2014 CAPITOL CURRENTS 28 th Alaska State Legislature ~ 2 nd Session

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1 2014 CAPITOL CURRENTS 28 th Alaska State Legislature ~ 2 nd Session Week Four - 2/10 2/16/ days to go Joint Session Wednesday Annual Address by the Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator WEEK S HIGHLIGHTS Many moving parts are being assembled in the Capitol Building. Busy, focused and reform minded folks are hard at work as they tackle big issues. Interviews with the Governor, and each of the three candidates to fill Beth Kerttula s former downtown Juneau seat, are set for next week. He has until February 23 to decide. The hopefuls are Jessie Kiehl, Catherine Reardon and Sam Kito III. Senator Dyson plans to retire rather than face a tough primary battle with Senator Anna Fairclough. The permanent fund had its best quarter for stocks since % gain. Fund now totals around $49 billion. The Senate voted to reject the pay recommendations for cabinet members while legislators received pay raises of more than 10 percent in 2013, bringing average total compensation to more than $88,000 for the year. In 2013, the state paid almost a million dollars in lawmaker plane fares both inside and outside Alaska. This is a 50% increase from the previous year. Rep. Les Gara and Senator Bill Wielechowski have introduced bills establishing a mandatory public comment period before the legislature signs a binding sole source contract for new, expanded, or remodeled offices as recently occurred in Anchorage. With billion dollar deficits, how can we justify a 500% increase in rent for legislative offices, said Rep. Gara. House Finance wants to take a careful approach to paying down retirement debt and is looking into solutions, including the Governor s proposal to use $3 billion from savings. A House committee rejected an amendment by Rep. Gruenberg extending a proposed perk for military spouses to same sex partners. He said the bill (HB 212) as drafted had serious equal protections problems.

2 Budget officials were grilled on the 10 - year budget plan. Among other things, Rep. Austerman and others were concerned it didn t reflect new, significant expenditures. Key Coalition, Planned Parenthood and Alaska school board representatives were in Juneau to lobby their issues. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES: A busy week for what many say is one of the country s best constitutions. The House State Affairs Committee moved out a proposed Constitutional amendment (HJR 18) that would make the state s attorney general an elected position. Sponsor Rep. Stoltze said the AG should be the People s lawyer; now he is the Governor s political and legal advisor first. A possible split party outcome was a big concern for some. SJR 21 by Senator Kelly was also in the mix. This amendment would add public members to the Judicial Council that recommends judges for appointment by the Governor. Senator Kelly says lawyers now control the decisions and the Chief Justice of Supreme Court is the tiebreaker, which, in his opinion, creates a conflict of interest. He believes it s time to shift the balance to the public and improve regional diversity. Conversations continued on a proposal that calls for Alaska to support a Convention of the States to bypass the feds and recommend US constitutional amendments that will reign in the government. EDUCATION ISSUES: The Governor s Omnibus Education (HB 278/SB139) bill got lots of their time this week. Committees plodded forward focusing on particular topics including vocational-tech credits, GED s, exit exams and boarding school stipends. There were also serious conversations about broadband needs and digital education. The decision to skip the Senate Education Committee referral for SJR 9, that would allow voucher laws, remains controversial. Both Gary Stevens and Click Bishop (two crucial votes) say there should be more time to explore the details. Rep. Tammie Wilson s bill to repeal the local education contribution moved with lukewarm support and a referral to the Judiciary Committee. Governor Parnell said he wasn t threatening the borough when he said Ketchikan s recent lawsuit on the funding issue might color legislative budget decisions. Rep. Stoltze said no fallout is expected. The Alaska Pre-Kindergarten program, that helps kids who are at or below the poverty level learn the skills to be ready for kindergarten, has seen steady improvements but still has an uncertain funding future.

