Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace is open until December 15, 2017. Rates have gone down this year and financial assistance and extra savings are available to many Alaskans who qualify. If you have questions or need assistance with the enrollment process, call 1-844-PLANSAK, or visit www.getcoveredalaska.org.
Why has crime increased in Alaska? Three of the biggest drivers are the opioid epidemic, the ongoing recession and multiple years of cuts to law enforcement (both on the street and in the courtroom). How much is because of each of those, and how much is because of state policy, I just don’t know. As far as I’ve seen, no one can say for sure.
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the signing of the armistice between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918, marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation to change the name to Veterans Day to honor those who served in all American wars.
Greetings from Juneau on this the 14th day of the 4th special session. The House Finance committee spent last week listening to testimony on SB 54, – Crime and Sentencing. The committee listened to invited testimony from multiple departments and state agencies, as well as 10 hours of public testimony. We have been debating this bill on the floor all weekend, and the debate continues today with multiple amendments being offered.
We have all been affected by the recent uptick in crime. I’ve had multiple vehicle break-ins and earlier this month, my son’s truck was stolen and totaled. In addition to what I saw in my police officer ride along, my family and I have also personally witnessed several crimes being committed, including…
Juneau – Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) issued the following statement in response to today’s release of a Public Safety Action Plan for the State of Alaska by Alaska Governor Bill Walker. The plan is intended to address growing concerns about increasing rates of crime in Alaska.
I wanted to let you know about opportunities for the public to testify on SB54 (a bill proposing fixes to crime issues that came with SB91). Public testimony just began and will run until everyone has had a chance to testify (warning: testimony may be limited to 2-3 minutes, so really hit your main points). There is also public testimony tomorrow, Tuesday, October 24th, from 6-9 p.m.
This weekend, I will be returning to Juneau to attend another special session. There we will be considering two bills that the governor has placed before us: SB54, a bill to fix some of the issues found in the major criminal justice reform bill SB91, and a yet-to-be named payroll tax bill.
