Election Information, Disaster Declaration, AHFC Rent Relief Update May the 4th, 2021 Senator Bill Wielechowski State Capitol, Rm 9 Juneau, AK 99801 800-550-2435 907-465-2435 [email protected] 1500 W Benson #315 Anchorage, AK 99503 907-269-0120 Contact My Staff Sonja Kawasaki Chief of Staff Office: 907-465-2435 [email protected] Nate Graham Legislative Aide Office: 907-269-0120 [email protected] Leighan Gonzales Legislative Aide Office: 907-269-0120 [email protected] Contact the Governor Governor Dunleavy's Anchorage office may be reached at 269-7450, or e-mail him at [email protected] Visit the state website www.alaska.gov ________________ Dear Friends & Neighbors, I wanted to give you a quick update on what’s happening in Juneau and to encourage everyone to vote in the Anchorage Mayoral runoff election! Anchorage Mayoral Runoff Election is May 11! Have you returned your ballot yet? There are numerous ways to vote for Mayor by the May 11, 2021 deadline. East Anchorage Secure Drop Box locations: Anchorage School District Education Center – 5530 East Northern Lights Boulevard Bartlett High School – 1101 Golden Bear Dr. Begich Middle School – 7440 Creekside Center Drive City Hall – 632 West 6th Avenue, Parking Lot Clark Middle School – 150 Bragaw Street UAA Alaska Airlines Center – 3550 Providence Drive The Anchorage Vote Centers are open tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5. You can also vote in person at the following locations: City Hall 632 West 6th Avenue, Room #155 Weekdays, May 5 – 10, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, May 9, noon – 5 p.m. Election Day, May 11, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. All Municipal ballots will be available at this location. Loussac Library 3600 Denali Street, First Floor, Assembly Chambers Extra Hours: Mon., May 3 - Tues., May 4 - 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Weekdays, May 5 – 10, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, May 9, noon – 5 p.m. Election Day, May 11, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. All Municipal ballots will be available at this location. Additional information can be found here. House Bill 76: Extending Covid-19 Disaster Declaration Last Wednesday the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 76 to extend the state’s Disaster Declaration to enable certain continued protections for Alaskans and Alaska businesses while effects of the COVID-19 pandemic linger on. HB 76 will ensure Alaska can access several forms of federal emergency aid, including $8 million in monthly federal food assistance (SNAP Emergency Allotments) and reimbursements for FEMA costs. HB 76 also allows testing and vaccination sites to remain legally operational. However, HB 76 gave the Governor power to end the Disaster Declaration, and after much time spent by both the House and Senate on this bill, the Governor signed it into law then immediately proclaimed the disaster over, ending many other provisions of the bill. The long-term effects of the Governor’s decision remain to be seen. My Amendments to HB 76 I passed two amendments to HB 76 designed to protect Alaskans. One was to ensure that public safety officers and health care personnel are able to get Workers’ Compensation benefits when they get COVID-19 on the job. Unfortunately, when the Governor ended the Disaster Declaration the moment he signed HB 76, he also ended these much-needed protections. The second amendment I passed tightens up State procurement procedures to ensure there is more transparency, save state money, and clamp down on sole-source, no-bid contracts. This amendment was preserved despite the Governor’s action to end the declaration. Two weeks ago, I delivered Certificates of Achievement to schools across the district. These will honor and recognize Elementary students who will be moving to Middle School, Middle School students moving to High School, and Graduating High School Seniors. Alaska Housing Finance Corporation Emergency Rental Relief Program Update  Last week my office contacted the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) for a status update on their Rent Relief program.  We learned that AHFC is working to distribute rent relief to landlords for all applicants who were approved, and that AHFC still has money left for rent relief payments. Alaska was among the first states to set up its Emergency Rental Assistance program. More than 30,100 applications were submitted from Feb. 16-March 5 AHFC has not run out of money for rent relief payments. The Eviction Moratorium still exists until June 30, 2021 for renters who have faced financial hardship due to the pandemic. AHFC has set up an online application portal and payment distribution systems. Over 30,000 applications were received across Alaska. AHFC has partnered with 4 nonprofits and hired 130 people to help process applications. Priority order established by the federal government: Low-income Alaskans & Alaskans who have been unemployed for 90 days or more I attended the PRO Act Rally in Juneau to encourage Alaska's federal delegation to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Please don't hesitate to give my office a call at 907-465-2435 if you have any questions or concerns-- I'm always happy to talk! Warmly, ‌ Alaska Senate Democrats | Capitol Building, 4th Avenue & Main Street, Juneau, AK 99801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]