Representative of Alaska House District 34

Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley, Airport, Auke Bay,
and Out the Road

State of Alaska

Capitol Bldg. Room 432
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 465--3744
(800) 465-2273
 
Rep.Justin.Parish@akleg.gov
 
www.RepJustinParish.com
 
facebook.com/juneaurepparish

Meeting with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs during the Joint Armed Services Committee.

Debate on the House Floor.

Representative Justin Parish’s

Capitol Update

March 24, 2017

Hello friends and neighbors in Juneau and across Alaska! We only have a few weeks left in the ninety day session, we need your help to get over the finish line on time!

Kathy Tran, Rouel Dela Cruz, Caleb Brown and Justin Sleppy - Student Government students from Juneau.

Passage of the Operating Budget – HB57 & HB59

On Monday, the House finally passed the operating budget bills after two weeks of hearing amendments in the House Finance Committee and on the House Floor. The House Majority Coalition voted in favor of the budget, which makes some surgical cuts but preserves education and vital services. We now must ensure we will receive our fair share from the sale of our oil as we explore other ways of addressing the fiscal crisis. The Minority Leader asked to reconsider the vote on the budget and then left town, delaying the process.  The final passage should be Monday.

Opportunities for Testimony

HB111, the oil tax reform bill, will have a public hearing tomorrow, Saturday March 25th in the House Finance Committee.  Please make yourself heard! Testimony will open at 10:00 am. Call the Juneau Legislative Information Office at 465-4648 for more information or to testify over the phone. You can also testify in person at the Capitol. You can find more information on HB111 by clicking this link.

HB52, Pre-elementary school programs/plans, will have public testimony on Monday, March 27th at 8:00 am in the House Education Committee. Testimony instructions are the same as HB111. You can find more information on HB52 by clicking this link.

Alaska Association of Student Governments Presentation

On Tuesday, I gave a presentation to a group of student leaders in town for the statewide Alaska Association of Student Governments spring conference, hosted by Thunder Mountain High School. My presentation was about how an individual can exercise their political power.  “Power, properly understood, is the ability to achieve purpose.”  If you think the government should be operating differently, please get engaged!

• Vote! You can make a difference at the local, state and federal levels.
  Petition!  A list of signatures of people from my district can do a lot to inform my choices.
• Ballot initiative & referendum! Elected officials aren’t the only people who can make and change laws – you can too! You can find more information by clicking this link.
• Participate! Find a local municipal or state task force or board related to something you care about and submit an application to serve on that board.
• Protest! Do you believe unjust action has been taken by your elected officials? Tell them about it! Civil protest is a right of all Americans.
• Run for office or volunteer!  Think things should be done differently?  Make it happen.  The League of Women Voters is an especially great resource!

If there is something you think I should know about, please let me know. I am always happy to make an appointment and hear your concerns.  You can also just stop me in the store.  I am here to represent you, that starts with listening.
 
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 

I met some absolutely wonderful people this week when a group from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention stopped by my office. They told me of the great distress that suicide has caused in their communities. It is no secret that suicide is a major problem in Alaska. The best way to prevent suicide is awareness and open mindedness. If you think someone you know is contemplating suicide, reach out to them, listen, and tell them that it’s okay to seek help. If you or others need help or guidance, please call the national suicide hotline at  1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the crisis text line by texting TALK to 741-741.

Have a great week, and please do not hesitate to contact my office at 465-3744 if you have any questions or would like to meet with me. I would love to hear your ideas on how I can make Juneau a better place to live for all of us.

- Representative Justin Parish