April 5, 2022
Alaskan Friends and Neighbors,
April is the National Month of Hope but it is also the National Child Abuse Prevention Month. I’d like to merge these ideas and hope that we can really make a big dent in reducing child abuse in Alaska as we raise awareness and educate the public about child maltreatment prevention.
Unfortunately, many children in Alaska lack nurturing family relationships and a truly supportive community. In fact, Alaska’s per capita rates of child abuse and neglect are some of the highest in the United States. As your legislator, I continue to support policies that will cultivate the growth and development of our children and promote positive outcomes. However, I will remind you that the state can only go so far in its attempts to reduce child abuse and neglect.
Our communities, caring individuals, our churches, and others need to rally to help our precious children and promote the healing and wholeness of families.
As a parent myself, I know that the protection, nurturing, and well-being of children are primarily determined within the home. As a policymaker, I understand that children can be in rough situations that are no fault of their own and for this reason, it is part of my constitutional duty to look out for their welfare and safety.
Although providing for food, housing, heat – ensuring basic needs are met – is something I can work on along with access to mental and physical health services, government cannot substitute for the loving support every child needs. Our communities, caring individuals, our churches, and others need to rally to help our precious children and promote the healing and wholeness of families.
I encourage you to take a little time this month to educate yourself on child maltreatment prevention and to encourage those in the midst of raising children, perhaps even with some tangible encouragement such as giving them a night off by taking the children out for an outing or inviting them over for popcorn and a wholesome movie. For all the parents out there, remember that you have the most important job in the world and asking for help when life’s stressors have you at your wit’s end is always a good thing. It’s been a few years, but I’ve been there and done that!
Now to update you on the latest from your state capital…
Last week, I shared that SB 140 The Even Playing Field Act had been stalled in the Senate Education Committee, its last stop before the Senate floor. I’ve got good news! Due in large part to your vocal support of the bill via emails and phone calls, I am pleased to report that the Chairman has scheduled SB 140 for a hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, April 6. At that time, we will come to the table as we’ve been requesting to do since the last hearing over three weeks ago to discuss what the opposition believes are constitutional problems that were brought up in committee, as well as consider clarifying amendments.
We have put a lot of time into this bill and used language that has been extremely well-vetted over time by constitutional scholars and attorneys who are experts in these matters. This was not a rushed or sloppy job! The expert attorneys are confident the bill language will withstand constitutional scrutiny and would be upheld by the US Supreme Court.
On a side note, I learned some misinformation was spreading around when a number of Alaskans contacted me, upset and frustrated with me for being “uncooperative” as far as changes to the bill and for “refusing to communicate.” Allow me to set the recording straight. I never refused to communicate about changes to the bill and never insisted my bill was “perfect” and should not be amended. I was opposed to some suggested changes that would have absolutely and fully reversed the intent of the bill, but I have been since day one, and will continue to be, open to amendments that strengthen the intent of the bill. I maintain an open door policy with legislators, welcome sitting down with them, whether in one of our offices or over a meal, and regularly reach out to legislators by phone and text.
As noted earlier, we have been working on a couple of clarifying amendments and other members on the committee may also have amendments. The Chair has stated that he intends to move the bill out tomorrow. If the Rules Chair is willing to schedule the bill for a floor vote, that could happen sometime next week.
If you believe girls’ and women’s rights in sports should be upheld as provided by Title IX and would like this bill to pass on the Senate floor, please send a note to the Senators on this list. (You can copy the column of email addresses from this list and paste them into your blank email in the TO, CC, or BCC section. Be sure to mention SB 140 in the subject title.) Thank you!
Food for thought brought to my attention: “Those who oppose policy which ensures an even playing field for girls and women should be aware that they are being drawn into an agenda to ‘put women back in their place’ by men. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, they are getting sucked into supporting the discrimination of women and the dismantling of women’s sports.”
Moving right along, yesterday, we passed two education-related bills, SB 34 State-Tribal Education Compact Schools and SB 80 Public Schools: Mental Health Education, out of the Senate.
The first does not establish tribal compact schools. It authorizes the department to develop a plan with tribal organizations for the schools and to return to the legislature with the proposal which could then be considered by a future legislature via a bill.
