Email from Alaska Senate Majority Sen. Kawasaki's Juneau Note   July 3, 2025   View as Webpage Big Bad Budget Bill for Alaska Families As President Trump's signature budget passes the House, there are real concerns for the nation and especially our state. The bill represents the largest redistribution of wealth in modern US history giving the wealthiest the largest tax breaks while middle class and lower income citizens receive the brunt of the negative impacts and fewer breaks. The bill is over 1018 pages long and tucked into it there are many areas that will impact Alaskans. Below are some of the lowlights from the legislation: 40,000 Alaskans will lose health insurance and 279,000 or 38% of Alaskans population is at risk of having lowered health coverage. An estimate that 3000 health care jobs will be loss in Alaska because of the ripple of less coverage and closure of health facilities around the state. The federal debt will INCREASE by $3,000,000,000,000 dollars over 10 years. Increases US debt from 100% to 130% of our gross domestic product by 2034. 70,000 Alaskans will lose 25% of their food stamp eligibility unless the state back fill the loss of federal money estimated to be $50 million yearly. The bill has many unintended consequences for Alaskans who rely on mail delivery, airports, roads, the internet and many critical infrastructure items due to the fact that we are so far away from the lower 48. A key thing to understand is that our own state budget is 40% from the federal government and agencies like FEMA, the Alaska State Fire Service, the armed forces and the health and social services are intricately tied to our state. The state, without an income tax or sales tax or revenue from other sources will either have to cut state support for services or try to backfill the most important ones. Enjoy a Picnic in the Park with your State Legislators While I am in Juneau, one of the thoughts that gets me through the long, rainy days is knowing I will eventually make it home for the sunny summer. There is nothing better for me than to go out, get some rays and provide for my constituents a community event where they can eat free food, interact with their local legislator and enjoy the sun themselves. The next two Picnic in the Park Events are scheduled for July 8th at Pioneer Park at the Wilderness Pavilion where I will be joined by Representative Maxine Dibert and July 10th at Nussbaumer Park. Both events will last from 4-6pm. These events are family friendly functions meant to be enjoyed by the whole family. No picnic is complete without food, and this is no exception, so there will be burgers, hotdogs and other snacks available to munch on during the event. Also, there will be a rock painting station for kids and kids at heart to express their creative side while participating in this Fairbanks tradition. Let’s not forget the otter pops for dessert! More importantly, this is an opportunity for you to participate in the democratic process in no pressure environment. There will be more Picnic in the Park events throughout the summer. Information about those events will be posted on Facebook and sent out via this newsletter. So, if you can’t make it to the Picnics on the 8th and 10th of July, you will have more opportunities in the future to attend! Governor Calls Special Session Governor Dunleavy surprised leadership in both the House and Senate by calling the legislature back for a special session on Saturday, August 2nd at 10 a.m. Should it really be called a ‘special session’ since we seem to have them over, and over again during this administration? The proclamation requests the legislature address education reforms and his executive order to create a Department of Agriculture. The two measures were both thoroughly vetted in the last legislative session with my colleagues and I voting to override the governor’s veto on education funding/reforms. In fact, most of the session revolved around education reforms, funding and charter schools and a plan for future investment. The final bill was agreed to by a vote of 48 to 12 with large, bipartisan and bicameral support. The executive order to create an entirely new Department of Agriculture was not completely supported and ended up failing by a vote of 28-32. However, legislators immediately filed legislation to create a new Department and began to have hearings on legislation through the public committee process. I support a Department of Agriculture, was a sponsor of legislation nearly a decade ago, chartered the Legislative Food and Farm Caucus and do work at the federal level on food security, agriculture and industry. The Governor has decided to call us in to a special session which also means that we will take up any veto overrides of legislation, including budget vetoes like education and fire suppression which were priorities for the Senate. The bill relating to tax transparencies and audits will also likely be taken up as the Alaska Constitution requires legislators to take up overrides within the first five days of any session-including the one that will begin in August. Pray for Our Fire Service and Public Safety Currently, there are 11 active fires in the Fairbanks North Star Borough area and during the past week several neighborhoods were issued alerts to either get “READY”, “SET”, or “GO” from their respective areas as fires burned and firefighting teams worked to get them under control. Due to the tireless efforts of our firefighters who have been working since the start of these fires to keep them contained, there has been no loss of life, though there have been several homes destroyed. According to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Situation Dashboard, there are 1,354 personnel staffing 26 fires in Alaska. More personnel are also coming up from the lower 48. Though competition for firefighting resources is fierce considering the lower 48 is also dealing with their own wildfires. There