3 Last session, the initial request was reduced in the House and is under review again by Budget Subcommittee Chair Rep. Tammie Wilson, who wants more data on what s working and what has the best bang for the buck. Alaska students scores on Advanced Placement Exams are lagging behind the national average according to a report from the College Board. HEALTHCARE ISSUES: Senator Giessel introduced a bill (SB169) creating the Vaccine Assessment Commission in the Department of HSS. The goal is vaccines for all Alaskans. Problems with the transition to a new insurance carrier for state employees and retirees led to nearly 50,000 phone calls in January after the state sent incorrect eligibility information to AETNA, the new carrier. Legislators are also hearing about it. Just released statistics show a pickup in enrollment at healthcare.gov. So far, in Alaska 5,082 have enrolled as of Feb. 1. In January, 1,726 had signed up. A telemedicine bill (HB 281) was discussed in House HESS. Supporters stress this is a cheaper, effective alternative for many folks urban and rural - with garden-variety symptoms. Controlled substances can t be prescribed. NATURAL RESOURCES ISSUES: Committee deliberations on the latest Gas line proposal continue, mostly consultants trying to explain many confusing financial and other issues. A big question looming is the scope and nature of the state s participation in the project. The consultants continue to stress that a proper alignment of all the players is essential to success in a competitive world market where price may be a barrier. Meanwhile, the floor of the Senate broke into an oil tax debate while BP announced plans to boost spending from just under $900 mil last year to $1.2 billion this year. The oil industry is also spending to oppose the referendum that would repeal the current tax. The Anchorage Daily News said BP and ExxonMobil have each invested more than $1.3 million. Negotiations between the Department of Natural Resources and Sen. Micciche on HB 77, that tries to streamline the state permitting process, are ongoing. Hearings are expected to happen quickly after bill changes are finalized. We ve learned that nearly a third of oil and gas workers are non-residents, 22.5% for mining. Rep. Josephson wants the state and feds to negotiate a wildlife buffer in Denali National Park to protect the wolves, an important tourism asset. The proposal would include an

4 exchange of land. He says wolf sightings have decreased from 44 percent in 2010 to 4% in Finally, Rep. Stoltze questioned the state s commitment to its set goal of having half Alaska s electric generation from renewable energy. The latest shift to gas may be hurting a major source, the Susitna hydro project. He said we don t want to mislead the people if the game has changed. PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES: Senate Judiciary moved the sweeping crime bill designed to reform corrections policies and reduce recidivism. Without it, officials say we will have to build another expensive prison soon. Over 60% of the prison population is there for non-violent offenses. Sponsor Senator Dyson somewhat reluctantly withdrew an amendment that would try to keep juveniles out of the adult population. Former Rep. Samuels opposed it saying his brother was killed execution style by a juvenile. The House is mulling over a bill (HB 255) that would outline the policies governing police usage of unmanned aircraft over Alaska, the product of a recent Task Force on unmanned aircraft systems. The Senate passed a bill sponsored by Senator Myer (SB 123) that would allow municipalities to adopt ordinances to ban talking on cell phones while driving in school zones or school property. The vote was not down party lines. The bill that would allow Village Public Safety Offices (VPSO s) to be armed while on duty keeps on ticking. A bill introduced on Friday (SB 176) would prohibit the Board of Regents from banning concealed weapons on campus. Senator Coghill sponsored it at the request of a legislative intern. They say the University policy contradicts state law and want to know why. Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, Dana Fabe, spoke to a Joint Session. She also talked reform. For example, Smart Justice. This means working smart and doing more with less so they can continue to do their constitutional job. She is calling for a Child Custody Summit to find a better way to serve the needs of kids and parents. She also said that during the first half of the fiscal year criminal appeals were up by 33% causing delays in hearing those appeals. Relief is necessary. The Council on Domestic Violence sunset extension moved.

5 GOVERNOR S CORNER Governor Parnell has ordered state flags to be lowered in honor of former Governor Michael Mike Stepovich. The former territorial governor died recently. He was 94. EVENTS: S.O.S. Save Our Schools Rally on Capitol Steps Monday: Noon Monday, 2/17/14 Rally to include student groups, speakers, and a bake sale in support of public education With schools closed for Presidents Day, organizers hope for a large turnout. Constituent Fares - Don t forget these fares that allow for a 30 percent discount off three or seven day advance purchases. Constitutional Issues: NEW BILLS OF INTEREST SJR 21/ Kelley - Senate Joint Resolution 21 would place a constitutional amendment on the next general election ballot that would allow the voters to decide whether the membership of the Alaska Judicial Council should be expanded to include 10 public members and 5 attorney members. Expanding the council to 10 public members and 5 attorney members with the Chief Justice serving as the 16th and ex-officio member would have Alaska follow a model used in several other states where a majority of the nominating committee consists of public non-attorney members. Health Care Issues: SB 169 / Giessel STATEWIDE IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM - SB 169 establishes a Statewide Vaccination Program and creates a vaccine assessment commission in the Department of Health and Social Services. The purpose of the program is to monitor, purchase and distribute recommended vaccines to providers, making available universal access for all ages to vaccines. At least nine other states have set up these vaccines assessment boards or similar to what SB 169 proposes. Other Issues: SB 172 / Wielechowski LEGISLATIVE ETHICS: VOTING & CONFLICTS - Requires a legislator to abstain from voting on questions affecting an enterprise if the legislator or member of the legislator's immediate family has a substantial financial interest in the enterprise, and requires a legislator to refrain from taking or withholding official action or exerting official influence in certain matters in which the legislator's action or influence could benefit or harm another person. The bill adds a definition of 'financial interest' to the Legislative Ethics Act. SCR 15 / Wielechowski AMEND UNIFORM RULES: ABSTAIN FROM VOTING - A member shall request to abstain from voting if the member reasonably believes

