A Windy Welcome A Windy Welcome January 17, 2020 Dear Friends and Neighbors, Gusts over 100 mph would be national news elsewhere. Here in Southeast Alaska we called them Thursday. But hey - neither rain nor -50 in Tok nor gusts in Lynn Canal can stop the legislature from convening next week! It's great to see all the legislators and staff coming back into the Capitol. It was great to see so many people at Wednesday's town hall! Thanks to Reps. Hannan and Story, who make a great team! Brand New Bunch Dozens of new bills got pre-filed in advance of this session. There are some really great ones in there. For example: Rep. Fields' HB 187 stops the state from sending inmates to outside prisons except in rare, individual cases. That will help stop Outside prison gangs from infiltrating Alaska, reduce recidivism, and keep jobs here. There's also Sen. Stevens' SB 130, which extends our tax credit for value-added processing of salmon and herring, and applies it to pollock and cod too. Adding value to Alaska resources - right here in Alaska - is the way to go. There are also some pre-filed bills that don't head in the best direction for our state. HB 194 would force consolidation down to 18 school districts around Alaska. As a general rule, I think local control best meets the needs of communities. There's also SB 146, which makes selling cigarettes a crime. There's no question about tobacco's costs and health effects. But regulation does a much better job at changing behavior than outright prohibition, which tends to drive things onto the black market. Overall, it's an interesting group of bills. We won't get bored this session. I loved listening to The Dippers rehearse the Alaska Flag Song for the first day of session. Gusty and Gracious If you're in Juneau, I hope you'll join me at Juneau's annual Legislative Welcome Reception. It's this Wednesday (Jan. 22), at Centennial Hall from 5-6:30pm. It's a great opportunity to speak with legislators from around the state. Please welcome them to our capital city! It was great talking with the Juneau Assembly and CBJ staff about the how the city, state, and federal governments can work together better. Ferries and Frustration The Marine Transportation Advisory Board met Wednesday. It was a painful meeting, but at least it was long. DOT gave the board and the public the Northern Economics report on 'reshaping' AMHS about an hour before the meeting. After a quarter of a million dollars and three months of extended deadlines, it's wildly unimpressive. I mean, the deep dive on food sales was neat, but it didn't say anything about replacing aged ships. And while many of the ideas promoted cutting wages, there was no analysis of how much we could cut pay and still have workers qualified to run the boats. (Also, according to the consultants, the mayor of Haines is a man who lives in the interior village of Hughes.) One thing the report did make clear - something many of us already understand - is that we can't just privatize AMHS, short of functionally ending the system. For this we spent $250,000? We have serious work to do on the ferry system. While the report left a lot of important questions unanswered, I do hope it will drive an understanding of the need to invest in this critical piece of transportation infrastructure as we get into next year's budget discussions. Welcome aboard, Calvin! Our Office Finally, I want to welcome the latest member of my staff. Calvin Zuelow was born and raised in Juneau. He's a UAS student interning in my office this session. The poor guy doesn't know what he's signed up for, but he's a fantastic addition to the team. And he's too late to back out now. All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE Events around District Q Haines Alzheimer’s & Dementia Information Session Come join this conversation for people with memory concerns and caregivers at the library on Jan. 30. See more here. Haines Trail From Long Ago Hear from Tim Ackerman and see photos from his experience documenting historic Tlingit trade routes on Jan. 18 at the Sheldon Museum. See more info. Haines Northern Lights Showcase Come for a fun night of music and spoken word hosted by the Haines Arts Council on Jan. 19. Here are details. Skagway Group Cycling Enjoy this fun exercise class at the rec center on Jan. 18. Here's info. Gustavus Fireman’s Ball Come for an evening of dinner and dancing. All proceeds support the Gustavus Helping Hands Hospice Group. It's Jan. 18. Here's more information. Juneau Women’s March Join the annual women’s march tomorrow, Jan. 18. I hope to see you there! Here are details. Juneau Romantic Revolution Revel in the fabulous Juneau symphony on Jan. 25 and 26. See more here. Juneau Project Homeless Connect Join the Juneau Coalition on Housing and Homelessness to take advantage all the services under one roof at the JAHC on Jan. 29. Here are details. Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call or email! Visit Me! Alaska State Capitol Room 419 Juneau, AK 99801 800 550 4947 907 465 4947 Email Me! ‌ ‌ ‌ Contact My Staff: 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 | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected]