Over the years Iāve watched the end of session rush of bills from afar on Gavel to Gavel, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for when I came down to Juneau.
Now that we are down to the wire and I am in the thick of it, I can tell you itās even more hectic on this end!
Dear Neighbors,
In the middle of the night, shortly after 2 am in the morning yesterday, the House Resources Committee prematurely rushed out a bill intended to give away a massive share of Alaska’s wealth to the oil industry.
While the end of the 90-day session is in 10 days, I am not sure we will adjourn on time (or we may be back for a special session).
A bright point of my week was learning that my anti-discrimination bill will get a hearing in House State Affairs on Tuesday morning. Read below for more information about the bill and the hearing.
It was terrific to see the huge turnout at Stop the Giveaway rallies against the oil tax bill across the state. I was disappointed that I couldn’t attend the rally in Juneau, but I was on the House Floor defending teachers against a bill that unfairly alters tenure.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. I enjoy hearing from you, so please stop by the office, call, write or email me.
Late Night meeting increased size of giveaway, repeats past mistakes
JUNEAU ā Just after 2:00 a.m. this morning, the House Resources Committee voted to give away more of Alaskaās oil wealth with no guarantee of new production and to make the state rely on oil company statements instead of actual receipts when auditing deductions for tax breaks. The committee also tried to undo hard-won provisions that allow the oil companies that own the Trans Alaska Pipeline (TAPS) to charge the state and other companies for all of their expenses, not just the āreasonableā expenses allowed under current law.
JUNEAU – Today eight Democratic legislators filed legislation to protect the Permanent Fund Dividend by placing the current dividend formula in the Alaska Constitution.Ā With GOP leaders pushing an oil giveaway that is likely to cost Alaskans upwards of $1 billion or more a year, future legislators are likely to start cutting the Dividend to fund state revenue.Ā To protect against attempts to spend the Dividend in tight economic times, former Governor Jay Hammond proposed an initiative in 2002 that would have enshrined the Dividend in the Constitution, but Lt. Governor Loren Leman rejected it as not able to be done by initiative.
With the clock ticking down to the final weeks, the legislature has to decide which bills will pass this session and which will wait until January 2014. With the big issues blocking up House Resources, House Finance, and Senate Finance, small legislation is on hold until the log jam breaks.
I want to say thank you to all the people who have called in to testify, written e-mails, POMs, and made phone calls to me and my colleagues. Your voices really do make a difference in bills and budgets.
Dear Neighbors,
Thank you for staying involved and being the eyes and ears of our neighborhood. We are in the last days of session and it is important that we keep in touch. Time permitting, I will send you updates as bills move through the legislature.
Celebrating Women and Looking Toward the Future
This year we have more women in the Alaska State Legislature than ever before! I appreciate the efforts of all the women who came before me who made that possible. This newsletter is in honor of Women’s History Month, March 2013.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. I enjoy hearing from you, so please stop by the office, call, write or email me.