are several factors that have contributed to this unprecedented wildfire emergency aside from climate change in Alaska. Rick Thoman, a climate specialist with the University of Alaska explains that the larger than normal thunderstorms and thunderstrikes this fire season contributed the current situation. Thoman reported that more than 50,000 strikes were reported in a 5-day period, the most Alaska has seen since 2016. These lighting strikes paired with the intense heat, it is the first time in history that the weather service in Alaska has issued a heat advisory, and the dryness of the area has created the perfect incubator for wildfires. Thankfully, the area received some much-needed rain which helped the firefighters in containing the flames. Even though most of the evacuation orders have been vacated, wildfires are still blazing, so it would be wise to continue to keep track of any fires burning near your area. There are tools online to help with this. One being the Wildfire Map published by the Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center which will show you the locations of all current and new fires. Another resource is the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Situation Dashboard which will detail not only new and existing fires but how first responders are being dispatched. Plus, if you are in a potential fire danger zone, keep your phone charged to ensure you receive any evacuation text messages. Let's Be Cautious During Fire Season When you think of the Fourth of July, you think of BBQs, fun in the sun and fireworks. For the people of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, two out of three ain’t bad since this year due to the Borough wide firework ban that was enacted by Mayor Grier Hopkins on June 30th of this year. In a post on the Borough’s website, the Mayor stated that even with the moderate amount of rain the region saw this past week that the fire conditions are too severe to risk starting man made fires. The ban cites FNSB Code 21.16.030 and official started on June 28th of this year and will continue until further notice. While this news may be a bummer for some, it shouldn’t affect the festivities too much seeing as the sun will be setting after midnight on the 4th. In this area, fireworks are more of a New Year’s Eve tradition anyway. American Celebrates a 249'th Birthday this Independence Day! Celebrating the 4th of July is as American as baseball and apple pie and I am excited to participate in the many festivities that will be going on around the Fairbanks/North Pole area this year. Read below to learn about these events! Pioneer Park’s Annual 4th of July Celebration – 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm – Alaskaland is putting on its annual celebration which is featuring face painting, a petting zoo, eating contests, free mini golf and a foam party. I’ll be opening with an address at this event during the Flag Ceremony that starts at 1pm. Alaska Dream Adventures 4th of July BBQ, Epic Games, and Boat Swap – 1pm – July 5th, 9pm – This two-day event being held at the Tanana Lakes Recreation Area is perfect for those who want to celebrate their freedom with water sports. There will be free grilled food while supplies last the chance to participate in Epic Kayak Ultimate Frisbee which is a sport that combines kayaking and ultimate frisbee. This is sure to be a high energy celebration! North Pole Grange 4th of July Celebration – 10:30 am – 5:00 pm – Located at 2800 Grange Road in North Pole, this non-profit organization that advocates for Rural Alaska will be hosting a party for the residents of North Pole! This shindig will include live music, face painting and sack races. There also will be local food and craft vendors. Ester 4th of July Parade – 12:00 pm – Enjoy the annual Republic of Ester Parade this year or participate yourself! No-pre-registration is required to be a part of the parade, so show up in you best 4th of July attire and walk for freedom! After the parade, there will be a potluck and pig roast picnic. For free admission, bring one item to share with the rest of the attendees or a suggested donation of $25 for the family. My Staff and I are Here for You  As always, I will continue to keep you updated on what I’m working on in Juneau throughout the session. If you have any questions about anything going on in the Capitol or at home, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email – as always, my staff and I are working for you. We will assist you with the issues important to you and your family. Working Hard for Fairbanks Families, Senator Scott Kawasaki Alaska State Senator Serving the City of Fairbanks, Ft. Wainwright & Badger Road Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email   As your Senator, I am here to listen and help. Contact me anytime. Senator Lisa Murkowski Fairbanks Office: 250 Cushman St, Suite 2D Fairbanks, AK 99701 (907) 456-0233 or Email Senator Dan Sullivan Fairbanks Office: 101 12th Avenue, # 328 Fairbanks, AK 99701 (907) 456-0261 or Email Congressman Nick Begich Fairbanks Office: 542 4th Avenue #210 Fairbanks, AK 99701 (907) 251-4560 or Email     IN JUNEAU: Phone: (907) 465-3466 FAX: (907) 465-2937 State Capitol Building Juneau, AK 99801 IN FAIRBANKS: Phone: (907) 456-7423 1292 Sadler Way Suite 308 (AlaskaUSA Credit Building) Fairbanks, AK 99701 Toll Free: (866) 465-3466 EMAIL Sen.Scott.Kawasaki@ akleg.gov WEB aksenatedems.com/ sen-kawasaki Here are some ways to let your voice be heard regarding issues important to you. Write a Letter to the Editor: submit up to a 350 word letter to the Fairbanks News Miner via their website: [link removed] Contact the Governor: Governor Dunleavy's Fairbanks office may be reached at (907) 451-2920. You can also visit the state website at gov.alaska.gov   Senator Scott Kawasaki | Alaska State Capitol, Rm. 119 4th Avenue & Main Street | Juneau, AK 99801 US Unsubscribe | Constant Contact Data Notice