Two Chambers, No Waiting

May 15, 2020

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

They're coming back at last! Last week the Legislative Budget & Audit Committee got in a hurry and tripped over the constitution. That drew a citizen lawsuit. So the full legislature will reconvene Monday to appropriate the federal CARES Act money. We'll have just three days to pass a bill before the adjournment deadline, the barest minimum time if everything goes right.

As long as the House and Senate coordinate with one another and each gets a separate 3/4 vote to hold the second and third readings of the bill on the same day (see Art. II, Sec. 14 of the Alaska Constitution) it can work. No pressure.

Listening & Talking

I did a lot of listening the last couple of weeks. (And a fair bit of talking too. Sorry about that.) It was mostly about how to get the federal corona virus aid money out to Alaskans as quickly as possible. LB&A legally sent out about 1/4 of it, including to schools. But getting the legislature together to quickly and legally appropriate the rest is a heck of a lot quicker than waiting to see how the lawsuit plays out.

In case you haven't read the news, a citizen sued to get the legislature to appropriate the money constitutionally. That matches our own legislative attorneys' advice, so it was a pretty predictable lawsuit. My caucus and I were pushing to use the constitutional method for weeks (like on KINY's Action Line May 5 and again on APRN's Alaska Insight May 11,) so I'm glad we're finally getting there.

But no matter how fast we get the CARES money out, it’s not near enough to fill the holes in our economy. I met virtually with U.S. Sen. Sullivan last week to discuss what Alaska needs from Uncle Sam: a comprehensive commitment to testing and protective gear, money that helps local governments replace lost tax revenue, and aid for heavily impacted small businesses—from tourism to fishing families to retail.

The Long View

Getting past the immediate end of session, there's the ticking time bomb of next year's budget. I spoke to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce online 'luncheon' (with some Haines Chamber members tuned in, too!) on Thursday the 7th about our fiscal picture. How's it looking? See the Han Solo image above.

We’ll have our work cut out for us to raise revenue from diverse sources, not just oil and the Permanent Fund. It's time we tie state funding for services to our economy beyond just oil so future legislatures invest in our future for a healthy, growing economy. But that’s not going to fix our problems next year. With oil prices in the toilet and the cash savings accounts all but empty, we’re looking at tough choices to get Alaskans the help they desperately need without robbing all future generations of Alaskans by overdrawing the Permanent Fund when it’s already staggered by drops in the markets.

Historical Happenings

The Gastineau Channel Historical Society’s newsletter is a beautiful thing. The latest edition had a real impact on me: In April of 1918, territorial governor Thomas Riggs got to the capital city just after Juneau faced down outbreaks of German measles and diphtheria. That fall, as World War I raged on, Alaska saw massive outbreaks of the Spanish flu, floods and landslides in Southeast, and the sinking of the Princess Sophia, with a Seward smallpox outbreak on top.

We’ve come through rough times before. We sure don't have it as hard as Gov. Riggs and his contemporaries. There are tough times ahead—for our health and our economy. But nobody pulls together like Alaskans. That's just what we'll do.

I hope you get time outside with people you like (properly distanced) during this lovely spring weather. Enjoy this wonderful place we live in!

All my best,