Is This A Disaster or What?
Southeast has some of the best COVID vaccination rates in the state. And Alaska's are some of the best in the nation. But new cases are still happening, and people are still dying.
So the state still needs the tools to deal with COVID and its economic fallout. We will for a while. But we don't need ALL the powers the government gets in a full-fledged disaster. We haven't for months now. There’s been a lot of squabbling in the Capitol and the press about whether to extend the disaster declaration or take another approach. I don’t think it much matters what we call it. Let’s just pass a bill that does what Alaskans need.
That means doing the health things: expanded telehealth, vaccine distribution, COVID testing at airports, and accepting the extra federal funding for Medicaid. We need to let hospitals keep screening people before they walk in the building (turns out that's an "alternate care site" under federal rules, and it takes a waiver.)
It also means we give the helping hand: continue Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, take the emergency-based money for food assistance, and get federal economic stimulus money to Alaska businesses and local governments.
The House spent hours on the floor today passing a bill to do those things. It says the word 'disaster.' The Senate Finance Committee will look at it next week, and the bill they move probably won't. As long as it does the things Alaskans need, I don't care. We should have done this in February.