With the rising mental health crisis among students, the second bill, SB80, instructs the Alaska State Board of Education to develop guidelines for age-appropriate mental health education for students. The bill does not require school districts, however, to incorporate mental health education into its curriculum, but if a school chooses to offer it, participation by students is optional and fully at the discretion of parents. The teacher must provide advance notice, informed consent, and express written approval from parents on their lesson plan.
Last Wednesday, we also passed out a third education-related bill, SB174 Allow Natural Hairstyles which you can read about by clicking the bill title. Finally we passed SB 132 Controlled Substance Data: Exempt Veterinarian which removes the requirement that your pet’s vet has to enter information into a database tied to you, the pet owner, when the vet prescribes a controlled substance for Rover.
I’m excited to inform you that my bill, SB 57 The Alaska Sunset Commission, is up for a hearing this Thursday. You can read about it further down in the newsletter. SB 57 is designed to move us toward accountable, right-sized, cost-effective, well-performing state government operations. Who doesn’t support that?!
Finally, I am sure that many of you are watching closely for updates on the budget. The House is three weeks behind in passing the budget over to the Senate and, as such, our work has been delayed. Below is an article updating you on the current status. Please know that I am very ready for the budget work to begin in the Senate!
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.
Working on your behalf,
Dr. Randy Trani, Superintendent of the Mat-Su Borough School District (MSBSD), met with me to discuss priorities of the district’s K-12 public schools (in an area the size of West Virginia!). The growth of our region, severe winds, and the 2018 earthquake mean building repairs are no small matter.
We also discussed the challenge teachers face when students are impacted by dysfunction in the home and mental health situations. Recruiting and retaining good teachers continues to be a continuing struggle in District F as well as throughout the state. Few people across the nation are choosing the teaching profession. Dr. Trani is working on innovative ideas to help us “grow our own”.
The good news is that the MSBSD weathered covid quite well academically. Because the students were back to in-person learning sooner than other students in most – if not all – of the state, they were able to stay on track with their studies.
SB 140 The Even Playing Field Act
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).
Kelly Parsons and Kim Bautista are school principals from Eagle River. We discussed matters similar to what I had discussed with Dr. Trani (above).
As educators who have been involved with public schools for a long time, both noted how much tougher the work is now than it was years ago as children today are more apt to come to school with significant challenges due to difficulties in their families.
Please refer to my discussion in the opening greeting above in this newsletter.
What is happening with the state operating budget?
Like you, I am patiently waiting and watching the operating budget process here in the State Capitol building this year and am growing increasingly frustrated with the slow pace. Each year, the Governor submits a budget proposal for consideration in mid-December. Traditionally the process begins in the House with finance subcommittees meeting to discuss the Governor’s budget before presenting a revised budget to the House Finance Committee. The full House then convenes on the floor to take up amendments and put their final version of the operating budget bill to a vote. Once the House has passed the budget bill, it is then the Senate’s opportunity to consider it.
This year has worked much the same way for the most part, except that the House stalled the process twice for a total of approximately three weeks. These delays could have been avoided but, quite frankly, there seems to be no sense of urgency from House leadership. The original delay was intentional: they decided to wait for the Department of Revenue to release the Spring Forecast (the updated projected revenues).
Delays, delays, and more delays…
The House decided to wait on those final numbers so that they could have the first opportunity to appropriate the money. The recent crisis in Ukraine has caused a dramatic increase in the price of oil, which has caused an increase in the forecasted revenue anticipated for the remainder of the current fiscal year and next fiscal year. That caused the first delay: about a two-week slowdown in the budget process.
The second delay was related to covid and politics. A few legislators were absent because of covid and a few legislators were pushing back against the Speaker’s rule to wear masks in the chamber. There were more than enough members for a quorum but alas, politics. The Speaker and House Majority leadership decided to not bring the budget to the floor. As a result, we have not yet received it in the Senate. I expect the House to consider amendments to the budget this week on the floor, hopefully starting tomorrow. Once the House process is complete, the bill will be passed to the Senate and referred to the Senate Finance Committee sometime next week.
