How Long is Eternity?
May 1, 2021
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Dear Friends and Neighbors, |
It might have been Dorothy Parker who described eternity as "two people and a whole ham." She hadn't seen the Alaska legislature on the floor.
It's been quite the week for long floor debates. But I shouldn’t complain. There’s Senate long, and then there’s House long. That’s a whole other thing. Read on to see what we've been on (and on, and on...) about.
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Discussing disaster declaration amendments on Wednesday. |
Debatable
The Senate had an all-day floor session Wednesday about the bill extending the disaster declaration. We passed it, and the House agreed. The governor signed the bill and immediately ended the disaster. He left in place a more limited public health emergency, which means we can still do vaccine clinics and get millions of dollars of federal help for hungry Alaskans. But it means the telemedicine rules and fast-track nurse licensing the legislature passed on Wednesday have already ended. And even if India or Brazil evolves new variants, we can't put back mandatory testing at the airports.
So, what were the dozens of amendments on the floor all about? I was really disappointed at a couple that were completely for show. One tried to ban transgender teens from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. The other tried to ban schools from talking about race and racial justice. At all. The good news: as I got ready to argue against them, the sponsors withdrew both before we could debate. The bad news: nobody got to push back on the cockamamie things the amendment sponsors said. By making speeches and withdrawing the proposals, they put teachers and trans Alaskans on notice they were in the crosshairs, but didn't let anyone stand up to reply 'we have your backs.'
There were also amendments that tried to take unrelated stuff out of the bill. The Senate Finance Committee put language in the bill to stop Alaskans' access safe and affordable reproductive healthcare. That's a little ironic in a bill that's otherwise about keeping people healthy to the end of the pandemic. We couldn't get enough votes to pull the unconstitutional anti-abortion language out. If the executive branch tries to follow it, the state is likely to spend several hundred thousand dollars losing in court.
Still, most amendments were on the substance of the bill. Some good ones passed, others didn’t. I put significant work into fixing a limit on civil liability. The intent was to protect responsible Alaska businesses that stayed open during the pandemic. But the way it came to the floor, a business that got a customer sick by being grossly negligent (meaning an "extreme departure" from what reasonable people would do) couldn't be sued. Gross negligence ≠ responsible. I worked hard to find a compromise fix that passed 17-3.
Those and 39 other amendments made for a long debate. Not House long, but...
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Hours and Hours
As I type, the House is debating the budget on the floor. They're on Amendment #2 to Amendment #69. They started last night, and picked up again this morning. (To be fair, having twice as many members means they spend eight times as long on each amendment.)
They’re having substantive debate on a lot of issues. But they have some ‘talking point’ amendments too. One would cut funding for services in half to pay out the statutory PFD. It was withdrawn before the vote, just to make a point. That's not a good practice, even when I appreciate the point.
The House is (so far) voting down amendments that would draw dangerously large amounts from the Permanent Fund. You’ve heard this from me before: if we over-draw, the fund will be anything but permanent.
That's true whether it's half-a-dozen proposals to add Permanent Fund money to dividends, or the one to put $1 billion into the Public Employees Retirement System trust fund. Look, I’ve worked for years to guarantee and strengthen Alaska public employees' pensions. But overdrawing the Permanent Fund will hamstring essential services in the future. Plus, it would set up a false 'PFDs vs. bureaucrats' message that doesn't help public servants in the long run. I have to applaud both Reps. Story & Hannan—tremendous advocates for public employees—for holding the line and casting courageous 'no' votes on that one.
I have no doubt there are many more amendments to come. Once the House (eventually) finishes, we’ll start the long process again in the Senate. At least it won't be House long.
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Presenting SB 65 in Committee with
UA intern CJ Harrell.
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Thanks!
Finally, I want to give huge thanks to CJ Harrell, who interned in my office this session. Originally from Talkeetna, CJ is a UAS student and part of the Ted Stevens Foundation legislative internship program. She staffed my work on the Transportation Committee this session, including diving into AMHS reform issues. She also worked on two complex bills, helping SB 65 make its way to the House and getting SB 115 ready to introduce. Her work this session was invaluable.
CJ is also a delightful person and fun to work with. Outside the office she's a ceramic artist. And her love of gardening is probably the only reason my office plants are still alive. Unfortunately, this was CJ's last week in the office. She's on her way north for the summer. I can’t wait to see what she takes on next!
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Events & Happenings Around District Q |
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New Worlds
Juneau Walking
Which community can walk the most (on average) from May 1 – September 1? Petersburg? Wrangell? Juneau? A friendly challenge is on. This is perfect timing with the weather taking a bright turn, so walk it out!
Listening to your Elders
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Skagway Comedy Night
Haines Trash to Treasure
Skagway Street Scene
Gustavus Wisewomen
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Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call o r email!
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Snail Mail?
Alaska State Capitol
Room 419
Juneau, AK 99801
Call:
800 550 4947
907 465 4947
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Contact My Staff:
Edric Carrillo
907 465 6419
Cathy Schlingheyde
907 465 6827
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