Things are heating up in Juneau, both literally and figuratively!
In the literal sense, my walks to work are becoming warmer and ice-free (although sometimes a little wet and windy) and the more intrepid flowers are starting to pop up as their encasement in ice slowly thaws. I also saw a couple of ravens gathering twigs and grass for nest building – all in all these are signs that winter is in rapid retreat.
In the figurative sense, the House has been debating the operating and mental health budgets on the floor, and the often heated process of debating amendments, procedure, and process has been very interesting to watch.
In other news, we had another hearing on our spending cap proposal, and have been making progress with our proposed reform of our budgeting processes. There are still many steps left but I will keep you updated as we move through it.
Where is the budget?
The House began debating the budget on the floor earlier this week and just finished the amendment process. They will reconvene this coming Monday (4/10) to vote on the budget. As far as the content of the budget, I won’t have much of an update until at least after it passes the House and comes over to the Senate. The floor vote that will be occurring in the House early next week will include a vote on the budget as well as on an appropriation out of our Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR). After that vote, I’ll try to put out a blog post that has more information on what’s in and what isn’t in the budget this year.
That won’t be the final budget though. Once the budget leaves the House Floor, it will come over to the Senate Finance Committee, which will begin working to release their own versions in the next couple of weeks. Then the next step will be for the Senate to pass its own version of the budget. Ultimately both the Senate and the House will have to settle the differences between the two versions and come to an agreed upon final version.
There are still many steps left but I will keep you updated as we move through it. If you have questions, I encourage you to reach out to me.
Urging our Congressional Leaders to work on Permitting Reform
I was honored to spearhead a bipartisan letter that a group of 30 State Senators and Representatives sent to our Congressional delegation urging them to support federal permitting reform aimed at reducing the burdensome processes that currently slows down important projects around the state. By streamlining the permitting approval process, Alaskan developers can be more confident when investing here in Alaska on important infrastructure and energy projects to the benefit of all Alaskans and the environment.
With numerous modern infrastructure and energy projects announced for Alaska as a result of the Infrastructure Bill passed by Congress in 2021, we need to strike a balance between protecting our environment and promoting economic development.
By finding ways to make the federal permitting process more efficient, transparent, and streamlined, we can create a more favorable business environment that encourages new investment in Alaska.
I encourage you to read the full letter, check it out here >>
Coffee Time!
Bills and Where They are in the Process
Repeal of Unused Funds and Accounts | SB 25
Senate Bill 25 unanimously passed the Senate on March 31st! This bill cleans up our books, deleting accounts that we don’t use, and then keeps our books up-to-date by scheduling the cleanup process to repeat every two years. It’s now over in the House Finance Committee, where we hope to have a hearing in the near future. Check out the bill documents here >>
GDP-Based Spending Cap | SB 20
Senate Bill 20 is a functional state spending cap, which constructively links our private sector performance (measured by GDP) and government spending. An effective limit like this one creates stability and predictability in our budgeting process – in economic boom years, extra revenues are pushed forward, preventing the need for drastic cuts in economic bust years.
Senate Bill 20 was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, April 5th at 1:30pm. You can watch the meeting here and can find all the documents online here.
The Executive Budget Act | SB 21
Senate Bill 21 restructures strategic planning, performance management, and budgeting processes to help make state government more efficient. SB 21 had its first hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee and it should have a follow-up hearing again soon.
Renewable Energy Grant Fund | SB 33/HB 62
The Renewable Energy Grant Fund (REF) ensures that communities facing higher-than-average energy prices can continue leveraging REF Grants to pursue cheaper renewable alternatives. Rep. Edgmon’s House version of my bill passed the House with resounding support last week and has been passed out of its last committee in the Senate. I look forward to carrying it on the Senate Floor soon!
Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Areas | SB 34
For decades (until it sunset last year), CACFA monitored federal actions and ensured that individual Alaskans had a resource to understand and engage constructively with federal decisions that effected them. Senate Bill 34 was moved out of the Senate Resources and is now awaiting its first hearing in the Senate Finance Committee.
Muni Election and PFDs
The Anchorage Municipal Election concluded on Tuesday, April 4th. You can review results here >>
The PFD deadline was March 31st. We have heard a couple reports of peoples’ electronic signature’s not properly attaching to their online application. I encourage you to double check the status of your application in your MyPFD Account. If anything is wrong, please don’t hesitate to email me and I can help get the issue resolved.
