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 change) for large ships doesn’t truly start until July while smaller ships are expected in late May or early June. Guidelines for charter fishing operators have been established too via state mandate. What’s an update on the ferries? The Kennicott will return to Bellingham no earlier than June 25th. Prince Rupert facility upgrades are halted indefinitely because of our border travel restrictions. Increased ferry service is one of my top priorities, and although the Legislature passed an increased AMHS budget, Governor Dunleavy vetoed a large portion of those funds.
On a bright note, about $5 million in federal emergency relief funds will go to our ferry system. Our fishing industry will also look a little different this year in light of the virus. Within the CARES Act, $100 million in stimulus funding is designated for the Alaska Fisheries Industry. We want to get our fishing industry up and running as safely as possible.
Safety measures and precautions are being worked out through regional groups and state and local governments. State mandates change frequently, and the Governor and Dr. Zink publicly address them every evening at 5pm. I encourage you to follow the media coverage as much as you can, and you can also ask my office if you have any questions.
It is likely the Legislature will reconvene sometime in the next month to address COVID-19 Federal Funding distribution, which will affect many of the topics above. I will keep you updated as I know more. Hopefully we will have another Facebook Live conversation soon. And as always, you can reach me through email at Rep.Dan.Ortiz@AKLeg.gov or call my office at 907-247-4672.
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