Rep. Adam Wool's 
Update from Juneau

Dear Friends and Fellow Fairbanksans, 

I’m back in Juneau for session and although this session has started out in a most unusual way it is good to be here. The House hasn’t organized into a majority/minority structure yet as many of you know, but hopefully it will be happening soon. Once a majority is formed and a speaker is chosen we will all get our committee assignments. The one bill we all work on, and that must be passed by law, is the budget. We aren’t expected to get the new budget from newly elected Gov. Dunleavy until Feb 13th.  He has stated that he wants to cut $1.6B from the previous budget while at the same time increasing funding for the PFD checks, the court system, and for more troopers in the Dept. of Public Safety. To put things in perspective - if the State of Alaska laid off every single state worker we’d still fall well short of a balanced budget. We are all anxiously waiting to see how the new budget will accomplish all this and still maintain the services that most of us have come to expect.

Although the House is “unorganized” we have chosen a temporary speaker and are able to have floor sessions and carry out some basic functions. The temporary Speaker (Pro Tempore) is Rep. Neal Foster from Nome. He is a great choice. Rep. Foster served as one of the co-chairs of Finance and was a member of the House Majority Coalition. I was also a member of the Majority Coalition and I hope to be in the Majority again this session.

I plan on holding some constituent meetings in Fairbanks in the coming months. By then, I will have more news on our organization results and of course the budget too.

My staff this session are two Fairbanks residents, Ashley Strauch and Anne Rittgers. Ashley is returning for her third session in my office, and this is Anne’s first session.

My thoughts on the Governor's appointments

Last Thursday, the Governor’s appointment for the Commissioner-designee of the Department of Administration, Jonathan Quick, resigned after allegations emerged about the accuracy of his resume. I believe this was an appropriate action as Quick misrepresented himself during his confirmation hearings to the Senate. 

Also in the Department of Administration, Art Chance will not be taking the position of senior policy advisor. I agree with my Alaska House Coalition colleagues that this is best for Alaska.

Many of you have reached out to me regarding the appointments of Vivian Stiver to the Marijuana Control Board and Tammy Randolph to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. Like many of you, I have concerns about these appointments. Individuals appointed to these positions make important decisions regarding policy and direction of the various departments and boards. It is vital to ensure that the correct people are selected. I'm looking forward to meeting all the new appointees before their confirmation, and vetting appointees for depth of policy knowledge and vision for their agency.

Wondering how can you stay engaged during session? Here are some tips: 

New this year - watch Gavel Alaska on KUAC TV! KUAC TV will broadcast 360 North year-round on KUAC TV channel 9.9. 360 North offers Alaska public affairs, arts, culture, science, health programming and “Gavel Alaska”. “Gavel Alaska” is the unedited live and tape-delayed coverage of state government activities, including the Alaska Legislature when it is in session. Most committee hearings are broadcast on Gavel Alaska at www.360north.org or through the Live Now tab on the legislature’s home page. House and Senate floor sessions are also available on Gavel Alaska.

Keep Track of Bills – Interested in tracking bills through the legislative process? You can follow along on BASIS: http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Home/BillsandLaws. Just type a bill number (example: HB1) in the search bar at the top of the page, or go to the Sponsor Summary to focus on my bills

Bill Tracking Management Facility (BTMF) – Track the status of bills as they pass through the legislative process. BTMF will display the status of bills you are interested in and can also send you email updates as the bill's status changes. BTMF is a free service and only requires you to set up an account.

SMS Bill Tracking – Text a bill number to 559-245-2529 to enroll in text alerts. You will receive an enrollment confirmation and instructions on how to stop receiving the alerts.

Access Budget Materials – Both the Governor’s Office of Management and Budgetwebsite and the Legislative Finance Division website have helpful tools and presentations relating to the budget.

New this year - Chat with Legislative Information Staff – Monday-Friday between 8:30am and 4pm you will find a new chat interface in the lower right corner of AKLeg.gov. The LIO staff can help answer questions about finding things on the legislature’s website, tracking legislation, and contacting legislators. 

Visit the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office – The Fairbanks LIO is a non-partisan state office that helps inform citizens and facilitate communication between the Legislature and the public. Visit the LIO Monday through Friday, 8am – 5pm, on the third floor of the Alaska USA Financial Center, located at 1292 Sadler Way Ste 308; or give them a call at 907-452-4448.

Facebook- like my page Rep. Adam Wool, Fairbanks District 5 for updates throughout the year.

Contact me with your questions, concerns, and ideas. You can always reach me at rep.adam.wool@akleg.gov, and while we are in Juneau for the session call us at 907-465-4976. If you are in Juneau, come visit us on the 4^th Floor of the State Capitol in Room 412. 

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