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- A Constituent Quote You Don't Want to Miss Since you folks down there in Juneau are thinking of taking $1200 from
each and every one of us this year (from our PFD checks) to pay for
state government, that means that every $1200 you can cut from the
budget is important. Cut every nickel you can. You're going to put a
bunch of people under the poverty line if you cut our PFDs, so you
better be looking hard and long at the budget.
Hello,FriendsandNeighbors:
Thisisabigweek.ThePermanentFundrestructuringbillisup
foravoteintheSenate.ItdiffersfromtheHousebillinthatit
includesaspendinglimitanddoesnotincludeanincometaxand
capitalgainstax.BecauseIfundamentallybelieveitisthewrongfirst
stepanddon’twanttoprolonganddeepentherecession,I’m
listeningtotheeconomistsandamanovote.
SenateFinanceSubcommiGeeclose-outsarealsooccurringthis
week(I’monfour:TransportaJon,Law,AdministraJon,and
EducaJon).ThefullSenateCommiGeewillthenbegindeliberaJons
onthebudgetbills,reviewingtherecommendaJonsputforwardby
eachofthesubcommiGees.
Somuchisatstake.Ihopeyouandanincreasednumberof
AlaskansaresiPngupandtakingnoJce-andcontacJngtheir
legislators.Mydoorisalwaysopentoyou.Pleaseknowthatifyou
contactme,evenifIdon’trespondrightaway(becauseofthelarge
volumeofcontactsI’mreceiving),I’mworkinghardandtryingmy
besttorevieweverysinglemessage.
Be sure to check out the photos of who came to Juneau you may see someone you know. RemembermyFacebookLive
tonightat7:00p.m.Yourques;onswillbefrontandcenter,so
pleasetunein!
- A Constituent Quote You Don't Want to Miss I'm confused. Didn't the expert economists with ISER at the university
say the worst thing for the economy right now is to cut the PFD? I think
you should make reasonable cuts and then if we have to, put a sales
tax in place. Let the tourists and workers from out of state help pay! A
PFD cut only takes from Alaskans so a sales tax is a much better idea.
On Wednesday I was able to meet with Kelly Larson from the Alaska State
Fair, and Dr. John Yordy, a Mat-Su oncologist, representing the American
Lung Association, Alaska Chapter. They were both in town supporting
smokefree workplace legislation.
- A Constituent Quote You Don't Want to Miss It seems too many legislators have decided it's easier and less painful
to tax us and/or take part of our PFDs than it is to reduce the budget
and downsize government. I hope enough of you realize that just
because something is easy doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
- Hot Topic #1 -
"Sacred Cows"
During these tough fiscal times, we need to look at everything.
There can be no sacred cows. Education and Health/Medicaid
take up a huge portion of our budget as you can see in the
chart above. As we look to scale back, but continue to provide
essential services based on our constitutional obligations, we
have to look closely at even these items. Is there waste,
duplication, fraud, mission creep, or spending on "nice" and
even "helpful" items that aren't essential items? Are we as
efficient as we can be? I believe there are still substantial ways
to save money, without getting rid of our most essential and
important programs.
Committees
Senate Education — Chair
Senate Labor and Commerce
— Vice-Chair
Senate Resources — Member
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Legislative Task Force — CoChair
Joint Armed Services —
Member
Senate Education Committee
never stops. Stay tuned for
what's happening this week.
Stevens/Inouye University
Exchange program bill, State
Council on the Arts bill (to
quasi-privatize and reduce
costs), and confirmation
hearings for the University of
Alaska Board of Regents and
the Professional Teaching
Practices Commission.
Finance Subcommittees
Department of Education and
Early Development
Department of Law
Department of Administration
Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities
Legislation Update
Bills I'm Sponsoring
sClick on bill number for more info. Detailed
descriptions are also available in previous
editions of newsletters which you can find
here.
Buddy Whitt and Sen. Hughes
presented SCR4 "Task Force
on Unmanned Aircraft
Systems". to the Senate State
Affairs Committee last week.
This legislation is up for a vote
on the Senate floor today.
Because there's still work to do
to ensure Alaskans' privacy, it's
important for the task force to
continue. There is a zero fiscal
note - so no compensation or
travel cost reimbursement for
task force members.
SB6 — “Industrial Hemp
Production” — Will be
heard in Senate
Judiciary on Monday, 3/13.
SB16— “Digital Assets
Act”— Will be heard again
soon in Senate Labor &
Commerce Committee.
SB32 — “Interchangeable
Biological Products” — Will
be heard again soon
in Senate Labor &
Commerce Committee.
SB66 — "St. Council on the
Arts" — Will be heard
again in Senate Education
Committee.
SCR4 — "Task Force on
Unmanned Aircraft
Systems" — Will be on the
Senate Floor today, March
13.
For additional information on Senate
Education, contact my excellent
Committee Aide:
[email protected]
For additional information on Senate
Labor and Commerce, contact my
excellent aide who assists me with this
committee: [email protected]
* Stay tuned for *
other important legislation
* I'll be filing soon *
For additional information on Senate
Resources, contact my amazing aide who
assists me with this committee:
[email protected]
Senate Resources held
confirmation hearings on the
governor's appointees to the
Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission, Dan
Seamount and Hollis French.
Another Joint Senate-House
Education Committee
meeting. The two chambers'
meetings are scheduled at the
same time each week (MWF at
8:00 a.m.) so it only makes
sense that we glean information
from the exploratory hearings
together. The added benefit? I
learn a ton from the questions
the House members ask.
For information on bills I'm cosponsoring, click here.