6 the member's vote on a question would constitute a violation of AS NEW DOCUMENTS 2013 Annual Report - Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education 2013 Annual Report - Alaska Student Loan Corporation BILLS ON THE MOVE HOUSE/SENATE COMMITTEES or FLOOR ACTION SB 98 / HB 199 VPSO Firearms SB 98 was heard and held on Feb. 11 th in the Senate C&RA Committee. On Feb. 13 th it was heard and passed out of committee. The bill was referred to Senate State Affairs. Additionally, it was given a Senate Finance referral Feb. 14 th. HB 199 was heard and held in the State Affairs Committee on Feb. 11 th and Feb. 13 th. SB 107 / Establish K Through 3 Reading Program Heard and held in the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 10 th. SB 123 / Prohibit Use of Cell Phone While Driving Passed out of the Senate on Feb. 14 th and transmitted to the House. SB 135 / Extend Alaska Health Care Commission SB 135 was heard and held in the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 11 th. SB 139 / Education: Funding/Tax Credits - Governor s Omnibus Education Bill. It includes increasing the student base allocation, terminating the exit exam, allowing students to challenge and test out of courses, and changing the charter school application process, among other things. This bill was heard and held in the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 10 th. HB 141 / Workers Compensation Medical Fees Passed out of the House unanimously and was transmitted to the Senate on Feb. 10 th. As in the House, it only received a Labor & Commerce referral. HB 210 / Student Restraint, Seclusion, Administration of Psych Drugs

7 Heard and held in the Education Committee on Feb. 12 th. HB 242 / Extend PT and Occupational Therapy Board Heard and held in the Finance Committee on Feb. 11 th. The bill simply extends the board through June 30, HB 245 / School Funding: Required Local Contribution Heard and passed out of this committee on Feb. 10 th. On the same day it did pick up an additional committee referral to Finance. This bill will be heard in House Judiciary next. HB 269 / Immunity for Temporary Health Care Provider Heard and passed out of the House HSS Committee as a CS on Feb. 13 th. It is awaiting its next committee of referral, which is slated to be Judiciary. HB 274 / Hearings on Referenda to Appear on Ballots Heard and passed out of House State Affairs on Feb. 11 th. Next committee of referral is Judiciary. HB 278 / Education: Funding/Tax Credits/Programs l=hb278 Heard and held in the House Education Committee on Feb. 10 th where the discussion focused on residential boarding school stipend. It was also heard and held on Feb. 14 th where the discussion shifted to technical vocational education programs and development on GED s. HJR 18 / Constitutional Amendment: Elected Attorney General Heard and passed out of the State Affairs Committee on Feb. 11 th. Next committee of referral is Judiciary. HJR 22 / Federal Constitutional Convention Heard and held on Feb. 12 th in Finance. MONDAY Feb. 17 th COMMITTEE HEARINGS (HOUSE) EDUCATION Committee 8:00 AM Capitol Room 106 HB 278 / Education: Funding/Tax Credits/Programs -Discussion on Tax Credits