The budget process in the Senate has been different this year – and in my summation has involved little engagement by non-Finance members which is rather disappointing. In a normal year, finance subcommittees meet numerous times to speak with departments, review and understand their budget requests in relative detail, ask questions about specific appropriations, and allow members to make recommendations for improvement. This year has been a very abbreviated process with little knowledge sharing. The finance subcommittee chairs have had only one or two meetings per department with very little discussion. I will say that the Judiciary Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Wielechowski, has had several meetings and I appreciate that. Like you, I will have to wait and see how the Operating Co-Chair of Finance, Senator Bert Stedman, and the other members of his committee craft the Senate version of the budget.
I expect the Senate version of the operating budget bill to come to the floor approximately the week of April 18. Once it is passed, a conference committee will be formed and that is where the differences between the Senate’s version and the House’s version get worked out. I should point out that the Senate has not twiddled its thumbs waiting for the House version; it has begun discussions and started working on their version of a committee substitute.
Hot off the press!
Senate Finance has SB 199 Perm Fund; Permanent Fund Dividend scheduled for their morning meeting today. Hold on to your seats, folks. We’re in for a ride!
This bill in its present form removes the original PFD formula from statutes. It puts the PFD at $1100 for this year, $1200 for next year, and $1300 for the following year.
It allows (does not require) a 50/50 split of the draw to go to PFDs but ONLY if $700 million in new taxes are passed by December 2025.
Let’s watch and see if the Senate Finance Committee amends the bill…
Depending on the budget bill negotiations, the conference committee process can take a few days or weeks and weeks. It used to be a relatively short period when the legislature followed the PFD formula in statute. Now that the courts have stated that the statutory formula can be ignored*, the negotiations have stretched out over weeks, even over months.
The good news is that there is a group of Senators who are dedicated to ensuring a proper sized dividend and keeping operational spending down. We may have more success on the former goal than the latter. My hope though is that we will be able to complete a budget that is responsible and fair, particularly in these times of high costs for Alaskans. Stay tuned for more budget details as the budget process in the Senate will pick up by the middle of this month.
*Any new formula or amount placed in statute, such as in SB 199, could also be ignored by lawmakers.
My Committee Aide, Daniel Phelps (left), his wife, and my Chief of Staff, Buddy Whitt (right) participated in the Legislative Shoot the previous weekend. A fun time was had by all!
The Alaska Sunset Commission Act
“What will move us toward accountable, right-sized, cost-effective, well-performing state government operations? SB 57 is designed to do exactly this.” Senator Shelley Hughes
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. The Commission will make recommendations related to the performance and costs to the legislature. To prevent a division from sunsetting and its statutory duties falling to the department’s office of the commissioner, the legislature will have take up and act on the audit report (a change in the present version of the bill is needed to accomplish this).
This will ensure the report does not sit on a desk and collect dust! The reports will be filled with recommendations for efficiencies, possibly staffing adjustments or restructuring of workflow or the division itself, or discontinuation or addition of certain duties, offices, services, for example – all important considerations for the legislature as it makes its budget decisions, all important considerations to move us toward a right-sized and cost effective government!
SB 57 will have its first hearing this Thursday at 3:30pm in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. Please send your written testimony in support of SB 57 to slac@akleg.gov.
Very importantly the annual audit reports will also be available to the executive branch for purposes of both performance and structural improvements within departments as well as for the construction of the governor’s budget each year.
The Commission will be comprised of nine individuals from the private sector with financial, budget analysis, accounting, operations management, and other areas of expertise who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature. The Commission will serve without compensation but will be entitled to per diem and travel expenses authorized for boards and commissions. The Commission may employ staff as it determines necessary to perform its duties.
Along with the submission of the audit report to the legislature, the Commission will provide any recommended statutory changes necessary to accomplish the recommendations in the report.
The size and scope of government can sometimes be hard to grasp and understand, and too often unwieldy and hard to control. Currently, the House and Senate Finance members are asked in a matter of a few months to figure out what is going on in each of the fourteen departments; essentially their only window in is what the executive branch provides. With this limited information and in short order, legislators are tasked with making decisions each year involving spending billions of public dollars. Access to an extensive audit will help hold future governors accountable to building a responsible budget and will help legislators appropriate public dollars wisely.
The result will be more cost-effective and efficient departments that better meet their statutory and constitutional obligations. This in turn will result in overall improved state operations which will better serve Alaskans.
