August 20, 2019
Senator
Bill Wielechowski
State Capitol, Rm 7 Juneau, AK 99801 800.550.2435 907.465.2435 FAX: 907.465.6615
1500 W Benson #315
Anchorage, AK 99503
907.269.0120
FAX: 907.269.0122
Contact My Staff
Sonja Kawasaki
Chief of Staff
Office: 907-465-6881
Nate Graham
Legislative Aide
Office: 907-269-0120
David Dunsmore
Legislative Aide
Office: 907-269-0120
Contact Alaska's Federal Delegation
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Phone: 907-271-3735
Senator Dan Sullivan
Phone: 907-271-5915
Representative Don Young
Phone: 907-271-5950
Contact the Governor
Governor Dunleavy's Anchorage
office may be reached at
269-7450, or online here
Visit the state website
________________
|
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Governor signed the special session operating budget bill yesterday and students in the Anchorage School District started classes today. As summer comes to an end, please take a moment to read about some important things happening in our community.
Back to School
Anchorage students go back to school today. I am wishing all of the students and teachers a great year. Back to school means there may be a bit more traffic on your morning and afternoon commutes so remember to plan accordingly.
You should be aware of a new Anchorage ordinance that was passed by the Anchorage Assembly that makes it unlawful for a driver of any vehicle to talk on a cell phone while driving in an active school zone or on school grounds. A violation is punishable by a fine up to $500 or a class A misdemeanor if a person's driving causes injury to another person. An active school zone is a school zone with signage between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and where the maximum speed is 25 miles per hour or less on the streets permanently or due to a temporary speed reduction indicated by flashing school zone lights.
|
| |
On August 9th I had the opportunity to read at the annual THREAD book party in the park for the 12th year in a row. This is a great organization doing great things for Alaskan families!
|
Alaska Fire Information
Dry weather and strong winds have sparked several new wildfires in Southcentral Alaska.
For up to date information about the fires, evacuation orders and road closures please visit the Alaska wild-land fires website by CLICKING HERE or call 907-356-5511. To report a fire call 1-800-237-3633 or call 911.
Permanent Fund Dividend
Some say that we must make a choice between a full PFD or funding vital state services like education and public safety. I think that's a false choice. We continue to allow over $1 billion in oil tax credits that are projected to amount to $10.1 billion in the next nine years while Alaska remains the oil companies' most profitable oil and gas jurisdiction in the world. FULL REPORT HERE. Getting a fair share for our oil would allow us to pay a full PFD and fund these important state services. That's why I've sponsored legislation to eliminate unnecessary oil tax credits. We simply cannot afford them.
I continue to support a full statutory PFD and voted eight times this session to fully fund the Dividend. Yesterday the Governor explained to Alaskans that he would not veto the smaller $1,600 PFD but would call the Legislature back into session this fall to address the remainder calculated under the statutory formula. I will continue to fight for the full PFD payout this fall.
HB 2001 Operating Items Funding Bill
As we deal with our fiscal crisis, this year the Legislature cut the overall state budget by about $350 million. We also worked to protect vital state services like public safety, education, and infrastructure. Yesterday Governor Dunleavy signed HB 2001, an operating budget bill passed during the most recent special session, and announced his vetoes.
I've heard from many concerned seniors in our district about this. The Senior Benefits Payment Program provides 13,500 of Alaska's most vulnerable residents--low income senior citizens aged 65 or older--a modest amount of assistance to meet their most basic needs. For example, a senior with $11,700 in annual income may be eligible for a $250/month benefit, and a married couple earning $21,130 annually could be eligible for a $175/month benefit. Governor Dunleavy vetoed all Senior Benefit funds, however these funds were restored by the Legislature, and the Governor has decided not to veto them again.
University
Governor Dunleavy had introduced a reduced University of Alaska budget that cut funding by over $130 million. When the Legislature added funding back, the governor vetoed the Legislature's action by about $135 million. This cut would have been a 41% decrease in state funding. In response to the Governor's veto, the UA Board of Regents was forced to meet to declare financial exigency so the UA system could begin to apply the cuts and drastically shed costs in a shortened time frame. Moody's also significantly downgraded the University's credit rating because of this veto.
During the special session, the Legislature restored a large amount of the funding. More recently the governor walked back the veto amount, agreeing with the Board of Regents to slice the reduction in half to a $70 million cut, spread out over three years to give them time to implement the cuts.
The Governor's reduction is still substantial and it's still unclear what these cuts will mean to our University in the long-run. I do not think it's wise to instill this much uncertainty in our higher education system and cause our students and faculty to worry about their future in our state; doing so will cause our best and brightest to leave Alaska.
On a more positive note, University scholarships that benefit thousands of Alaskans have been restored.
