April 14, 2023

Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Fellow Fairbanksans,

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of The Carrick Capitol Connection! Spring seems to be doing something a bit slower than springing into action to reach Fairbanks and the state as a whole… I’ll take nominations for the best verb- spring is crawling? Spring is shuffling? Whatever the case, I hope you take advantage of our longer hours of daylight, spring skiing, or whatever else you love to do this time of year. In this edition, I want to make you aware of upcoming Carrick Community Coffee Hours next week, as well as let you know where things are at in Juneau and let you know about a couple of great Fairbanks events happening this weekend.

Carrick Community Coffee Hours

My inaugural Carrick Community Coffee Hours were a great success back in February. I am excited to be hosting two more at the end of next week. Due to the fast-paced nature of the legislative session, these will likely be my last Carrick Community Coffees for the remainder of the legislative session…but stay tuned! When I am finally home for the summer, I look forward to hosting more community events like these. Please mark your calendar and join me for one of the following times if you can:

Thursday, April 20 from 5:00pm-7:00pm: Alaska Coffee Roasting Company

Friday, April 21 from 8:00am – 11:00am: Lulu’s Bread and Bagels

I would love to catch up with you and hope you will drop in if you can make it! If you are unable to join these meetings, remember that you can reach out to my office anytime and we can schedule time to meet up or talk on the phone about any issues that are important to you. I really appreciate everyone who is able to drop by and say hello!

Rep Carrick chairing an Interior Delegation Meeting with TCC Emerging Leaders

Representative Carrick chairing an Interior Delegation Meeting earlier this week. It was a special meeting with an audience full of Emerging Leaders from in Juneau with Tanana Chiefs Conference to see the operation of their government first hand

Operating Budget Update

After a chaotic budget week last week, the House has finished considering amendments and will likely pass over the operating budget to the Senate for further consideration soon. In last week’s Carrick Capitol Connection, I discussed in detail some of the issues I have with this budget. To briefly recap, some of the major issues I am keeping an eye on include the following: relying on our quickly depleting savings accounts to balance the budget, providing for an unsustainable PFD and jeopardizing our long-term ability to balance our budget, and falling short on the critical investments we need to be making, including adequately funding the University of Alaska, investing in childcare to address workforce shortages, and providing for human services that are desperately needed.

Despite a great deal of frustration over the funding source change last week, I am pleased that this budget provides a critically important amendment for a one-time Base Student Allocation increase of $680 to help our schools over the course of the coming fiscal year. Yet, this is not a full solution to this problem. Advocates for a thriving education system in the House will need to continue working to achieve a long-term solution combatting years of underfunding, with a larger BSA increase that is periodically adjusted to inflation as the top priority.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention a worthwhile investment that was added to the budget of $1.9 million to the Clean Air Protection Fund to address new EPA PM2.5 air quality regulations. Our Interior Delegation has made a strong case against these new regulations, preferring community-level solutions to the problem. These funds will allow our Air Quality Division and local leaders to continue working together to help clean up our air in a way that is sensible and practical.

As the budget nears completion in the House, I am looking forward to working with the Senate, including our Senator Click Bishop and the members of the Senate Finance Committee to try and ensure a sustainable budget that provides for a dividend as well as meeting the needs of all Alaskans.

House Freshman Caucus Stays Strong

In other news, the House Freshman caucus, composed of many members who were elected to office for the first time last November and are serving in their first term, has continued to have regular meetings and to work together on issues that we all care about. I am pleased to serve with such motivated, kind, and talented people from all political backgrounds and partisan affiliations.

Representative Carrick and the Freshman Caucus

Having a large freshman class that enjoys each other’s company is productive and refreshing. Being able to network with other Representatives from diverse regions across the State is also a great way to gain a more complete perspective on important issues. I truly believe that each of us was elected and came to Juneau to represent all our constituents, not just those that voted for us. By working together and building strong working relationships, we can bring a more well-rounded perspective to our decision-making. Stay tuned as we continue to work together!

Gaining Experience in Energy

This session, I have had the opportunity to serve on the House Energy committee, which has been an incredible experience so far. I am grateful to be learning from many experts in a variety of energy sectors across the state - from coal to natural gas to renewable energy sources, and to emerging technologies and opportunities to diversify how much of our overall power comes from traditional as well as new sources of energy. We have also had opportunities to consider legislation that will help advance renewable energy production and transmission in Alaska. Here are two bills I am happy to be supporting:

House Bill 154: The Governor introduced this bill to create Alaska’s Energy Independence Fund, or essentially a “Green Bank” of federal and private capital to provide more opportunities for Alaskan homes and businesses to be more energy independent. The State will work with the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation to manage innovative programs that address energy challenges for homeowners and communities. AHFC has the organizational structure and technology expertise to make Alaska more competitive and diverse in the renewable energy market.

House Bill 62: This bill has made a lot of progress in the House, having gone through the Energy and Finance Committees and now sits with the Rules Committee. This bill will reauthorize the Renewable Energy Grant Fund for another ten years. The fund provides support to municipalities and tribes for weatherization and renewable energy solutions. This reauthorization allows the fund to continue to provide essential program grants. This is exciting considering the projects planned for improved transmission and expanded infrastructure along the railbelt corridor. I hope to see this bill pass quickly.

Representative Carrick meeting with Alex McDonnell, a constituent who was in the Capitol to present to the House Energy Committee yesterday about his company Alaska Renewables and renewable energy in Alaska

Polaris Building Demolition

For just about as long as anyone in Fairbanks can remember, the Polaris Building has been a notable landmark, or possibly an eyesore depending on when you came to Fairbanks! The Polaris Hotel was built in 1952 with an annex constructed in 1973 in downtown Fairbanks. It was originally designed as an apartment building and was later turned into a hotel, which it remained until it closed in 2002 after its basement was flooded. After that the City of Fairbanks took ownership with the intent to demolish the building. Yet, that demolition was always a project on the horizon, until now.

On Wednesday, April 12a ceremony commemorating the beginning of the Polaris building demolition took place. Thank you to all who worked to get us to this point, especially Senator Lisa Murkowski for securing most of the necessary funding last year. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature and with Mayor Dave Pruhs to help ensure that the demolition project gets across the finish line.

Medicaid Eligibility Redetermination

United Way’s Alaska 211 Healthcare Navigator hotline is helping Alaskans deal with the impending or recent loss of Medicaid coverage now that federal COVID relief dollars have been spent. Healthcare Navigators are trained and knowledgeable about the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace and can help Alaskans no matter where they live in the state. Healthcare Navigators provide free, unbiased help to explore affordable coverage options and any tax credits or cost savings a constituent may qualify for. Healthcare Navigators can help anyone complete eligibility and enrollment forms. If you need their assistance, just call 211.

Fairbanks Outdoor Show

The Fairbanks Outdoor Show takes place April 21-23 at the Carlson Center. For all lovers of the great outdoors, this is an opportunity to explore outside activities, ATVs, camping gear, travel ideas, health and fitness, local food vendors, non-profits, car care, home improvements, shopping, and more. The Interior Alaska Gun Show runs alongside the event and admission gets you into both events. Admission is $5 for adults, and kids 12 and under are free. Sunday is free for Military with ID or anyone who brings 2 cans of food for the Food Bank. Hours are Friday from 2pm-7pm, Saturday from 10am-6pm, and Sunday from 11am-5pm.

Free Community Health Clinic

The Mountain View Lions Club and Remote Area Medical (RAM) will be offering a pop-up clinic at Ryan Middle School from April 22 at 6am until April 23 at 2pm. This two-day event will provide hundreds of Alaskans with free, proactive health care services (dental, vision, mental, medical). Patient parking is offered at the Ryan Middle School parking lot, where people can start lining up in the parking spots on Friday evening. View the event for more details.

My Staff and I Are Here for You!

Please feel free to reach out to me and my office regarding any topics of interest or concern. We are always happy to help, and we are here for you!