This is especially important as we aim for fiscal sustainability. Although oil prices are high now, we all know that this will not always be the case. While government serves many essential functions, we must bear in mind that its cost should be proportional to our relatively small population. The Commission will help ensure both: that the departments perform their essential functions well and that they do it cost-effectively.
Senate Bill 57 is based upon the Texas model, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission. That Commission was established in 1977 and is responsible for recommendations on the need for, performance of and improvements to agencies under review each year. Since its establishment, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has abolished 85 unneeded state agencies. Of that total, 39 agencies were completely abolished and 46 had their functions transferred to existing or newly created state agencies.
This bill will not dismantle Legislative Budget and Audit (LB&A) but note that LB&A’s work is solely on behalf of the legislature and primarily pertains to reviewing boards and commissions within the executive branch. SB 57 will provide both the legislative branch and the executive branch with an important tool, the Alaska Sunset Commission, for reviewing the operations and cost of the overall state government.
By establishing this Commission, we can help ensure that our state government is the right size and working well for the people of Alaska. With the guidance of the transparent Commission’s reports, the governor will build more appropriate budgets, and the legislature will have the information it needs to route public dollars more accurately and correctly. Both branches will be held to a greater degree of accountability. I hope that you will join me in supporting more responsible government that stays on mission and does not break the bank by supporting Senate Bill 57 The Alaska Sunset Commission.
I hope that you will join me in supporting more responsible government that stays on mission and does not break the bank by supporting Senate Bill 57 The Alaska Sunset Commission.
Photo courtesy of https://pix4free.org/photo/65/A-lake-in-Alaska-at-sunset.html.
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.
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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
-Senate Majority Leader Staff
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Senate Judiciary Committee
Buddy.Whitt@akleg.gov
907-465-5025
Daniel Phelps – Legislative Aide
-Committee Aide for Community and Regional Affairs
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Senate Education Committee
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Alaska Grown Caucus
Daniel.Phelps@akleg.gov
907-465-1172
Brent Bartlett – Legislative Aide
-Senator Hughes’ Aide for Health and Social Services Committee
-Senator Hughes’ 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. The bill is awaiting a third hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Certain items in the bill were recently misunderstood and misrepresented by a few members of the House majority in a newspaper opinion piece. Several of us are working to set the record straight so that the legislation can move forward and young Alaskan students can benefit from schools being held accountable to teach children to read.
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 awaits a hearing in Senate Finance.
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. The bill is scheduled for tomorrow at which time amendments will be taken up for consideration. I am hopeful the bill will be moved out of the committee after discussion of the items brought up at the end of the first hearing.
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 scheduled for its second hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee tomorrow.
SB 217 – Current law allows concealed carry on school campuses in Alaska but only with the permission of the school superintendent. There are currently no other caveats beyond that. One of the reasons superintendents may not be allowing the carrying of concealed weapons is due to the lack of policy on what the training criteria should be considering the very unique school environment (where the ratio of children is greater than that of adults). Most do not realize that this training is not a standard part of police and trooper academies. Law enforcement officers (LEOs) who serve as school resources officers attend additional training specific to school environments. If LEOs require specialized training to work at schools to help increase safety for our precious children, then specialized training should be required for others conceal carrying in schools and they should be given a special job designation for that effort. The time and expense for their effort should be covered by the school district as well. SB 217 establishes the training criteria for school staff to conceal carry. With relatively few LEOs across great expanses of our state’s geography, the slow response time for a LEO at many schools in Alaska could result in a massive tragedy in the event of an active shooter. SB 217 offers a solution for school districts to be prepared so that the lives of students and staff can be saved in the event of such an incident. Our office is currently working to prepare amendments to adjust the wording of the bill to have the new language ready for the committee at the first hearing.
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 the Senate Health and Social Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee is currently in the Senate Finance Committee. We are hopeful that the committee will hear the bill in the near future.
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!
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
Don Young – 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 Education Committee
-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 Alaska Food & Farm Caucus
-Senator’s Aide for Administration Finance Subcommittee
Daniel.Phelps@akleg.gov
907-465-1172
907-465-1172
Brent Bartlett – Legislative Aide
-Senator’s Aide for Health and Social Services Committee
-Senator’s Aide for Transportation Finance Subcommittee
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