Early Education Programs
In his initial vetoes, Governor Dunleavy eliminated early education programs like Pre-Kindergarten, Head Start, Best Beginnings, and Parents as Teachers. Research shows that early education is one of the best investments we can make--with returns of $8 for every $1 invested. Kids who go to Pre-K are more likely to graduate high school, get a good job, and less likely to rely on social assistance in the future. During the special session the Legislature restored Pre-K and the Governor has decided not to veto this investment.
Governor's Vetoes of HB 2001
As with any legislative appropriation, the Governor gets the chance to veto or reduce amounts the Legislature had assigned for funding important state programs and services. The following are a few of the vetoes just announced:
- $6.1 million for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery Grants
- $2.7 million for Public Broadcasting, including radio and television in Rural Alaska
- $50 million for Medicaid
- $27 million for Medicaid Adult Dental
- $7.5 million for Adult Public Assistance
- $3.0 million for the Village Public Safety Officer Program
- $3.4 million for the Ocean Ranger Program, a voter-implemented initiative which monitors ocean pollution and checks compliance with sanitation, health, and safety practices
- $5.0 million for the Alaska Marine Highway System
- $48.9 million for School Construction Bond Debt Reimbursement
SB 2002 Capital Funding Bill
CBR Vote
In June you may have heard about the failure of the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) vote. The House and Senate each needed a 3/4 vote of the members to access the CBR to pay for some of our budget needs. At that time, 13 of the members of the House Minority Caucus voted against it. Because the vote failed, there was no funding source for many very important items, and certain accounts in our general fund were going to be "swept" into the CBR as directed by the state constitution.
With SB 2002, a capital funding bill the legislature took up during the special session, House members were given a second chance at the 3/4 vote, and this time the funding source for the projects were approved, and we prevented existing special accounts from being emptied into the CBR by providing for the "reverse sweep".
SB 2002 Budget Items
The capital budget we passed invests about $100 million, but leverages those funds to obtain nearly $1 billion in federal matching funds for roads, airport projects, and other infrastructure.
The special accounts like the Higher Education Investment Fund and the Power Cost Equalization Fund were preserved through the "reverse sweep" so that UA scholarships and rural energy financial assistance, as well as items related to this year's enacted crime bill, received funding. Among the items also funded though SB 2002 were: Rental assistance for families who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault; grants to develop senior citizen housing; renovations to the women's mental health unit at the Hiland Mountain correctional facility; and funding for special needs housing. We believe this bill spared 15,000 Alaskan jobs from being lost.
|
| |
Thanks to everyone who volunteered and who came out to the Spirit of Muldoon picnic. It was great to see so many old friends and neighbors! We also celebrated the 80th anniversary of Arnold Muldoon's original homestead in East Anchorage.
|
Governor's Vetoes of SB 2002
Here is a partial list of some of the governor's vetoes in this capital budget:
- $50,000 for Anchorage Community Patrol funding
- $10 million for substance abuse treatment facilities that would have provided 200 new treatment beds
- $2.5 million for earthquake monitoring
- $1.75 million for public safety, health and teacher housing in rural Alaska
- $3.6 million for Alaska Housing homeless assistance
- $200,000 for Clean Water and Safe Sanitary Sewer disposal in rural Alaska
- $500,000 for essential equipment for rural emergency medical services
- $2.5 million for University of Alaska deferred maintenance
Rate Increases at Pioneer Homes
I share many Alaskan families' concerns over new regulations issued this month by the Governor that will considerably increase Pioneer Home rates for Alaska's Elders across the state. According to these regulations, Pioneer Home residents currently charged rates of $2,588 to $6,795 per month will see those costs increase to between $3,623 and $15,000 per month. This means some residents could see cost increases of $98,460 per year or more depending on their individualized services assessment.
The House of Representatives passed Representative Zack Fields' bill HB 96 that would limit Pioneer Home cost increases, and I support this measure and will do what I can to control the cost increases.
|
| |
The first Northeast Community Council meeting at our new location at 9131 Centennial Circle.
|
Community Councils
After taking a break for the summer community councils will resume their monthly meetings. These meetings are a great way to keep up to date on construction projects, development and issues facing our community.
The Northeast Community Council meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7 pm. Location: 9131 Centennial Circle, Anchorage, AK 99504 - multipurpose room downstairs.
The University Area Community Council meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 7 PM Location: University Baptist Church 4313 Wright Street Anchorage, Alaska 99508.
The Russian Jack Community Council meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Location: Wonder Park Elementary School. 5101 E 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99508.
The Passing of Senator Chris Birch
My colleague, Senator Chris Birch, passed away unexpectedly on August 7th. I was shocked and saddened by his untimely passing. Chris served on the Anchorage Assembly from 2005-2014 before becoming a State House Representative in 2016, then joining the Senate this year.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to give me a call!
Warmly,
Bill Wielechowski
Alaska State Senator
Northeast Anchorage and JBER
Office: (907) 269-0120
|
