As the legislature moves beyond Day 90 of the legislative session, the state’s budget is slowly coming into focus, a disaster declaration extension appears headed towards passage, and vaccination opportunities abound.
JUNEAU – Today, at the direction of Attorney General-Designee Treg Taylor, the State of Alaska improperly and in violation of the Legislature’s appropriation authority filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case arising out of Washington State called Belgau v. Inslee.
ANCHORAGE – The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee (LB&A) voted this afternoon to make it so more Alaskans will have access federal pandemic relief money made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Today’s vote amends the eligibility requirements of the small business relief program originally approved on May 11 through the Revised Program Legislative proposal.
With the primary election behind us, I am happy to be able to share updates with you again (ethics rules limit legislative communications 30 day prior to an election and this is why you haven’t heard from me in a while).
With summer officially here, I hope that everyone is enjoying the longer days and the sunshine while staying safe. Things have quieted down for the moment on the legislative front. I am using the spare time I now find myself with to research various policy issues facing Alaska and help constituents navigate the difficulties of COVID-19 economic relief as best as I can.
As tumultuous times continue, I want to make sure that you remain informed and that your concerns are heard. I have really appreciated the increase in constituent and community member emails in the past week.
Thank you to everyone who joined me and Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson for our first ever virtual constituent meeting earlier this week. It was great to hear your thoughts and to see your faces! This is something we hope to continue to do occasionally as social distancing continues.
The pandemic continues and likely will for quite some time. As we all work to adapt to this new normal, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered by the legislature.
