May 3, 2022
Alaskan Friends and Neighbors,
Help me celebrate James Brown’s birthday by repeating after me, “I feel good!”. (Who can hear his voice and music in their head? I sure can!)
Just 15 days lefts in the legislative session! The Senate eagerly awaits the operating budget and the capital budget to come to the Senate floor for consideration (more to come on the budget in next week’s newsletter).
This is also the big week to debate and vote on a PFD statute change (SB199). I honestly cannot predict how that will turn out. Most of you have heard my pitch on this numerous times, but just in case you haven’t, you can read my thoughts in an article I wrote here about SB199.
Before I get into other matters about bills moving in Juneau, allow me to mention an item we’re hearing about on the national front. If the US Supreme Court does indeed overturn Roe v. Wade, we must all realize that Alaska is a wide-open state without any abortion restrictions (one of only eight such states out of fifty). Is that what we want? I don’t. I want Alaska to be a place where parents seeking adoption are supported. Where young people make good choices. Where unwanted pregnancies are rare and the mothers who have them are loved extra and supported more. As I’ve said before, killing babies in the womb will someday be regarded as barbaric as slavery, an ignominy on America.
Highlights since the last newsletter include the passage of several house bills and the upcoming joint session this coming Wednesday to consider the Governor’s appointments.
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed my Senate Bill 140 “Even Playing Field Act” out of committee. The next stop for this critical piece of legislation that ensures equal opportunities in sports competitions for girls and women is the Senate floor. I am sure there will be robust debate as colleagues continue to incorrectly portray this bill as an anti-trans athlete rather than a pro-female athlete.
As the session winds down, there will be many bills that quickly make their way through the final stages of the legislative process before coming to the floors of the House and Senate for final passage.
This past week I had the pleasure of carrying a house bill on the floor for the bill’s sponsor, Governor Dunleavy. House Bill 106 passed the Senate unanimously and is heading to the Governor’s desk for signature. Many times, changes in federal law require a conforming change to state law, and this bill is one such example.
Current state law allows law enforcement 48 hours to enter a missing person’s report into the Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). HB 106 shortens that time to two hours. In cases of missing persons, time is of the essence, and entering the information into those systems as quickly as possible is imperative to a positive outcome.
This past week also started this year’s election calendar as absentee ballots were mailed to every registered Alaskan voter for the special Congressional election. Did you receive yours in the mail? If you haven’t and you would like to or if you have any questions about the special election, follow this link to the Division of Elections website on the Special Election: https://elections.alaska.gov/specialelections.php
In this week’s articles, we discuss House Bill 106 and the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous girls and women in Alaska. Also, we take a look at House Bill 55 which would create a defined benefit returned program for Firefighters and Police Officers, as well as strap Alaska with a pretty large bill every year. Check out that price tag and those articles below.
As always, our bill update section awaits you along with public testimony flyers, photos from this past week, and last night’s Facebook Live. You likely will have to expand the email at the bottom to see all the great items we’ve included this week.
In the spirit of focusing on the work to be done this session as we move forward, I hope you find this update helpful. As my hashtag reminds those following our work on social media, we will never stop #Telling_it_like_it_is! One final reminder: this Sunday is Mother’s Day. May all the amazing mothers know you are loved and recognized as superheroes! And may all the sons and daughters out there be sure to tell you that!
Working on your behalf,
Senator Gary Stevens and I discuss the intersection of two uniform rules regarding our legislative process during a floor debate on Friday, April 29.
The discussions on the Senate floor continue in front of the Senate President’s dias with Senators Shower, Stedman, Kiehl, Stevens, and Kawasaki.
Missing Persons Under 21
As of 2021, the Department of Public Safety has received 221 missing person cases for individuals under 21 years of age.
Over 200 minors and young adults have gone missing and have not been found.
Let that sink in.
Alaska statutes regarding missing persons have not been updated since they were written in the 1980s. Under those statutes, missing persons are required to be reported and logged in state and national databases within 48 hours if they are not found.
The circumstances of missing persons can range from mountaineering accidents to abductions to suspected suicides. With such a wide range of cases handled by multiple law enforcement agencies across the largest state in the country, case processing and response time has often lagged behind what is necessary to find young adults quickly.
Time is of the essence when it comes to finding missing persons. You may have heard that the first 72 hours are the most important in finding a missing person. That is the period of time when investigators have the best chance of following up on leads, preventing loss of evidence, and establishing an action plan specific to the case. If cases are not submitted to the clearinghouse and logged as quickly as possible by the responding law enforcement agency, essential hours are lost and the case can be delayed from getting escalated to higher law enforcement agencies.
