Weekend Workings Weekend Workings March 22, 2020 Dear Friends and Neighbors, It's been a rough week – for a lot of us. Tonight we learned of Juneau's first confirmed case of COVID-19. There's community transmission of the virus in Anchorage. And we're facing down some difficult economic times. More on those below. I'll do my best to keep you informed. Please call my office any time at 465-4947. You probably guessed there are no events at the bottom of the newsletter. It still ends with some fun. Read on! I had the privilege of giving the Senate invocation on Tuesday. Peaceful reflection can be nice. Are you out of state? A lot of state programs require a certain number of days in state. Think about the PFD, staying on the Pioneer Home wait list, or retiree cost of living adjustments. I’ve written to the commissioners in charge of these programs asking them to help Alaskans who can’t safely travel home right now. If you’re out of state, you need to send an explanation of your circumstances to each program. For now, they’re evaluating things on a case-by-case basis. For the Pioneer Home wait lists, please contact Heidi Hamilton. For R&B, please contact Jim Puckett. If you know someone who is out of state, please send this information along to them. If you think of other programs I should reach out to, please let me know. With Rep. Andi Story and Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, presenting the money legislators and staff raised for SAIL's Outdoor Recreation & Community Access work. Where's the money? The response to the current public health emergency is evolving fast. Like, almost daily. The governor’s been issuing regular public health mandates and advisories. (Please follow them!) Slowing the virus' spread gives us time to ramp up emergency readiness and ensures we have the hospital beds we need for the few who get really, really sick. We also have to respond to the economic impacts. The budget has a lot of moving pieces right now: the regular operating budget, the capital budget, the supplemental budget, the PFD, and the governor's newest emergency economic proposals. So what's the latest? Early this week, we passed a supplemental budget the includes money for Medicaid and COVID-19 preparedness. It also covers last summer's wildfires and some desperately needed ferry money. But it hit a glitch. Some of the money is funded from the state's last savings account, the Constitutional Budget Reserve. That takes a three-quarter vote in both bodies to use. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, but the House was two votes shy of the 30 they needed. That same vote also dealt (or should have dealt) with the 'reverse sweep' that got weaponized for the first time last year. Stay tuned for how we get that all fixed. We’ve been working all weekend to get the Senate's version of the operating budget finished and back to the House. We'll take up amendments on the Senate floor tomorrow. For a budget that started from last year's brutal cuts, it's not wildly worse. It fixes ferries (both boat repair and getting them back on the runs,) moderates the governor's damage to the university, and restores public broadcasting. It cuts K-12 education though. $30 million below last year. Expect us to work on that – and the PFD – Monday on the floor. So, how to pay for it? With oil prices in the tank and the stock market down the drain, our revenue picture is an 8x10 color glossy photo of a dumpster fire. We may get some help dealing with virus expenses from the federal government. But we can't rely on the feds alone. There isn't much left in the CBR and this is the worst possible time to take extra money out of the Permanent Fund. Drawing more than the long-term sustainable amount when the market is down will torch a lot of the value our grandkids need from the fund. Alaskans deserve a PFD we can count on. Our fiscal pinch means it won't be as much as we want. The rush to end this year's session means the uphill battle to broaden Alaska's revenues is all but lost until next year. Like I said, this is all moving fast. I’ll update you with more soon. Speaking on the floor about a 'fix-it' bill, to save the state money and makes sure T&H can continue doing their great work to help Alaskans in need through Tribal TANF. A little fix? Of course we’ve been prioritizing the budget and emergency preparedness. But while the legislature is in session we’re getting as much as we can done on the rest of our work, too. I carried two bills on the Senate floor Friday and another today. My bill to help private property owners deal with vehicles abandoned on their land passed the Senate unanimously and now gets considered in the House. Rep. Kreiss-Tomkins and I worked on a fix-it bill that lets Tlingit & Haida keep running the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as they have for 20+ years. Auditors noticed conflicting sections in the law that made the Tribe ineligible to save the state money. (And they do!) Jonathan's version of the bill passed the Senate floor Friday and is headed to the governor's desk. And today I carried Rep. Claman's bill to let notaries do their work via the Internet, too. The bill has lots of safeguards in it, and still needs some regulations to take full effect. When it does, real estate transactions and wills and everything else Alaskans need notarized will get easier to do at a distance. And Alaska has a lot of distance! Pop quiz: which department in state government is responsible for overseeing notaries? Click here for the answer. Stay safe, call your loved ones, and – as always –wash your hands. All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE 10 Things To Do While Social Distancing 1) Catch up with friends and family. Stay six feet away physically, but close emotionally. Use those phones to make sure we’re doing okay! 2) Read, watch TV, movies, and more! The Alaska Digital Library has an abundance of riches. 3) Make that recipe you’ve always wanted to try – I'm itching to bake these giant chocolate chip cookies. (And if session ends early, I won't have gained as much weight as expected yet.) 4) Get organized. If you want. I guess. Here's some popular advice I have no interest in following, but whatever cranks your tractor... 5) Learn a new thing. Check out this neat virtual tour from the Smithsonian. 6) Make Art. There's endless fun crafts for kids. But I speak from experience: avoid glitter. It has mysterious (maybe nefarious?) origins. 7) Board games. Great fun with the family/roommates! (At least one local shop will deliver straight to your door in Juneau!) 8) Listen to a podcast. Need a recommendation? I liked this series. 9) Make sure you're counted. The census will be tough with people in self-quarantine. But it's super important! Make sure you fill yours out here! 10) Rest and recuperate – it’s going to be a rough couple of months. Sometimes it'll be scary. Alaskans will get through it together. Keep washing those hands. Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call or email! Visit Me! Alaska State Capitol Room 419 Juneau, AK 99801 800 550 4947 907 465 4947 Email Me! ‌ ‌ ‌ Contact My Staff: Edric Carrillo 907 465 6419 [email protected] Cathy Schlingheyde 907 465 6827 [email protected] Senator Jesse Kiehl | Alaska State Capitol, Rm. 419, 4th Avenue & Main Street, Juneau, AK 99801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected]