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March 30, 2020

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you're staying safe, healthy, and 6+ feet from anyone you don't live with. We couldn't really do that on the Senate floor, so we finished the essentials and pulled the plug. Saturday night—or rather, around half-past-one Sunday morning—the legislature passed the budget and a bill to help deal with the virus emergency. Now we're in an extended recess, and don't expect to come back 'till fall.

So how did it all end? Read on!

Speaking with Sen. Stedman just before floor session. (We basically spent the whole week on the floor, so I don't have pictures of anything else...)

Telecommuting Time

I’ve heard from a lot of state employees not allowed to work from home during the pandemic. Some people are truly in hands-on essential jobs—from health care workers to first responders. But a lot of people could telework. That includes folks who handle sensitive documents and information. The state has the technology to do it safely. Slowing the spread of this virus is so important, the executive branch needs to make it happen.

Some departments have made great strides. But state employees are being denied in a lot of cases. I wrote to every commissioner this week asking which employees they require to come in, and what it would take to get them working from home. I’ve heard back from three, so there’s definitely work left to do. If you've been denied the option to work from home, please let me know.

Legislature Leaves

The legislature is now in an extended recess. The last six weeks were particularly weird. (See? We're no different than everyone else.) We only used 68 days of the 121-day limit. But we needed to get legislators home to self-quarantine with their families.

The night before last we passed a combined operating and capital budget. It’s got some good pieces. We put in enough to fix some ferries and to run them in the winter, too. We put back the $30 million the governor shorted from K-12 education. That still won't keep up with inflation, but it prevents a brutal cut. We also shrunk the cut to our university by half, to 'only' $12.5 million. We restored the money for public radio & TV (so Gavel to Gavel can survive) and commercial fisheries. That fish money includes Southeast king crab surveys the governor proposed to eliminate, by the way.

The next step is to make sure the governor doesn’t veto it all away again. It's time for Alaskans to weigh in with him.

Pressing a point with Sens. Coghill, Kawasaki, and Giessel during an 'at-ease' on the Senate floor.

Dividend Denouement

The budget pays a $1,000 Permanent Fund Dividend this fall. It was a hard-fought compromise. A lot of folks in the legislature wanted to take a year off on the dividend. Oil prices are in the toilet and the Alaska Permanent Fund just took a shellacking in the markets. If there was ever a time for the state to hang on to cash, this might be it. Uncle Sam has a printing press for money, after all. Auntie State does not. Still, I believe Alaskans—and Alaska's economy—need a reasonable, predictable dividend, so I wasn't in that camp.

Other legislators argued we should send out immediate extra checks on top of a bigger fall PFD. I get it. A lot of Alaskans are struggling right now and it doesn’t look like it'll get better soon. But the federal government will be sending out checks to everyone this spring. And PFDs alone, of any size, won't make a dent in the massive economic impacts of a pandemic. Taking more than a sustainable amount out of the Permanent Fund while it's struggling back to its feet from a knock-down blow is a fiscal mistake Alaska would suffer from for a generation. I wasn't in that camp, either.

The right move was to help Alaskans directly impacted—with more than the two weeks' wages (or less) $1,000 would provide—and not boil our state's nest egg. We need to use state funds in targeted ways to help those who are truly suffering.

In the closing days of session we passed a bill making more people eligible for unemployment insurance—including workers in the 'gig economy.' Working with the federal recovery funds, Alaska will also increase UI benefits, to replace most of wages for folks losing jobs or shifts. The federal government is helping small businesses keep people working, too.

In the closing hours of session we also passed a bill dealing with the pandemic and some of its economic effects. SB 241 puts a pause on foreclosures, evictions, utility shutoffs, or defaulting on state loans if someone can’t pay due to the virus. (To be clear, everyone still has to pay their bills.) Alaskans struggling because of the pandemic won't be out on the street or without heat while state and federal help gets folks back on their feet.

Watching the votes on the board.

Out-of-state Options

Last week I wrote about trying to make sure the state doesn't penalize Alaskans for doing the right thing and sheltering in place. We don’t want the 'usual rules' to push people into traveling and bringing the virus home.

Example one is retirees who get a cost-of-living-allowance. I worked with the Senate Finance Committee to put the Division of Retirement and Benefits on record: if a retiree stays out of state beyond 90 days because of the COVID-19 situation, they'll still be eligible for their COLA. They just need to notify DRB and explain the situation. If this applies to you or someone you know, tell the division here.

Example two is the Permanent Fund Dividend. Letting folks stay out of state longer because of the pandemic and still qualify for a PFD took a special exemption in the law. We put that into SB 241, the bill to help deal with the virus emergency. If that's you, please reach out to the PFD Division at 465-2326.

Inside Baseball

This newsletter is really long. Can I make it up to you with an insider-y story?

I mentioned we're on an extended recess. Normally when the legislature leaves town at the end of the second session it adjourns "sine die." That means 'with no particular date' to come back. This recess isn't technically adjournment, but under the constitution neither the House or Senate can go more than three days without a floor session unless we both vote on it. We did that, but with a twist.

The first version of the resolution didn't say much more than 'go ahead and take more than three days.' I worked with colleagues to put an unusual starting point on that.

Why? Well, from time to time budget negotiations get... testy. Occasionally one side of the legislature tries to shove all its budget items in a single bill, toss it at the other side and adjourn as a 'take it or leave it' move. The constitution renders that a hollow gesture: If the answer is 'leave it,' the folks who adjourned are automatically back by day four and negotiations start again. Only grumpier.

An open-ended resolution this year would've meant only the governor could drag folks back. So we changed the resolution to say it's fine to be gone more than three days, starting after we all send the governor a budget.

Some of the folks in leadership thought the idea was unneeded. They were all getting along well at the time. But they didn't see any harm so we put it in the resolution and passed it. Then, in the final days of session, one negotiator pulled me aside in a stairwell. It seems the talks weren't all wine and roses anymore. Our little caveat about needing a budget deal before leaving was helping keep everyone here in the Capitol, working.

Everyone always gets along well in the legislature. We do. Right up until the moment when we don't. Planning for that moment helps get the work done anyway.

I hope any mandatory closeness in your home goes well!

All my best,

Did someone forward you this newsletter?

Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more?

I may have a little work to catch

up on. My staff is shaming me with the picture of my desk below... But here are some more fun ideas they came up with for any free time you find while social distancing:

Read a book.

Here’s an Alaska themed recommendation list (including an entry from Haines’ Heather Lende!)

Listen to a podcast.

If you’re looking for some good old fashioned escapism, check out this fictional podcast of someone who is extremely socially distanced. (As in: alone on a space ship.) Plus there’s science. And cheese.

Learn a language.

Take advantage of the time to learn a new language, or practice up on one you’ve studied before.

Cook a meal.

This spiced-up mac and cheese is a fun twist on a classic comfort food.

Do a jigsaw puzzle.

Here’s a list of recommended puzzles. We're no experts, but these look… time consuming.

Read another book.

Ok, we did this one twice. But there are always more fun things to read. If you’re looking for a laugh, check out this list of Patrick McManus books. Definitely a favorite.