Once More Unto the Breach Once More Unto the Breach May 8, 2021 Dear Friends and Neighbors, Happy Mother's Day! If you don't get to see your Mom this weekend, remember to call. With twelve days left, we're awaiting the operating budget like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. In the next week and a half we'll try to agree on services, federal relief money, and a PFD. It might be a fight. It might be a race. It won't be dull. The Game’s Afloat The budget proposal in the Senate has a giant step forward for ferry funding. I don’t need to tell you it's been a constant struggle. We’ve got extensive maintenance needs and AMHS runs all winter with a single point of failure—where one unexpected breakdown takes communities off the schedule for weeks. This year's budget proposal from the legislature does two good things. First, it ‘forward funds’ AMHS for 18 months. That means the ferries can budget January to December, instead of July to June. No more changing the summer schedule last minute because the budget changed in a June special session. Communities & customers will get months to plan and book instead of weeks. DOT could take time for meaningful public comment on schedules.. Second, the budget give AMHS a $50 million ‘offset.’ That’s funding the boats can run on, saving revenues for the next year. AMHS should have a little bit of buffer to address some of the most urgent needs. It's not perfect. It doesn't add ships or sailings this year. I'll keep working on those for the future. It sounds like the governor supports the plan so far, which would spare us a gnarly fight over vetoes. And there’s more ferry news! The House passed Rep. Stutes’s bill to re-shape the ferry advisory board. With responsibility for short- and long-term planning for AMHS, a say in the statewide transportation funding mix, and a mix of board members appointed by both the governor and the legislature, it might help. (Unless we go to a public corporation, an advisory board can be ignored.) A little oversight and forward thinking can't possibly hurt. I look forward to hearing the bill in the Senate Transportation Committee this coming week. Men of few words are the best men. So I strive for fair-to-middlin.' At least I didn't talk long enough to lose any votes—my bill on abandoned vehicles passed the Senate unanimously Friday. Once More Unto the Committee The Judiciary Committee spent a lot of the last two weeks hearing the governor’s wish list of rewrites to the Alaska Constitution. You probably remember he wants to put the PFD in there. You may not recall he also wants a spending cap so tight we have to cut the budget just about every year forever, and to make it almost impossible for anyone to pass a tax. Ready for a peek? SJR 5 would re-write the spending cap Alaskans adopted in the early 1980s. To be fair, that cap never accomplished much. But that’s kind of the point. After the pipeline boom when our economy crashed hard in the 1980s, the legislature and governor cut the budget. It was hard but it happened. Then again after the state had money and met a lot of pent-up needs in the late 2000’s and early teens, the legislature reduced spending by billions. No constitutional cap needed. SJR 5 would rewrite the constitution so no matter what future Alaskans want, need, or can afford we could only look back at an average of the preceding three years, adjust it for population growth or inflation (not both!) and spend no more. Even if the state was growing like gangbusters and inflation were high (which is exactly what happened during the pipeline boom.) So how to meet Alaskans' needs if it passes? Like squishing a limp balloon, future Alaskans could distort things in weird ways to let off a little pressure. We could borrow every possible nickel, since bonds are exempt. We could create a bunch of new state toll corporations to run the roads, airports, prisons (funded through inmate labor?), &c. because public corporations are exempt. Or we could slide almost all the cost of education and public safety over to local governments to free up room under the state cap. Just... try not to think about the property tax bills. Next up: SJR 6 is the attempt to constitutionalize the PFD. It's not crazy, but the execution is a little strange. The bill sets up a Percent of Market Value approach to the fund, which is good. But it doesn’t limit the draw. Instead, it lets the legislature set the draw percentage by statute. So future legislators could take 7% per year. Or 10%. Regardless of what the fund earns. That’s not safe. It also says there would have to be a portion of the draw for dividends. The governor’s idea locks in whatever split between checks and services is on the books when the voters approve the amendment. He has a bill to go to 50/50. You’d need a vote of the people to change it—up or down. Mind you, his bill wouldn't need a vote, but future ones would. Last but weirdest is SJR 7. It says the Alaska Constitution doesn’t like taxes. I mean, there are more words, but that’s it in a nutshell. With SJR 7, if the legislature creates a tax, not only does it have to get past the governor’s veto pen (and the highest veto override threshold in 50 states) it then has to be approved by the voters in a plebiscite. Our constitutional referendum power already lets voters void laws they don’t like, but this would have to happen every time. Before you assume SJR 7 is a ‘trust the people’ thing, it goes on to say if the people create a tax by initiative, it has to be approved by the legislature. So: we can’t trust legislators to tax, we have to go ask the voters. But we can't trust the voters to tax, they need permission from the legislature. Oddly, none of these hurdles apply to deleting or reducing a tax. The bill somehow manages to be anti-republican (small ‘r’) and antidemocratic at the same time. A rare feat. (It's also so broad it can't be done with a constitutional amendment. It's a revision that has to go to a constitutional convention. But that's another story.) I keep searching for a coherent theory of government that would explain all of these. After all, a constitution is supposed to set up the system well enough to run itself from adoption to the ending of the world. But I'm stuck. These boil down to: Government services bad, taxes bad, government checks good. Oh, and elections should only matter when they go my way. I don’t think that’s a strong foundation for Alaskans to build a healthy, prosperous state. All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE Events & Happenings Around District Q Juneau Heart of Hospice As charities go, it’s hard to do better than Hospice and Home Care of Juneau! May 15th there’s a Virtual 5K with two routes to choose from. You can also plot your own. Lace up those shoes and go the distance for a great cause! New Worlds Wearable Arts 2021 is huge, and it’s here! The theme is "Intergalactic," and it’s so big, with so many parts, it'll encompass most of May – scavenger hunts, online trivia, and of course, the art pieces. Don’t miss out! 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! Festive Finale The Juneau Symphony is ready for its final bow this season – are you?! This virtual concert was filmed at Eaglecrest. It premieres at 3pm, May 16th. It’ll be a crowd pleaser: Irving Berlin, P.D.Q. Bach, Saglietti, and more! Shakespeare Nerds We got a little punchy late Friday night and started putting references to the Bard's great play Henry V in this newsletter. Can you find all six? Skagway Comedy Night It's been a long year. What better way to laugh it off than standup? Special guest Deb Potter opens for Charity Pomeroy! May 8th at the Happy Endings Saloon. Haines Goods It’s that time of the year – don’t let Mother’s Day sneak up on you! The Haines Farmers Market has you covered May 8th with local crafts and treats! Haines Trash to Treasure Reimagined, repurposed and refinished creations from amazing local artists! The May 15th event has food trucks, a dessert auction, & more. Come raise money to improve the Fort Seward sculpture garden! Skagway Street Scene Kick off the summer season May 8th with some Skagway fun, food, and sound! It’s a fundraiser for Aric Baldwin, so come on out and help him beat those medical costs. Klukwan Tribal Elections Elections matter, especially the ones closest to us. If you’re a Klukwan Village resident, mark May 17th on your calendar for Tribal elections! 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, the people who power my work: 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 | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]