Fashionably Late?

February 26, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Sorry about the long hiatus between newsletters! I knew it'd been too long when some of you emailed to make sure you were still on the list.

The 32d Legislature got off to a wild and rocky start, and I'll get these out to you more regularly from here on. Without further ado, let's get to the substance:

Working with Sen. Begich & Sen. Kawasaki

on the Senate floor.

Deep Dives & Distractions

I have three committees this year to keep me hopping: Transportation has its work cut out for it. From AMHS oversight to the governor's bond proposal, we'll look at vital transportation links, many of which need a lot of help. For starters, while our Senate district has about 5% of Alaska's population, the governor proposed putting 0.56% of the bond investments here. That won't fly.

The Resources committee is already diving into bills on hatcheries for shellfish recovery and more value-added fish processing. We've also started drilling into an oil and gas royalty 'relief' proposal.

And on the Judiciary committee... well we've gotten a bit sidetracked with some unusual presentations. But I look forward to getting back to the important work of vetting legislation. There are bills to change how judges get selected, rewrite election law, and several proposed constitutional amendments.

Meeting with members of the Governor's Council on

Disabilities & Special Education.

Together... and Squabbling

We brought all three branches of government together this fall, when the Legislature took the Governor to court. Remember how session (and everything else) got cut short last spring? That meant we didn't vote on the governor’s appointees to all sorts of things. Instead, we passed a special law so they could keep serving longer—basically until we met in special session or the first disaster declaration ended. When the extra time ran out, so did their appointments. But the governor just kept them all on the job, claiming the laws on confirmations (in place since before statehood) were unconstitutional.

We sued. He lost.

Now that a new legislature has started, the governor's picks can all be reappointed. But it’s an important issue. The separation of powers matters a lot, and this particular administration too often ignores it.

Now the governor is appealing the court's ruling. He filed an emergency appeal full of the most over-the-top stuff since the invention of hyperbole. The executive branch will screech to a halt! There's no way to find 90+ new appointees before the end of session! Cats and dogs living together!! (OK, that last part was me.)

Remember, the governor can now legally reappoint all the original people. The court ruling just means he can't violate the constitution again—not what I'd call an "emergency."

Working on Finance Subcommittee on the Department of Administration's budget.

Sailing Safely

I'm working on a bunch of bills—I'll just highlight one before we get to the fun parts at the bottom.

This has been a tough, tough year for countless Alaskans. Right now, parts of a federal law—the Passenger Vessel Services Act—mean Canada's decision to ban large cruise ships until COVID's over mean no cruise season for Alaska. A lot of Alaska families, small businesses, and communities rely on tourism dollars. Many are mortgaged to the hilt after 2020. We won't make it through another no-tourism season without a lot of homes and businesses closed or in foreclosure.

SJR 9 is my resolution asking the federal government to briefly pause those rules while Canada is COVID-closed. The bill keeps safety our first priority, specifically calling out the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's 'conditional sail order.' That's the super comprehensive list of health & safety requirements for the big ships to meet before they can get back to it.

My bill asks Uncle Sam to make it possible, once the ships meet those rigorous standards, for them to sail to Alaska. Congressman Young introduced federal legislation to do just that. SJR 9 moved through the Transportation committee and will be heard in Labor & Commerce this coming week.

All my best,

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

Events & Happenings Around District Q

Juneau Voices Launch – on March 4^th listen and walk through the experiences and stories of these awesome speakers. You can even participate in a fun matching

game CBJ Parks and Rec put together here!

CBJ Libraries and Parks and Rec Story Path: We Are Water Protectors – starting March 5^th–join Caldecott Medal Artist Michaela Goade as part of Read Across America.

Bring your family and take a stroll on the sea walk with the award-winning book.

Haines Alaska Bald Eagle Foundation will be doing a 5-Saturday Nature Series starting March 6^th – get more info here.

Haines Southeast State Fair: Outdoor Movie Series – “Hey you guys!” you won’t want to miss out on the movie classic “The Goonies” check it out March 12^th!

Skagway Public Library’s Winter Reading Challenge – we’re halfway through but its never too late to pick up a good book!

Learn more here.

Skagway Healthy Living – presented by Skagway Public Library with Health Coach Hana Schindler – learn more from a class

full of tips & ideas on how to live healthy in Skagway!