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There were multiple positive outcomes for our ferry system this past legislative session, including a bill protecting Alaska Marine Highway System funds, the restart of the Prince Rupert route, and more ferries sailing. House Bill 322, which I had the honor of carrying on the House floor and I am particularly pleased passed, protects multiple important funds: the Higher Education Investment Fund (HEIF), and the AMHS Fund and Vessel Replacement Fund. The HIEF pays for our student state scholarships. The AMHS Fund is where revenue generated from...
The State House finished its work April 9 on the operating budget, which has been passed to the Senate for further work and debate. While there is still work to be done, this year’s budget has the potential for some great investments for the needs of Alaskans. The House passed a Permanent Fund dividend at $1,250 this year and approved an additional energy relief check of $1,300 to help mitigate the costs of record inflation and high fuel costs. While I know some constituents wanted a bigger PFD, this compromise means we can take a sustainable d...
The House Finance Committee has released its proposed state budget, which includes funds for an energy relief check for every eligible Alaskan. The proposal comes from high and continuously rising energy costs, a concern that I have heard from you. Alaskans are paying significantly more at the gas pump and for home utility costs. The state has been in a dire fiscal situation for multiple years, and our restrictive budget has reflected this. However, with the sudden increase in the price of oil, there is a bump to state revenue. The Legislature...
The Legislature’s main duty every year is passage of the state budget. Last week, the House made considerable progress by finishing up budget subcommittee work. Budget subcommittees meet frequently with each department to navigate potential budget changes and create a plan for the upcoming budget. I am chair for three budget subcommittees: The departments of Education, Environmental Conservation and Transportation. So far, our department budgets do not look much different than last year’s budgets. For the Department of Education, we added add...
Earlier this month, the Alaska Legislature gaveled out of its third special session. During the special session, we discussed the recommendations of the Comprehensive Fiscal Plan Working Group, weighed the merits of a COVID-19 bill, and passed an $1,100 dividend. We also considered Senate Bill 3006, a health care bill aimed at providing temporary telehealth and flexible background checks for our hospitals. However, after additional amendments drew concerns from health care providers, the bill did not pass. As our communities fight against this...
This August marked the seventh anniversary of the Mount Polley mine disaster. Mount Polley, located in British Columbia, is a large open-pit mine and its tailings dam collapsed, bringing significant negative impacts on the Quesnel Lake and Frasier River ecosystems, as well as local communities and cultures. Since that time, no significant regulatory or legal changes have been made in British Columbia to address the risks of large-scale mines. Although we do not have jurisdiction in B.C., we are...
Last Friday, Governor Dunleavy released his proposed budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year (FY22). The budget, which includes all departments and services but not the PFD, totals $3.81 billion in Unrestricted General Funds. It is slightly less than this past budget (FY21), which was approximately $3.83 billion. The primary difference is that FY21 included one-time COVID-19 funding in the Department of Health and Social Services that is not included in this upcoming year's budget. FY22 also has a smaller Education budget by $26.8 million because...
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the online Southeast Conference Annual Meeting. The organization has a long history of advocating for our region’s people and economy. Did you know that it originally started as a group to promote the creation of a transportation system in Southeast, which went on to become the Alaska Marine Highway System? Of course, since then, it has grown to include all industries pertinent to Southeast, such as mining, timber, tourism, and fishing and m...
Over the past six weeks, I’ve had multiple people reach out to me with issues pertaining to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The most vocalized concern is that the Ketchikan DMV is no longer giving road tests, which means new drivers must travel to other communities to take their road test. Another concern recently brought to my attention is the temporary closure of the Wrangell DMV office. Although some delays and changes are to be expected during the pandemic, the lack of access over t...
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in ways we could not have foreseen. One particularly cumbersome issue is Alaskans’ inability to travel to and through Canada. Most notably, our unique southern southeast town of Hyder - which shares a border with Stewart, British Columbia - is negatively impacted by travel restrictions. Hyder is unique because of its relationship with Stewart; these neighboring communities rely heavily on each other and are economically tied together. In normal circumstances, Hyder residents frequently travel a...
I’ve lived in Ketchikan for almost my entire life and have seen the waves of different industries in Southeast crest and fall. Whether it is commercial fishing, timber, or tourism, our economy relies on working with what is available to us: fish, trees, and beautiful sites. A growing, healthy industry utilizes what we have in abundance: our coastline. The mariculture industry responsibly utilizes what we already have in abundance, and I am pleased to support it as it continues taking root in S...
Beginning on June 1st, small businesses were able to apply for AK CARES Act relief funding, which is Federal funds intended to help support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) and AIDEA have had difficulties getting the money to applicants; of the $290 million in relief funds allocated by the Legislature in May, only a small percentage of those funds have been distributed to local businesses. In...
The implementation of the CARES Act, which are the funds provided by the federal government to states to combat COVID-19, is constantly evolving. Earlier this month, after three Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee meetings and hours of public testimony, the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) decided to make changes to their grant program. Thank you to everyone who gave public testimony input and helped shape these changes. The three main changes are: 1) businesses that received up to $5,000 in...
