SESSION UPDATE – March 27, 2023
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy, happy Seward’s Day! If it weren’t for William Seward and a two-cents-per acre deal 156 years ago, you and I wouldn’t be exchanging greetings from Juneau, the capital of Alaska! Just think how different our lives would have been had the $7.2 million agreement not occurred in 1867 to purchase Alaska from Russia. The treaty was mocked by the press as “Seward’s folly” for securing “Seward’s icebox” and US President Andrew Johnson’s “polar bear garden.” We, however, get the last laugh. Today that $7.2 million is worth $146 billion. At 375 million acres, that’s still a steal of a deal in today’s dollars at $389/acre. Whoop! Whoop!
Oh, and don’t get Seward’s Day mixed up with Alaska Day, which is also a legal holiday in Alaska observed on October 18 commemorating the transfer of Alaska from the Russian Empire to the United States. It occurred 7 months after the purchase.
Pay raises for legislators? Flawed process and policy
In response to the 67% pay raise proposal for legislators, I introduced Senate Bill (SB) 111 “Rejecting Legislators’ Salary Increase” last week. Not only is this legislation a responsible step considering the fiscal shortfall the legislature is currently facing as we craft the FY2024 budget and the lack of a long-term fiscal plan, but it also eliminates the conflict-of-interest problem the current legislature faces by passively accepting [continue reading online]
Tax measures absent a comprehensive fiscal plan will be DOA
The first in what may be a series of tax bills was introduced in the Senate on Friday: SB 114. The bill aims to increase the revenue-take from the oil and gas industry via reducing barrel credits, taxing S corporations making more than $4 million (such as Hilcorp), and preventing tax write-offs on fields under development being applied to taxes owed on producing fields.
The problem some in Senate leadership fail to realize is that they are wasting their time and effort on SB 114 or any similar measure as long as they float such tax proposals in isolation without any serious commitment to producing the needed super majority (14 votes) to both fix the spending cap and settle the PFD issue in the constitution, and without an efficiency component like SB 9 Alaska Sunset Commission to address the reduction piece.
Commenting on SB 114, Rep. Tom McKay, House Resources Chair, also made a great point worth noting that increasing production is “the most painless” way to raise revenue to close the fiscal gap and raising taxes “would deter that effort.”
At some point, Senate leadership has to wake up to the fact that a long-term fiscal plan does not mean an isolated tax package. [continue reading online]
Hemp saga: Effort to repeal ag crop statutes creates stir
After working for more than seven years to promote hemp as an agricultural crop farmers could produce and successfully carrying legislation to ensure by law hemp would not fall under the supervision of the Marijuana Control Board and instead the Division of Agriculture, you can imagine my reaction to seeing the title of a bill in the House, HB 117 which included these words: “renaming the Marijuana Control Board the Cannabis Control Board; relating to the Cannabis Control Board; repealing the industrial hemp program”… [continue reading online]
Directing more dollars to classrooms with funds districts already have
The issue of school funding is a big focus this year in Juneau. Few are talking about one way we can increase dollars for classrooms without one new penny. And it’s not chump change either that could be redirected to student instruction.
By giving school districts the option to participate in AlaskaCare, the health insurance plan for state employees, the potential savings of the difference of what districts direct to their current health plans would be quite substantial – “enormous” might even be… [continue reading online]
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Round 2 can be just exciting as round 1!
How can we make sure we’re getting the most bang for our buck in state government operations?
Chatter about raising old taxes and implementing new ones is beginning to pick up in the Capitol building. My reaction is different than some who engage in this conversation…[continue reading]
SB 52: Rewrite is not yet truly student-centered or teacher-focused
The new version calls for funds for additional years and for more reporting. What the bill doesn’t do yet is focus on students and teachers, on targeting funds… [continue reading]
SB88 Pension “Pill”: Better reading the warning label
Members are touting the bill to reinstate pensions for public employees (rather than the current 401K type retirement system adopted in 2006) as a cure .. [continue reading]
Thanks to AK Board of Education: Safe and fair for all
Title IX-related resolution passes
Many of you have been begging me to file my bill from last year to protect girls’ sports (SB 140). Oh, did I ever want to because I knew the matter of safety and fairness for all students needed to be settled. But I also knew [continue reading]
Enough is enough! Healthcare costs are breaking the bank
Four solutions await your advocacy
No one likes being in last place, but this time, oh how I wish we were. Alaska is number one among the 50 states for what we spend on healthcare. Brace yourself, because… [continue reading]
Why is Lady Justices’ blindfold slipping in Alaska?
And what can we do about it?