This is why I and other legislators voted to pass House Bill 106 last week. HB 106 updates current statutes by requiring missing persons under 21 cases to be entered in the Alaska Public Safety Information Network and the National Crime Information Center computer system as soon as practicable but not later than two hours after receiving the initial report. Rather than waiting to see if the person is found before entering the report into these databases, HB 106 expedites notification. If the person is found, the report will be removed from the databases.
Senator Hughes speaking on HB 106 during the Senate floor session on April 27, 2022
Through this statutory update, both state and federal law enforcement agencies can respond faster and with more information. This change comes, in part, to align with recent updates to federal reporting requirements in Suzanne’s Law and the Adam Walsh Act.
Although many state law enforcement agencies already operate with similar response times, establishing a state-wide policy will help ensure that no more cases slip through the cracks. Furthermore, this legislation will improve response times for the college-age population which is already at higher risk when it comes to missing person situations.
I had the honor to carry this common-sense legislation on the Senate floor on behalf of the Governor last Wednesday. HB 106 passed the Senate unanimously and is on its way to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Once again, I had the honor to fill in as the presiding officer while Senator Micciche made remarks on the Senate floor. Observation: the gavel is much lighter than the responsibility that accompanies it.
SB 140 The Even Playing Field Act
UPDATE: SB 140 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with the full support of the Chair and the majority of members. It is now in the Rules Committee which handles floor scheduling. I will be working to get this bill to the Senate Floor as quickly as possible. Stay tuned!
US Senator Stevens “Uncle Ted” fought for Title IX
for his daughters and for women and girls in Alaska
to ensure equality in sports.
Let’s preserve his legacy and pass SB 140.
Scroll down to the second photo to see what is displayed at the
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
near the bronze statute of our “Uncle Ted”,
US Senator Ted Stevens
(served from December 24, 1968 to January 3, 2009).
It’s time: for the sake of Alaska, the United States, and the world
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan gave his annual address before the Senate and House during a special joint session on Tuesday, April 19th. He called on the Biden administration and the Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland, to support Alaska by opening up the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), supporting the Willow Project, and other energy projects within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), approving the life-saving King Cove Road and approving the land allotments for Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans signed by President Trump.
In lieu of Secretary Haaland’s recent visit to Alaska, I led a bipartisan effort to send the joint letter below signed by various Senate and House majority leadership members which include Republicans, Democrats, and an Independent.
While my Democrat colleagues and I certainly have many areas of disagreement, I believe that this letter clearly sends a message to the federal government in general and the Department of Interior specifically. We stand united when it comes to the recognition of our rights and their responsibilities.
We expect the federal government to treat Alaska as an equal partner in land management decisions. We are united in expecting nothing less from Washington. As state legislators, we are closest to the people we serve and have the best understanding of their needs. Secretary Haaland’s meeting our request is the right thing to do for Alaskans. In addition, considering our proximity to Russia and a keen awareness of the current situation in the world, Alaska stands ready and eager to play a significant role in domestic energy production to assist the nation and our allies.
Can we afford to return to defined retirement benefits?
I have received an overwhelming number of calls and emails from many of you regarding HB 55, expressing your concern about the costs. A number of you left messages for me over the weekend.
Why the sudden interest in this bill that would reinstate defined retirement benefits (instead of the current defined contributions – i.e., a 401K type retirement fund) for first responders?
The sudden interest is because HB 55 was just moved to its final committee of referral by a rarely used Uniform Rule: Rule 48. If a chair is not moving a bill along and out of committee, it typically is because the chair does not agree with the policy. Rule 48 permits a majority of the other members of the committee to force the bill to be heard or discharged from the committee. This occurred last week in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. This bill now awaits a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee.
The sudden interest is also tied to the fact that HB 220 is headed to the House floor and is on the heels of HB 55. HB 220 would reinstate defined benefits for all other public employees (state and municipal) and boost the grand total of employees eligible for defined benefits to 30,000. Yes, I said, 30,000 employees.
HB55 Peace Officer/Firefighter Retirement Benefits would return individuals working in these professions back to a defined benefit package instead of the current defined contribution/401k style plan that is set up under the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Tier IV retirements. This bill would create a hybrid system combining Tier III and Tier IV that would allow public safety employees to have a pension while staying in their current health reimbursement plans, but remove the cost of living increases for those employees. HB55 would withhold post-pension retirement adjustments from members if funding falls below 90%. HB220 is similar but for all other public employees.
It all sounds good, but there’s a problem. A big problem. The proposal has not been thoroughly vetted and stress-tested. Proponents claim the return to defined benefits will be cost-neutral. Opponents are concerned that best-case scenarios and rosy-colored numbers are being relied on in those projections.
In 2006 we moved away from defined benefits to defined contributions to avoid bankrupting the state. The liability had increased at that point by more than 400% in the two years prior to the change kicking in. The path was unsustainable.
We still are in the hole today by at least $5.4 billion for the employees hired under the old pension plan (and depending on the financial assumptions, as high as $31 billion).
The Department of Administration submitted documents that show that for the relatively small number of first responders, the change to defined benefits would cost $1 million to implement the new processes, and then $220,000 a year to maintain while the Division of Retirement and Benefits could not estimate precisely how much it would cost to provide the actual defined retirement benefits themselves. $6 million and higher per year is thought to be at the low end. Imagine if defined benefits were offered not just to first responders but to all 30,000 public employees. What would the annual cost be then?
I believe there may very well be a way to offer defined benefits as an option that won’t break the bank, but we’re not there yet. HB 55 and HB 220 as written don’t do the trick. We do not want to go back down into a sinkhole of debt and face an ever-increasing liability.
I know that recruiting and retaining employees in Alaska is tough, whether in the public or the private sector. A theme this year in the Capitol building has been workforce shortages on every front, in every sector. I know that training public employees who leave their positions for jobs elsewhere drains our public funds, but is offering a traditional pension the only way to keep that from happening? Or are there other factors at play?
Workplace morale, opportunities for growth and promotion, mentors, and flexible schedules all make a difference. Many younger workers prefer the flexibility and portability of a 401K type plan, so there’s no one magic bullet. If we are spending large amounts training first responders who go elsewhere after a few years, perhaps we should consider the WWAMI Medical School requirement. Alaskan students who attend the school but don’t return to work in Alaska have to pay back the financial assistance from the state that they received for their schooling.
On a final note — as we consider this issue regarding retirement for public employees, we must recognize that private employers are also struggling to find and keep good employees.
I truly appreciate hearing from you and finding out what you think about these retirement bills before the legislature.
Update: The House passed an increase to the per-student funding; the consideration for this increase in education spending has yet to take place in the Senate.
Office Visitors
Whoops! We didn’t get the camera out to take any photos in the office this past week, but I did take this pic of who is “visiting” my house last time I flew home for a brief weekend.
I figure telling you a little about a day in the life of a legislator never hurts us in our back and forth communication!
Right now, as I write this newsletter from Juneau, my husband is back at our house in the district enjoying the company of two loveable large “granddogs”, my brother’s friendly (also large) dog who is staying with us temporarily while my brother is out-of-state, and our two “mousers” (sister cats who love to hang out outside but also keep us free of pesky mice and mousetraps in the house).
Add to this mix, nine, yes, nine kittens. You see, I made an appointment for the two sister cats to get “fixed” after I left in January to come to Juneau. As it turns out, when my hubby took them to get fixed, they only got their shots updated and a second appointment didn’t happen in time…..
I think this little story is ripe for a Jerry Springer episode as we’re quite sure the momma sister cats were visited by the same daddy cat about two weeks apart! Molly is the proud mother of four kittens (first and second photos). Milly boasts five kittens (third photo) born two weeks later.
Three large dogs, two cats, and nine kittens. Heaven help us! In case anyone is wondering, we WILL get the cats fixed and be responsible for finding homes for these super cute little kittens.
OTHER 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, plug the bill number (for example “HB 133”) into the search bar here to learn the date and time. Scroll down toward the bottom of this newsletter to find the public testimony call-in phone numbers.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY OPPORTUNITIES THIS WEEK
Below is a sampling. Click here to see the full list of bills.
In Health and Social Services on Tuesday, April 19, we heard from Scott Mugrage and Amy Seitz about SB 242 The Food Freedom Act which would aid in Alaskans’ ability to sell our homemade foodstuffs and meat via animal shares. This bill will help increase our food security.
|
As the volume of daily contacts reaching out to my office has exponentially increased over time, my staff stands by, ready to assist you. If you desire follow-up, feedback, a response to a question, etc., it’s always best to call the office. Below are direct phone numbers for my aides, or you can call the general number at 907-465-3743. |
For additional information,
contact my staff:
Buddy Whitt – Chief of Staff
-Senator’s Aide for Judiciary Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Judiciary Finance Subcommittee
-Senator’s Aide for Senate Floor
Buddy.Whitt@akleg.gov
907-465-5025
Daniel Phelps – Committee Aide
-Committee Aide for Community and Regional Affairs
-Senator’s Aide for Education Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Alaska Food & Farm Caucus
-Senator’s Aide for Administration Finance Subcommittee
Daniel.Phelps@akleg.gov
907-465-1172
Brent Bartlett – Legislative Aide
-Senator’s Aide for Health & Social Services Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Transportation Finance Subcommittee
-Senator’s Scheduler
Brent.Bartlett@akleg.gov
907-465-3743
Serving You in These Roles
Current Senate Committees:
- Community & Regional Affairs Committee, Chair
- Health & Social Services Committee, Vice-Chair
- Rules Committee, Member
- Judiciary Committee, Member
- Education Committee, Member
- Legislative Council Committee, Alternate
Finance Subcommittee Assignments:
- Senate Transportation & Public Facilities (Fin Sub), Member
- Senate Administration (Fin Sub), Member
- Senate Judiciary (Fin Sub), Member
Other Appointments:
- State Agriculture & Rural Leaders, Alaska Delegate
- Mat-Su Legislative Delegation, Member
- National Conference of State Legislatures – State Coordinator
- National Conference of State Legislatures – Law, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, Member
- National Conference of State Legislatures – Task Force on Cybersecurity, Member
- Council of State Governments – Transportation Committee, Member
- Council of State Governments West – Canada Relations Committee, Member
For information on bills I’m co‑sponsoring
click here.
For information on all bills filed during this session,
click here.
Passed Legislation
(Bills that are finished with the legislative process)
SB 27 – Industrial Hemp Program; Manufacturing- Many of you are aware that in 2018 I sponsored and the legislature passed SB6 allowing for the legalized growth and production of Industrial Hemp as an agricultural product in the Alaska. In late 2018 the US Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill which made additional changes to the federal statutes regarding the production of industrial hemp. SB 27 makes a few small changes in Alaska statute in order to conform to those federal changes.
The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate and almost unanimously in the House (Representatives Eastman and Kurka were opposed to this bill). This summer the Governor signed the bill at the Alaska State Fair, and just a few weeks ago the United States Department of Agriculture approved the Alaska Industrial Hemp Plan so that Alaska can now grow, manufacture, and sell hemp and hemp products across jurisdictions. This is a great win for Alaska.
Legislation Update
(Shelley’s bills filed with your best interest in mind)
SB 41 – Health Insurance Info; Incentive Program. Also known as the Alaska Health Care Consumers Right to Shop Act. The Senate Labor & Commerce chair had planned to move the bill out so that we could report to you that the bill is currently in the Senate Finance Committee. Unfortunately, the meeting was canceled. SB41 will loosen up free-market principles to operate as they should in our healthcare market in Alaska. Providing an easy way for consumers to price compare through an online tool and offering an incentive via cashback for shared savings if the consumer chooses a provider who charges less than the average charge, this bill help reintroduce competition into a sector of our economy where it is now fairly non-existent. When it comes to healthcare, Alaska is not only the highest cost state in the nation, it is the highest cost location on the globe. This stifles economic growth in other sectors, overburdens Alaskan families and individuals, is taking dollars allocated to education away from instruction in our schools, and increases costs for local and state governments. Please send an email to Senate.Labor.and.Commerce@akleg.gov and ask the Chair to please reschedule the bill and to move it out.
SB 42 – Virtual and Early Education, Reading- The “Education Transformation Act” (now merged into Senate Education Committee SB 111) establishes proven reading instruction in our schools with the goal that children will learn to read well by third grade. It also establishes an online platform with a menu of classes and video samples in order to open up a larger variety of course offerings and teaching expertise to students statewide. Lastly, it provides for optional pre-K with a strong reading preparation component. Through extensive bi-partisan effort, SB 111 has officially passed out of the Senate and is on its way through House Committees.
SB 43 – Elections, Voting, Campaign Finance- “An Act relating to campaign finance and initiatives; relating to elections and voting; and relating to unlawful interference with voting”. SB 43 is about improving transparency and accountability in Alaska’s campaign finance laws as well as securing the integrity of Alaska’s election process. We were able to move the bill from the Senate State Affairs Committee to the Judiciary Committee but will not be requesting a hearing because the key pieces of the bill were incorporated into SB39, an election integrity bill by Senator Shower which we are currently working on in the Judiciary Committee.
SB 57 – “The Alaska Sunset Commission Act” will help ensure transparency, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, statutory alignment, and constitutional alignment in the operation of our state government. SB 57 establishes the Alaska Sunset Commission as an apolitical, independent, and objective entity charged with reviewing, via detailed and robust audits, each department by division in the state on a rotating schedule. This bill had its first hearing in Senate State Affairs on Tuesday, April 19.
SB 102 – Extending the Alaska membership in the Compact to advocate for an Article V Constitutional Convention for the purposes of advancing an amendment to the United States Constitution requiring a balanced budget. Alaska’s membership in this compact is set to expire this year, but with the passage of Senate Bill 102, Alaska would remain a member in the compact until 2031. The bill has been in the possession of the Senate Finance Committee since early April 2021 but has not been scheduled. Former Lt Governor Mead Treadwell is a big advocate for this legislation and is visiting with key members of the legislature, hoping to win support for the bill to move.
SB 140 – An Act relating to school athletics, recreation, athletic teams, and sports. The goal of SB 140 is to maintain the rights women fought for and gained in obtaining Title IX status in 1972. Before Title IX, 1 in 27 girls played sports. Today that number is 2 in 5. An excellent hearing was held more than four weeks ago with tremendous expert testimony. The Senate Education Committee heard nearly 4 hours of public testimony on SB 140 the following week. During a hearing on April 6, the Education Committee adopted several amendments that my office worked on in conjunction with the other members adding clarifying language, resolving some constitutional concerns, and providing intent language to the bill. Subsequently, the Education Committee passed the bill out of committee. The bill moved to the Rules Committee where it was awaiting a floor vote, but the Senate Minority Leader, who opposes the bill, had the votes to secure a referral to the Judiciary Committee because some members of the Majority were absent. This is simply an attempt to slow-roll the bill by the opposition. On Monday, May 2, SB 140 had its second hearing in the Judiciary Committee and was passed out with full support from the Chair and the majority members. As of now, the bill is once more in the Rules Committee and I will be working to get it scheduled for a floor vote as soon as possible.
SB 181 – Identification of Contractor in Ads – This bill amends the current statute to allow contractors to provide an internet website or landing page that contains their licensure and identification requirements rather than listing the details in the advertisement. This bill was moved out of the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee on February 23, 2022, and has since been awaiting a hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee which we hope will be soon.
SB 197 – Senate Bill 197 is my bill to allow Alaskans to enter Direct Health Care Agreements with doctors. Direct Health Care Agreement concepts are not new and have been adopted as a regular medical practice in 32 states with pending legislation in 12 others including Alaska. Direct Health Care agreements allow a patient to enter into an agreement for service with their healthcare provider for one annual fee and cover a myriad of preventative and regular healthcare without involving their medical insurance. These agreements remove some of the financial barriers patients encounter in accessing routine primary care, including preventive, wellness, and chronic care services. The bill is awaiting its companion bill to come over from the House to catch up with SB 197 in the Senate. The House bill will be the vehicle we hope goes to the Senate floor for a vote.
SJR 4 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to abortion. This bill will allow for the question of abortion to be decided through legislation or voter initiative. The bill was heard and passed out of both the Senate Health and Social Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee. It has been in the Senate Finance Committee since April of 2021 and has not been scheduled for a hearing since we submitted our request last year.
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 the first portion of last night’s Facebook Live from before we lost internet connection here:
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: 357-9956
Vacant – Representative
Anchorage: 907-271-5978
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 559-245-2529 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.
TIP #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.
Buddy Whitt – Chief of Staff
-Senator’s Aide for Judiciary Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Judiciary Finance Subcommittee
-Senator’s Aide for Senate Floor
Buddy.Whitt@akleg.gov
907-465-5025
Daniel Phelps – Legislative Aide
-Committee Aide for Community and Regional Affairs
-Senator’s Aide for Education Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Alaska Food & Farm Caucus
-Senator’s Aide for Administration Finance Subcommittee
Daniel.Phelps@akleg.gov
907-465-1172
Brent Bartlett – Legislative Aide
-Senator’s Aide for Health & Social Services Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Transportation Finance Subcommittee
-Senator’s Scheduler
Brent.Bartlett@akleg.gov
907-465-3743
Juneau Office
Alaska State Capitol Rm 30
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