Happy Fourth of July! This year, we are celebrating 244 years as an independent nation. In 1776, our representatives from all 13 colonies declared our independence from the British monarch. The vote for freedom actually happened on July 2nd, and in the following two days, Congress, led by Thomas Jefferson, focused on writing and finalizing the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was signed on July 4th, now known as our Independence Day. Thus began the ‘Great American Experiment’ to pursue “a more perfect union.” This Independence Day,...
Thank you to everyone who participated in the public testimony meeting last week hosted by the University of Alaska Board of Regents. As many of you are already aware, the University is considering merging the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) into either University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) or University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). This idea comes after many years of financial struggle. If this idea is adopted, it certainly would have a negative long-term impact on our local and Southeast regional economy. The University budget has been cut...
The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated our lives, and it has been the focus of Alaska leaders in an effort to slow the spread. However, I also want to begin focusing on what we will face once the pandemic subsides. Alaska has challenges different and greater than other states, such as the following declines in: the financial markets tied to the Permanent Fund, demand for seafood, the visitor industry, the rural healthcare system, and the oil industry. The Alaska economy cannot be rebuilt unless we...
Earlier this week, the Alaska Legislature met to appropriate COVID-19 relief funds. The State of Alaska received over $1 billion from the Federal Government through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Governor Dunleavy sent multiple revised proposals for how to spend that money within our current budget, and the Legislature approved that spending. Some specific allocations include: $290 million in grants to small businesses, $100 million for fishing industry relief, $45 million for K-12 education (with an additional...
Happy Public Service Appreciation Week! Every year, PSA Week falls on the first full week of May, and its timing is uncanny this year. The past eight weeks have been a whirlwind for our public servants, and I cannot thank them enough. Information and mandates are rapidly changing, but our public servants have worked hard to keep our communities healthy. As Alaska reopens, we will do so as safely as possible, keeping the health and wellbeing of our neighbors, families, and friends as our highest priorities. Last week, Dr. Zink gave an update on...
This past weekend, I hosted a Facebook Live event to catch up with District 36 while still social distancing. I was happy to see a lot of participation; there were great questions and comments! Thank you to everyone who listened in and offered insights. I’d like to reiterate some of the bigger topics we touched during that forty-minute conversation. As the summer season begins, the visitor industry has been on the forefront of people’s minds. Cruise ship stops will be down by over 50%, and most cruise ship schedules (which are subject to cha...
Wow the folks are getting it done! I have been so impressed with the Coronavirus response here in Southern Southeast Alaska. At every level - from each individual to businesses to local governments - we have worked together diligently to flatten the curve, and it is working. I want to give a huge thank you first and foremost to our medical staff and essential services providers. You are keeping our world turning (even if it is turning a little slower these days). I can’t fully understand the sacrifices you have made for our communities, but I...
House Bill 96, “Pioneers Home and Veterans Home Rates” passed the Legislature and is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature. The goal of the bill is to adjust rates for our Pioneer Homes to reflect the level of service provided while protecting the Pioneer Home residents. The rate increases proposed by Governor Dunleavy last year were painful and ineffective. With HB96, we adjusted rates for inflation that hadn’t been accounted for since 2004. Residents’ rates will go up from 2018, but in most cases decrease significantly from last...
The State of Alaska has been operating at a deficit. This is nothing new and has been the primary challenge for the Legislature over the past five years. However, this year, some new wrenches were thrown into the equation: decreasing oil prices and the stock market. Unfortunately, the State of Alaska revenue comes almost solely from those two sources. For decades, oil covered over 80% of our budget until oil prices and production decreased and we began relying on savings and the Percent of Market Value (POMV) draw. Now, oil accounts for...
Last week, Alaska had its first case of the Coronavirus: a cargo pilot traveling through Anchorage. With the amount of travel that Alaskans have done over the last month, it is likely that there are more untested and unverified cases already here. There is certainly no need to panic, but let’s err on the side of caution. One thing you can do is stay informed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a website updated multiple times per day. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has a webpage dedicated to the virus in A...
Earlier this week, the Alaska House of Representative passed the operating budget. It took the House 43 days of session to pass the budget, which is the fastest we have passed one since 1993. I am proud with how quickly, efficiently, and cooperatively we worked to get it done. The budget is $4.45 billion in Unrestricted General Funds (UGF), which reflects total state spending. It is a relatively flat budget that is similar to last year and within $10 million of the Governor’s proposal. Despite the limited spending, we were also able to add b...
Thank you to everyone who spoke up during public testimony on the budget in House Finance last week. I need to hear from you in order to do my job, and I was incredibly impressed with the straight-forward, intelligent, and passionate comments that the residents of Wrangell provided. There were more people in Wrangell who testified than all other District 36 communities combined! You all have been the most effective political advocates for any community. The top three issues brought to our attent...