We all want our judges to be honest, fair, intelligent, and experienced persons who uphold the constitution and the law without bias. Although some individual judges in our state meet this description, why are… [continue reading]
“National Popular Vote” isn’t what it’s cracked up to be:
It’s bad for Alaska, bad for nation
I’m barely (by one year!) old enough to remember when The Last Frontier became America’s 49th state. It was a big deal. Alaska is still a big deal in a class by itself. Our state ratified the Constitution in 1959, and every day since, the electoral college safeguarded…[continue reading]
Stay in touch!
And, as always, I look forward to meeting more of you in the following months locally when I’m back in district as well as here in Juneau when any of you come for a visit. Thanks to those who visited my coffee chat this past Saturday on the western side of the district. Look forward to meeting with those of you on the eastern (Palmer) side on April 15 (scroll down for flyer). Senator Mike Shower will be joining me and possibly Rep. George Rauscher and Rep. DeLena Johnson depending on their schedules.
As I state on my Facebook page and mention in live broadcasts Mondays at 6pm, with the volume of contacts I receive daily (multiple hundreds), my staff and I work hard to read and listen to everything so I can understand what you, our district, and the rest of the state is thinking. If you would like to ensure you receive my feedback on your issue and ideas, please call my office (907) 465-3743 to set up a phone call with me or come by one of my coffee chats.
My responsibility to you is front and center, whether I am on the Senate floor, drafting policy, in a meeting, out and about in our community, or communicating with you. I strive to be available to hear what concerns you most. I am on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at AKShelleyHughes. You can also email me at Sen.Shelley.Hughes@akleg.com or call my office (907) 465-3743 to get in touch.
Keep scrolling, my friends!
Don’t miss the quotes by Alaskans giving me input—always insightful and varied, sometimes startling and sometimes amusing. See what bills are up for public testimony this week. Lots of great info and photos of friends and neighbors await you below. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom, so you don’t miss out on what may be relevant to you.
Working on your behalf,
Americans for Prosperity Alaska visited to discuss options and ideas to address free-market solutions to issues facing our state. Ron (left back) and Janet Johnson (seen right of Sen. Hughes) Johnson and CJ and Eric Koan (next over to the right) are constituents.
Mary Ann Nelson of Teen Pact Alaska popped in to visit. Senator Hughes is honored to sponsor the Teen Pact Class of 2023. Middle and high school students from southcentral Alaska will be meeting this spring to learn about civics, government, and how to engage as citizens in the process.
Our ALASKA SENATE MINORITY WEBSITE is continually being updated!
Check out our priorities, proposed solutions, viewpoints, video clips, press releases and more by clicking the image above.
Your “one-stop shop”!
Bookmark the site and check for updates as they happen!
“Stop exporting Alaskan raw materials. Build locally!”
“Please vote no on this SB 52. We must fix the [public school] system first. The indoctrination that is being pushed must stop.”
“I urge you to also support this bill [SB 52], and increase the allocation even more, as we know it barely accounts for inflation and the rising costs that our schools face.”
“It’s great to see how you’re having an impact on the discussion down there.”
“In my opinion this is an attempt to indoctrinate our precious Alaskan youth with WOKE, liberal ideology. It is not about “health and personal safety”. [Opposing SB 43]
“Hiring and retaining employees is certainly not an Alaska-only problem and an Alaska defined benefit retirement system is not going to solve that problem.”
“Yes!! [Legislators] should not get to approve their own raises!! That should be put to vote”
“Once [legislators] get there [sic] hand in the cookie jar it’s hard for them to pull it out empty…”
“As a leading scientist, many years ago, per your forest service. I say you are clueless and are clearly paid to look at only one view. Typical politics. No need to respond I am a real person now living happily outside your sick society. Water is life. Empire will destroy itself per history and the fact per the definition of unsustainable.”
“The world needs men and women who will not be bought or sold…. Based on your actions, you are one of those…. Stand tall and stand strong for what is right.”
“Admitting pfd formula is law & not paying it is theft. Now covering the past theft by chang[ing] the laws governing pfd payments is representative of special interests wants…not constituents. Lobbyists own state legislators & their paid products.”
An issue currently rising to the top in Juneau.
Pay Raises for Legislators?
flawed process and policy
In response to the 67% pay raise proposal for legislators, I introduced Senate Bill (SB) 111 “Rejecting Legislators’ Salary Increase” last week. Not only is this legislation a responsible step considering the fiscal shortfall the legislature is currently facing as we craft the FY2024 budget and the lack of a long-term fiscal plan, but it also eliminates the conflict of interest problem the current legislature faces by passively accepting the salary increase recommendation.
As a bit of a background, Senate Bill 86 was introduced on February 24, 2023 to block the first round of increased compensation recommendations by the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission (ASOCC). This report recommended increasing department heads’ and governor’s salaries…Continue Reading Online
Senator Hughes met with members of the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce. From Left to Right: Chamber Board Chair Brian Headdings, Chamber CEO Jessica Viera, and Chamber Government Affairs Committee Co-Chair Jackie Kenshalo. Meeting with pro-business, community-loving Wasilla Chamber members was a highlight of the week!
