Rep. Rebecca Himschoot
Alaska House of Representatives
The Legislature has been extremely busy with budget subcommittee close out the last two weeks, addresses by Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Mary Peltola and long floor sessions, but it looks like we’ll be able to catch our breath a little this week. There may even be time for some pickle ball!
On February 21, Sen. Sullivan addressed the Legislature. During his speech he gave a shout out to the Freshmen Caucus, which I am a member of, for our fresh look at governing. To underline the senator’s comment: it was members of the Freshmen Caucus who pulled together SB 140, the bill increasing the BSA, supporting the Reads Act, and making other changes in education. In addition, in his address, he recognized the resolution we passed last year in opposition to the Wild Fish Conservancy Lawsuit seeking to shut down the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fishery.
On February 26, Rep. Peltola gave her annual address to the Legislature and talked about her efforts to block the Kroger (owns 12 Fred Meyer Stores in Alaska) and Albertson (owns 35 Safeway and Carrs stores in the state) merger. Additionally, she mentioned her support for the landslide prediction funding Sen. Lisa Murkowski is sponsoring, among many other things.
Both the Senator and the Representative talked about federal investments in workforce and broadband, and the effort to close loopholes on the importation of fish from Russian sources.
If you will be in town, please call (907.465.3732) or email (rep.himschoot@akleg.gov) to set up an appointment and/or be introduced on the floor. To learn more about what is going on in Juneau, you, your friends, and neighbors can subscribe to Southeast Swell by emailing rep.himschoot@akleg.gov or by signing up on this website.
Legislative Update
The Legislature plans to meet in Joint Session on March 12, to vote on Gov. Dunleavy’s Executive Orders.
HJR 7:
A Constitutional Amendment
Last week the House debated amendments to House Joint Resolution 7, which would add language to the Constitution that would obligate the state to pay out a dividend in the amount in state law. We will continue to debate the resolution this week. In order for this constitutional amendment to go into effect, it must pass the House and Senate by a two-thirds vote and then be approved by a majority vote of Alaskans in a referendum.
This resolution is one of the measures the bi-partisan Fiscal Policy Working Group identified in their work and report to the 32nd legislature.
Bills that Passed
the House last Week
HB 148, AK Performance Scholarship, Eligibility passed the House this week by a unanimous vote. This bill to improve the Alaska Performance Scholarship is an important step in supporting our students who wish to pursue a higher education. It includes a much earlier notification of award, which is hoped to keep more Alaska students in-state. I am eager for this bill to pass in the Senate.
HB 89, Child Care: Tax Credits/Assistance/Grants, sponsored by Rep. Julie Coulombe, also easily passed the House last week. This bill will strengthen the child care system in Alaska, by making child care subsidies more inclusive, aligning the assistance level with the actual cost of childcare, making child care expenditures eligible for tax credits, increasing the tax credit limit, and providing grants for the highest quality child care facilities and most deserving families. This bill is important at a time when more and more Alaskans cannot find and/or afford child care.
SB 140 Update
As you may have heard, the Governor threatened to veto SB 140, the comprehensive education package the House and Senate recently passed, unless the Legislature passes a bill that includes more of his education priorities (teacher bonuses, additional provisions to support charter schools and a different form of reading assistance). While the House and Senate continue to negotiate with the Governor, it is unclear if there is legislative support to add these provisions.
The Governor has 15 days, from the day the bill passed both bodies, to consider the bill. If the Governor does veto SB 140, the Legislature has five days to meet in joint session to vote to override the veto. To override the veto of a bill it requires two-thirds (40 votes) of the combined membership of the House and Senate to vote in favor of the override. In addition to passing the bill, the legislature must include the funding in the budget for provisions in the bill, and the Governor has an opportunity to veto all or a portion of the funding. It takes three-fourths (45 votes) of the combined House and Senate to override a veto of a budget item.
