Senator Berta Gardner and Senator Dennis Egan share a laugh on the Senate Floor.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
At 117 days, the Second Regular Session of the 30th Legislature adjourned Sine Die after passing a marathon number of bills, including many bills that were rolled into other bills. While we didn’t get everything we wanted – such as a durable fiscal plan that includes a broad-based revenue measure, appropriate funding for education included in the BSA so it is not a fight every year, pay increases for state troopers to help with retention, and restoration of a full PFD – a lot of good things did happen:
Alaska has been a terrible parent to the hundreds of children that are placed in our care. This legislation will help us do better by reducing caseloads to caseworkers – allowing them the opportunity to do their job the way it’s supposed to be done, and potentially provide greater job satisfaction and higher retention of workers. This bill also stresses the importance of keeping families together by requiring that relatives are sought for placement, and mandates that if siblings must be separated, that they are able to stay in touch. I am grateful to the sponsor for his continued leadership and dedication to our foster kids in Alaska and absolutely delighted to see this effort become law in the final days.
This legislation was rolled into SB 105 – a bill originally dealing with marital and family therapy licenses. HB 123 will require health care providers and facilities to post health care price information in their public reception areas and online. Providers will also be required to provide price information to the State of Alaska to make it available on the Department of Health and Social Service website.
Under the law, patients will now have the ability to request a “good faith” estimate of non-emergency procedures and services from health care insurers, providers, or facilities.
This doesn’t solve the issue of our outrageous health care costs in Alaska on its own – but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. This visibility will help families better budget for certain non-emergency procedures – and will hopefully continue to add momentum towards achieving greater cost containment.
After several years of trying, Alaska will finally be smoke-free in the workplace! Under the bill, municipalities can opt-out (with local voter support) if they wish to continue to allow smoking in the work place. For many Alaskans, especially those that have struggled or have loved ones who have battled with cancer and other smoking-related ailments, this is a huge victory. [xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]Without counting bills that were combined into other bills, the legislation which passed both legislative bodies breaks down as follows:
House Bills: 95
Senate Bills: 49
House Resolutions: 10 plus seven joint resolutions
Senate Resolutions: 10 plus one joint resolution
For a grand total of 144 bills, 20 resolutions and eight joint resolutions.
This year may have also been a record in terms of my personal legislation:
I am pleased that next year, I will be able to observe Alaska Reads Day (from SCR 5) with my grandchildren – even if they are not in Alaska. For my entire career I’ve been focused on what could be done to improve literacy rates in our state. As with most major issues, the solution is complicated, especially without adequate funding to go alongside it. A true solution would include large-scale efforts in the schools, home, and community to support reading. Spoken languages, family income, and programs in schools are all connected to this issue. Alaska Reads Day was one small way to bring focus to this issue and support advocacy groups already working on literacy improvement.
A parent should not be forced to co-parent with the person who raped them. If a child was conceived through rape, SB 134 ensures that a parent has an opportunity to terminate the parental rights of their assailant, if they so choose.
Through collaborative efforts with Rep. Spohnholz and other legislators, SB 208 – Sobriety Awareness Month – draws attention to Alaskans choosing to lead their lives free of harmful substances. Watch the video below to learn more about Sobriety Awareness Month:
I am disappointed that this legislation wasn’t able to move forward. In the Senate, it did not receive a single hearing. In the House, it became stalled in its first committee of referral. While it is rare, children can marry at the age of 14 in our state with judicial approval. I think it is past time to address this issue to protect our children from this fate.
Efforts to add protection from discrimination in housing, banking and employment based on one’s sexual orientation or gender identification have been made since the 27th Alaska Legislature. This year, the House companion to legislation I sponsored went the farthest a bill seeking to address that issue has ever gone. It still could not make it over the finish line. I recognize that progress can take time and I continue to hold out hope for this effort to pass in the future.
In the end – there was a strong effort on all sides to work and come together on the issues on which we could agree – and to find and reach compromise where we couldn’t.
I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of the wonderfully kind comments I’ve been receiving through Facebook, email, and written cards, regarding my service and retirement. I can’t stress enough how much I have enjoyed this job and the privilege of serving you. Although I have now finished my last legislative session, I will remain in office until January, and I look forward to continuing to serve our district until then.