A celebrity stopped by! John Sturgeon, President of the Alaska Chapter of Safari Club International who has been before the US Supreme Court twice to help shore up state water rights visited with Senator Hughes regarding the importance of the statehood defense appropriation as well as funding the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Areas (CACFA)
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO WEIGH IN THIS WEEK
Public Testimony
🎙️
Below is list of bills scheduled to be heard in various committees this week. If you’d like to provide public testimony, enter the bill number (for example “HB 22”) into the search bar here to learn the date and time. Scroll down toward the bottom of this newsletter or view the highlighted bill images to find the public testimony call-in phone numbers.
The following “News from Hughes Alerts” are highlighted bills for this week.
🖱️ Click on the image to view the referenced bill.
Click here to see all public testimony opportunities
occurring within the next seven days.
SB 103 PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING PROGRAM
SPONSOR: Senator Dunbar
heard by Senate Community & Regional Affairs Committee
March 28rd, 1:30pm
SB 12 ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM
SPONSOR: Senator Kiehl
HB 62 RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANT FUND
SPONSOR: Representative Edgmon
heard by Senate Finance Committee
March 28th, 9:00am
SB 74 PHYSICAL THERAPY LICENSURE COMPACT
SPONSOR: Senator Wilson
SB 75 AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE INTERSTATE COMPACT
SPONSOR: Senator Wilson
heard by Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
March 27th, 1:30pm
SB 83 PROFESSIONAL LICENSING: TEMPORARY PERMITS
SPONSOR: Governor Dunleavy
heard by Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
March 29th & 31st, 1:30pm
HJR 11 ADDRESS AIR POLLUTION IN FAIRBANKS
SPONSOR: Representative Stapp
heard by Senate Resources Committee
March 27th, 3:30pm
HB 57 EMERGICY MEDICAL SERVICES: REVIEW ORGANIZATIONS
SPONSOR: Representative Wright
heard by House Health & Social Services Committee
March 28th, 3:00pm
HB 125 TRAPPING CABINS ON STATE LAND
SPONSOR: House Resources
heard by House Resources Committee
March 29th, 1:00pm
HB 8 ELECTRIC-ASSISTED BICYCLES
SPONSOR: Representative Carrick
heard by House Transportation Committee
March 28th, 1:00pm
HB 128 OIL TERMINAL FACILITY
SPONSOR: House Transportation
heard by House Transportation Committee
March 30th, 1:00pm
HB 95 NATIONAL RESOURCE WATER NOMINATION/DESIGNATION
SPONSOR: Representative Rauscher
heard by House Fisheries Committee
March 28th, 10:00am
HB 19 REGISTRATION OF BOATS: EXEMPTION
SPONSOR: Representative Stutes
heard by House Fisheries Committee
March 30th, 10:00am
HB 85 PROFESSIONAL LICENSING: TEMPORARY PERMITS
SPONSOR: Governor Dunleavy
heard by House Military & Veterans’ Affairs Committee
March 28th, 1:00pm
🔎Hearings That May Interest You
- HB# PENDING DISAPPROVING STATE OFFICERS COMPENSATION COMMISSION (SOCC) RECOMMENDATION
HB# PENDING SOCC: AK LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL POLICIES ON ALLOWANCES/REMBURSEMENTS FOR MOVING EXPENSES
heard by House State Affairs Committee
March 28th, 3:00pm - SB 99 FINANCIAL LITERACY COURSE IN SCHOOLS
heard by Senate Education Committee
March 29th, 3:30pm. - SB 53 FIVE-YEAR INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENTS
heard by Senate Judiciary Committee
March 29th, 1:30pm. - HB 49 CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM ON STATE LAND
heard by House Finance Committee
March 31st, 1:30pm. - HB 65 INCREASE BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION
heard by House Finance Committee
March 30th, 1:30pm. - HB 68 CRIME OF SEX/HUMAN TRAFFICKING
heard by House Judiciary Committee
March 27th & 31st, 1:00pm. - HB 17 CONTRACEPTIVES COVERAGE: INSURANCE/MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
heard by House Labor & Commerce Committee
March 27th, 3:15pm. - HB 110 PERMANENT FUND: TRANSFER DIVIDEND PROGRAM TO APFC
heard by House Ways & Means Committee
March 27th, 6:00pm.