8 (SENATE) JUDICIARY Committee 1:30 PM Beltz Room 105 (TSBldg) SJR 21 / Constitutional Amendment: Membership of Judicial Council SB 128 / Electronic Bullying TUESDAY Feb. 18 th (HOUSE) STATE AFFAIRS Committee 8:00 AM Capitol Room 106 HB 199 / VPSO Firearms HB 273 / Extending Council on Domestic Violence (HOUSE) FINANCE Committee 8:30 AM H. Finance Room 519 Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled (SENATE) FINANCE Committee 9:00 AM S. Finance Room 532 SB 119 / Capital Budget Dept. of Health & Social Services* (HOUSE) PUBLIC SAFETY Finance Sub-committee 10:00 AM H. Finance Room BUDGET DETAILS (HOUSE) FINANCE Committee 1:30 PM H. Finance Room 519 HB 263 / Extend Senior Benefits Payment Program (HOUSE) HSS Committee 3:00 PM Capitol Room 106 HB 214 / Mental Health Patient Rights and Grievances Presentation: American Cancer Society / Cancer Action Network (SENATE) PUBLIC SAFETY Finance Sub-committee 3:30 PM Fahrenkamp Room 203 Shelter Programs & Funding; effects of Governor s DVSA Initiative WEDNESDAY Feb. 19 th (HOUSE) & (SENATE) Joint EDUCATION Committee 8:00 AM Capitol Room 106 Presentation Power in Partnerships: Educational Policy Research in Alaska by Dr. Terry Akey of REL Northwest and Dr. Diane Hirshberg of UAA Annual Report to the Legislature by the State Board of Education & Early Development (HOUSE) HSS Finance Sub-committee

9 8:30 AM H. Finance Room 519 Office of Children s Services Joint Session of the HOUSE and SENATE Annual Address by the Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator 11:00 AM HOUSE Chambers (HOUSE) JUDICIARY Committee 1:00 PM Capitol Room 120 HJR 18 / Constitutional Amendment: Elected Attorney General HJR 1 / Constitutional Amendment: Education Funding (SENATE) HSS Committee 1:30 PM Butrovich Room 205 SB 151 / High-Risk Chemicals for Child Exposure (SENATE) JUDICIARY Committee 1:30 PM Beltz Room 105 (TSBldg) SB 128 / Electronic Bullying (SENATE) HSS Finance Sub-committee 3:00 PM Beltz Room 105 (TSBldg) Behavioral health Effect of Reductions, Alcohol Tax Funds, CBC -- Testimony by Invitation Only -- THURSDAY Feb. 20 th (SENATE) HSS Finance Sub-committee 8:00 AM Fahrenkamp Room 203 Mental Health Trust -- Testimony by Invitation Only -- (SENATE) FINANCE Committee 9:00 AM S. Finance Room 532 SB 120 / Operating Budget FY 15 Governor s Budget Amendments by Karen Rehfeld, OMB Director (HOUSE) PUBLIC SAFETY Finance Sub-committee 10:00 AM H. Finance Room Budget Details (HOUSE) & (SENATE) Joint LB&A Committee 11:30 AM Butrovich Room 205 Subcommittee Meeting: Occupational Licensing & Boards Open Hearing (HOUSE) FINANCE Committee 1:30 PM H. Finance Room 519 Overview: FY 15 Governor s Budget Amendments - by Karen Rehfeld, OMB Director (HOUSE) HSS Committee 3:00 PM Capitol Room 106

10 Presentations: Primary Care Association - Pediatric Partnership (SENATE) EDUCATION Finance Sub-committee 3:30 PM S. Finance Room Alaska Digital Teaching Initiative by Mike Hanley, Commissioner, Dept. of Education & Early Development - Online with Libraries (OWL) / Live Homework Help by Linda Thibodeau, Director, Libraries and Museums FRIDAY Feb. 21 st (HOUSE) HSS Finance Sub-committee 8:30 AM H. Finance Room Alaska Mental Health Trust (HOUSE) FINANCE Committee 1:30 PM H. Finance Room 519 Update: Choose Respect Initiative Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (SENATE) HSS Committee 1:30 PM Butrovich Room 205 SB 169 / Statewide Immunization Program SB 162 / Hydrocodone Prescription by Optometrists IMPORTANT DATES Energy Council Meeting - The Energy Council meetings in Washington DC are scheduled this year during March 8th through March 11, Quite a few of the other legislators who don t attend the DC meetings will take advantage of this break and return to their home districts to meet with constituents Constituent Fares - Don t forget during the 90 day session Alaska Citizens who are Alaska Airlines members can get a 30 percent discount off three or seven day advance purchases for traveling to Juneau. ~ End of Report ~

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2016 CAPITOL CURRENTS

2016 CAPITOL CURRENTS 29 th Alaska State Legislature ~ 2 nd Session Fifth Edition 2/22 to 2/28/16 49 days to go Annual Address by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan Tomorrow HIGHLIGHTS Family members of the late