More Than a Little Impatient More Than a Little Impatient November 9, 2020 Dear Friends and Neighbors, The forecasters have been a little busy with election results, but winter is clearly upon us. The presidential election result now seems pretty clear. We'll get a better view of the state tallies Tuesday evening. And the weather? Well, we'll take what comes from the sky as it comes. Thank You Thanks to everyone who got out and voted! I'm awfully impatient to see the results, but the most important thing is to get every ballot counted. The Division of Elections expects to count absentees and the last batch of in-person early votes on Tuesday. While we wait, at least we have results from the children at the Skagway Public Library—they chose Hermione Granger for President. Ms. Granger took a decisive lead over her two closest competitors: Greg Heffley and Pinkalicious Pinkerton. It's never too early to build good voting habits! It is, I'm afraid, still too early to know who all my colleagues will be in next year's legislature. I expect there will be some changes in the lead when the rest of the votes are counted. The absentee ballots in most districts will likely come in a little left of the Election Day ballots, but there’s no way to know how that will affect the results in a lot of really close races. The next few weeks will have a pretty big impact on where Alaska goes from here. A Kodiak brown bear demonstrates proper mask wearing at ADF&G. (That piece of fabric is easily 10" across.) Rash Move It goes without saying that COVID 19 is an ongoing issue in Alaska. Our state's disaster emergency declaration will expire Sunday, November 15. That will make managing the pandemic a lot harder. A little refresher: Governor Dunleavy declared the emergency in March because COVID was about to hit the state. In May, the legislature extended the declaration to November 15 because the virus was here. There were so many unknowns in May we ended up giving the governor more powers than he needed to control the pandemic. But we absolutely need to get some version of the declaration extended. A formal state of “disaster emergency” gives state government the tools to keep Alaskans safe: flexibility for telehealth, special accommodations to care for seniors, travel and testing rules to help slow the spread... Without them more Alaskans would be exposed, and our hospitals are already getting awfully crowded. Friday afternoon, the governor decided to declare a new disaster emergency when the old one expires. But there’s a wrinkle. It's illegal for the governor to issue a second declaration about the same condition. He's claiming the first emergency was a potential pandemic and this one is the actual pandemic. That's legally... ridiculous. The legislature explicitly mentioned the arrival of the virus in our state when we extended the first declaration. The legislature doesn't currently have the votes to call ourselves into special session (that takes 40 legislators, a very high bar,) the governor can call a session to do this right. If the governor did that, there'd be no legal risk to doctors and hospitals when a judge throws out an illegal second declaration of emergency. There'd be no financial risk to the state. We wouldn't have to spend money in court. And it would respect the separation of powers. Call me crazy, but the constitutional way makes a lot more sense than getting impatient and making a power grab. All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE Events & More Around District Q Juneau Coach Training for Native Youth Olympics Help mentor and teach our youth athletes! No experience needed. On Nov. 7, come learn from the best: Kyle Worl! Power & Privilege Symposium Difficult, honest, and thoughtful conversations about our complex society – learn more about this UAS event on Nov. 10 and 11. Senate District Q Tele-Town Hall We’ve got some great events – but you DEFINITELY don’t want to miss out on this one! I’m holding a town hall with Reps. Sara Hannan and Andi Story on Nov. 16. Haines Doll Fair 43ish! From kid’s crafts to historic photos – there’s something for everyone at the Sheldon Museum’s 43ish Doll Fair from Nov. 9-13!” Skagway Kanopy Movie Club Presents Hearts Beat Loud Movie & Discussion The Kanopy Movie Club is at it again and our “Hearts Beat Loud” for this indie film! Join the discussion on Nov. 25. Klukwan Economic Stability Assistance Starting today, enrolled members of Chilkat Indian Village can apply for some economic assistance here. Gustavus Halibut and Canned Salmon Food Distribution The people make communities great – and this is a great outreach to those in need in Gustavus! The distribution is going on tomorrow (Nov. 7) at noon. Haines & Skagway Social Security: Your Questions Answered The final part of the Haines/Skagway financial education series is all about social security! Tune in on Nov. 19. Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call or email! Snail Mail? Alaska State Capitol Room 419 Juneau, AK 99801 Call: 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 our service provider Sent by [email protected]