as a community for wise use of our public safety resources, we can continue to improve public safety and provide safer neighborhoods for Alaska’s families. In this newsletter, we have compiled a number of resources to keep you informed of public safety incidents, aware of ways to report crime, and involved in achieving better safety outcomes in our community.
Please join me tomorrow, Saturday, July 20th from 10-11am at Yes Bistro, located in the district at 3801 DeBarr Road for a morning cup of coffee! I’ll be answering any questions you might have and addressing concerns from neighbors. I’m excited to see you there!