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 3:30pm
SENATE HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
Consideration of Governor’s Appointees:
State Medical Board: David Paulson
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees: John Morris
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 9:00am
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
Consideration of Governor’s Appointees:
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority: Anita Halterman
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 1:30pm
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Consideration of Governor’s Appointees:
Commission on Judicial Conduct: Todd Fletcher (Anchorage)
State Board of Parole: Sarah Possenti (Fairbanks)
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 3:15pm
HOUSE LABOR & COMMERCE COMMITTEE
Consideration of Governor’s Appointees:
Marijuana Control Board: Ely Cyrus
Alaska Labor Relations Agency: Dennis DeWitt and Jennifer McConnell
Real Estate Commission: Cheryl Markwood
I enjoyed reconnecting with Hannah Utic at the Annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast this past weekend . Hannah is not only the reigning Miss Girdwood but she is also studying political science at UAA. I’d encouraged Hannah a couple years ago to consider working in the legislature so was glad to learn she continues to be interested in this subject matter.
A little trivia: the first Governor’s Prayer Breakfast was held in 1983. Son of Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, was the featured speaker in both 2008 and 2019. The speaker in 2023 was James Ackerman, CEO of Prison Fellowship, who stressed 90% of those incarcerated will come back to live in our communities so a focus on rehabilitation is important, and a faith-based approach is effective in turning lives around for good.
Trivia about James? In addition to previously being a media executive, James comes from a media family. His dad has a Hollywood star as a former producer and his mother played the eldest daughter in the 1950’s hit series “Father Knows Best”.
Attend the meeting closest to you and find out more about the project.
APRIL 15: 10am–12noon
Constituent Forum
With Senators Shelley Hughes (District M) and Mike Shower (District O)
Possible attendance by Representatives George Rauscher and DeLena Johnson
LOCATION TBC
Senate Assignments:
- Alaska Food Strategy Task Force, Chair
- Food and Farm Caucus, Co-Chair
- Special Committee on World Trade
- Victims’ Advocate Selection Committee
- Law Finance Subcommittee
Other Appointments and Assignments:
- State Agricultural and Rural Leaders, National Board Member
- Article V Phoenix Correspondence Commission, National Commissioner
- NCSL Cybersecurity Task Force
- CSG-West Canada Relations
- CSG Interbranch Committee
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🔥HOT TIP🔥 KNOW YOUR LEGISLATORS One of the best ways to get your voice heard is to make sure it is heard by the right people. Who is your senator/representative? You can find listings of the legislators contact details on the Alaska Legislative website. Click here to see the most recent list of Legislator contacts. |
For information on bills I’m co‑sponsoring
click here.
For information on all bills filed during this session,
click here.
Bills I’ve Filed on Your Behalf
Health Insurance Info; Incentives/Agreements
Alaska Sunset Commission
Constitutional Amendment: Abortion/Funding
School/University Employee Health Insurance
Rejecting Commission’s Recommendation to Raise Salaries
Keep up with updates, notices, news, and photos throughout the week and live broadcasts every Monday evening at 6pm.
Join Shelley on Facebook Live each week to ask questions and give input.
We typically broadcast Mondays at 6:00 pm, but watch for a notification on Facebook as the day/time is subject to change.
Be sure to “like” the “Senator Shelley Hughes” Facebook page www.facebook.com/AKShelleyHughes
so you’ll get a heads-up each time we air!
WATCH OUR MOST RECENT BROADCAST BELOW
& THEN JOIN US LIVE TONIGHT AT 6PM!
MORE TIPS TO STAY IN THE LOOP✏️
More important than ever!
#1
Alaska State Legislature web site is the place to track bills, locate and contact your legislators, and access committee information. Questions? Try the help wizard or call 1-800-478-4648.
#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 559-245-2529 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.
#3
How to Get in Touch with Shelley! Give our office a call at 907-465-3743 or 800-565-3743 or send an email to Sen.Shelley.Hughes@akleg.gov. If you need assistance, want a response, or need other follow-up, please call rather than email.
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Gaby Gonzalez Staff Intern Gaby.Gonzalez@akleg.gov 907-465-3743 |
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Stephen Knouse Legislative Aide Stephen.Knouse@akleg.gov 907-465-1172 |
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Anneliese Roberts Chief of Staff Anneliese.Roberts@akleg.gov 907-465-5025 |
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| Juneau Office Alaska State Capitol Rm 7 Juneau, Alaska 99801 907-465-3743 800-565-3743 |
Mat-Su Office (closed while in Juneau) 600 E. Railroad Avenue Wasilla, Alaska 99654 907-376-3725 |
HAVE A FEDERAL ISSUE???
Contact Alaska’s US Senators and Congressman
| Lisa Murkowski – Senator Anchorage: 907-271-3735 Mat-Su: 907-376-7665 |
Dan Sullivan – Senator Anchorage: 907-271-5915 Mat-Su: 907-357-9956 |
| Mary Peltola – Representative Anchorage: 907-921-6675 |
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