For information on bills filed by
others, click here.
Click here to like and follow the
Alaska Senate Labor &
Commerce Committee
Facebook Page.
- Hot Topic #2 -
KGB Construction Update
One road that has long been the subject for lots of chatter and too
many accidents is Knik-Goose Bay Road. Thankfully there are two
projects for improving the road: ‘Knik Goose Bay Road Centaur
Avenue to Vine Road’ and ‘Knik Goose Bay Road Reconstruction,
Vine to Settler’s Bay (GF)’. Alaska Department of
Transportation assures that these projects are moving along in a
timely fashion. The Vine to Settler's Bay phase is the project that
Governor Walker "paused" at the end of the 2016 legislative
session. However, project funds for the Vine to Settler's Bay are
still in place and I have mentioned to the Governor and DOT that
the project needs to be "released" just as the Governor did a
Fairbanks project a few weeks ago. This should not be an issue of
politics; the health and safety of Alaskans is what should come
first.
Knik Goose Bay Road: Centaur Ave. to Vine Rd. – The project
is to reconstruct KGB Road in Wasilla from Centaur Ave (near the
Palmer-Wasilla Highway intersection) to Vine Road; a total of 6.5
miles. DOT&PF describe the goal of the project is to “improve
mobility for people and freight and to enhance access
management along this segment of the road, thereby improving
safety and reducing congestion for roadway users.” The proposed
project expands the road to a divided four-lane, add a separated
multi-use pathway, and add shoulders. Transition areas would
expand the road in order to match the existing roadway. A Draft
Traffic and Safety Analysis is underway to determine intersection
improvements. At this time, no additional signals are proposed as
part of this project, though intersection studies may deem
additional stoplights are necessary.
The Environmental Assessment and survey are complete. Design
and geotechnical investigations are currently under way. Right of
Way acquisition is anticipated to begin in fall of 2017 and
construction of the first phase is anticipated to begin in 2020.
View maps and read more about this project here.
Knik Goose Bay Road: Vine Road to Settler's Bay – This
project is reconstruction along KGB from Vine to Settler’s Bay and
was paused as per the Governor’s direction. The Department is
looking at options to move the project forward. DOT&PF points out
that this roadway was designated in 2009 due to a fatal accident
rate that was 3.8 times the national average. They state that this
section of roadway has a mix of industrial, commercial, and
residential uses, and since there are undeveloped sections of land
along this road section: future land development in the area will
increase use of the road.
Read more about this project here.
There have been too many accidents along this road and these
projects are much needed and a long time coming. I'm thankful to
be working with great legislative colleagues who are focusing on
this issue that is so important for many of us in the Valley area.
On Tuesday, my legislative aide, Aimee Bushnell, and I were able to watch
Isabella Weiss from Colony High School participate in Poetry Out Loud,
and win FIRST place! She's the 2017 state champion! She recited
"Cartoon Physics, part 1" by Nick Flynn, "Requests for Tot Piano" by Tony
Hoagland, and finally "Hope is the Thing with Feathers - (314)" by Emily
Dickinson. Congrats, Isa! In April, she will be off to Washington D.C. to
compete at the national level! #AlaskaPOL
- Hope is the Thing with Feathers - Emily Dickinson -
“Hope” is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard And sore must be the storm That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land And on the strangest Sea Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
- Let Your Voice Be Heard - Participate in Public Testimony Public testimony is available for every bill heard in a committee.
Follow bills you have interest in on the Alaska State
Legislature Page. To testify, go to your local Legislative
Information Office (LIO) which you can find here. If you are unable
to testify, written testimony can also be submitted by sending an
email to the committee.
Something that might interest you:
Recently, many committees have been holding
hearings for Governor Walker's appointees to
various boards and commissions. If any of them
interest you, I encourage you to testify at your local
LIO.
There are too many board and
commission appointees to name, but if you'd like to
know when a specific confirmation hearing is
scheduled, you can call my office 907-465-3743.
For budget bills, tax bills, and Permanent Fund bills in the Finance
Committtees, please arrive 15 minutes early for sign-in process, and please
arrive 15 minutes prior to the end of the allotted time or testimony may close
early. Public testimony may be limited to two or three minutes per person, so it's
best to prepare concise comments.
Join Shelley to ask questions and give your input
on Facebook Live every Monday evening at
www.facebook.com/AKShelleyHughes.
Watch tonight at 7pm!
Last Week's Facebook Live Video
Live from the Senate Floor #NoFilter
TIPS TO STAY IN THE LOOP
More important than ever!
TIP #1: The Alaska State Legislature web site is the place to track bills, locate and
contact your legislators (session), and access committee information. Questions? Try
the help wizard or call 1-800-478-4648.
TIP #2: SMS Bill Tracking! Once you know what bill(s) you want to monitor, here’s a
convenient way to track what’s happening. Text any bill number (ex: SB1) to 559-2452529 to enroll in text alerts for that particular piece of legislation. You’ll receive an
enrollment confirmation as well as instructions on how to unsubscribe.
TIP #3: How to Get in Touch with Shelley! Give our office a call at (907)465-3743 or
send an email to [email protected].
If you are looking to get in contact with a specific legislative aide:
Buddy Whitt - District Director, Legislation
(907)465-5265 - [email protected]
Joshua Banks - Education Committee, Research, Legislation
(907)465-5025 - [email protected]
Aimee Bushnell - Constituent Relations, Communications, Legislation
(907)465-3743 - [email protected]
Ceezar Martinson - In-District Community Relations
[email protected]
Best,
Copyright © 2017 Senator Shelley Hughes, All rights reserved.
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