I'm honored to be back in Juneau working for you. We face many challenges this year, but I am also seeing a lot of exciting opportunities. I look forward to working together with my colleagues on your behalf to continue to move Alaska forward.
As always, I want to hear from you! Please feel free to email me anytime or call my office at 907-465-3879 to share your thoughts, questions, and concerns.
I'm honored to serve you and I hope you have a great week!
Blessings,
Working for you
Session is off to an all-out sprint. Since arriving in Juneau last month, we have had 91 meetings with constituents, members of industries from all over Alaska, and groups advocating for the issues you and our neighbors care about. On top of that, I am excited to share that my first bill of the year passed the Senate! The idea for Senate Bill 143 was brought to us directly by a constituent, but it will directly benefit home and condo owners in 900+ Homeowners Associations across Alaska.
Another highlight of session has been meeting with several Alaska Native Veterans who served our country in the Vietnam War. These Veterans were promised land allotments by the federal government over 50 years ago and it is a disgrace that the promise we made them has gone unfulfilled--despite the best efforts of our federal delegation. I will be working on this issue until it is solved. It is never too late to do the right thing. I wrote an op-ed recently diving into this issue. Read it here!
The office is open to you! Drop us a line if you are interested in meeting in person, virtually or over the phone with our office this session: [email protected] or 907-269-0222.
How We Have Helped
We want to build on the momentum of the past year. Since taking office, we have passed four important pieces of legislation which support small businesses, renewable energy, hunters and our wildlife populations, veterans seeking benefits, military spouses, and paramedics. We have already begun hearing from individuals and groups in our community who are seeing the positive impacts. Several of these issues were brought to us by neighbors and constituents like you! None of it would have been possible without your input support. Thank you.
Bills are just one aspect of serving our community, however. One of my top priorities is to be a resource for those who need help. We have worked with constituents on a broad range of issues. We have helped people:
Navigate the PFD eligibility and appeals process
Apply for and receive professional licenses in a more timely manner
Get connected with municipal, state, and federal resources, small business aid, and at-home assistance
File complaints with state departments and Freedom of Information Requests
Update voter registration
How We Can Help
Serving you is my top priority.
If you want to share your thoughts on an topic or need help with a problem:
Proposed FY23 budget and anticipated revenue (far right) compared with enacted budgets (bar graph) and revenue (line graph) for the previous 11 fiscal years.
Though the State has reduced Unrestricted General Fund (UGF) expenditures by 43% over the last 10 years (largely with Capitol Budget reductions) and increased revenue by setting up a structured draw from the Permanent Fund, we still face a substantial structural deficit.
As required by law, the Governor released his FY23 budget proposal to the public and the Legislature on Dec. 15th, 2021. As the graph above shows, the FY23 budget (as proposed) is larger than last year's budget and leaves a significant deficit. This proposal does not overdraw the Permanent Fund earnings, instead, the deficit would be covered with federal dollars and bonds.
These federal funds and bonds are one-time options to fill our deficit. The legislature will have to look very closely at both how we fund the budget this year and how we fund budgets sustainably into the future.
The Legislature faces dual problems: The state is struggling with the consequence of the pandemic that has caused record unemployment, economic hardship, and now inflation and a long-term budget crisis that has drained the State's budget reserves and forced us to default on some of our liabilities. Regardless of what direction we take, the Legislature faces difficult choices that will have a lasting effect on future generations.
Currently the House of representatives is working on the Governor's proposed budget. Next it will come to the Senate where the Finance Committee will begin their work. Learn more about the budget here.
Coming up!
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I want to know what is important to you. We will be sending out a survey next week to see where you stand on the issues facing Alaska. Be sure to tune in to our newsletter next week so you can offer your perspective!
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Local Contacts
Track bills by texting a bill number to 559-245-2529 or by visiting akleg.gov
