Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN - Juneau
agutierrez (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.209.1799 | About Alexandra
Bill Could Slash Salaries For Alaska Ferry Workers
For nearly 40 years, ferry workers who are Alaska residents have gotten a cost-of-living adjustment, allowing them to be paid more than those who don’t live in the state. Now, a bill getting rid of that salary bonus is moving through the Legislature. And the way it’s advanced has raised hackles.
Bill Would Allow Guns To Be Carried On Campus
Down in Idaho, college students are protesting a bill that would allow guns on campus. Here in Alaska, they’re drafting the legislation.
Begich Calls For Increased Education Funding
Sen. Mark Begich chastised state lawmakers for their approach to education during his annual legislative address.
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Legislature Passes Bill Shortening Driver’s License Validity For Immigrants
Starting this year, foreign nationals who wish to drive in Alaska may be getting more scrutiny when they go to the DMV. A bill pegging the expiration date of a driver’s license to a person’s immigration status is now on its way to the governor’s desk.
Abortion Bill Advances On Tight Vote
A bill that puts restrictions on Medicaid payments for abortions narrowly passed its final committee of review in the State Legislature. It advanced without any money for family planning services.
Family Planning Services Axed From Abortion Bill
After being shelved for nearly a year, a bill meant to limit Medicaid payouts for abortion is back – and it’s missing a component that made it more agreeable to the Legislature’s social moderates.
Opponents Of New Oil Tax Law Offer Their Alternatives
While the proposals take different approaches, both seek to raise the tax rate at higher oil prices.
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French Introduces Measure To Strike Gay Marriage Ban
In 1998, Alaska became the first state to put a ban on same-sex marriage into its constitution. Now, the minority leader in the State Senate wants to get rid of that ban.
Legislators Say No To Energy Break
House Speaker Mike Chenault says there will be floor sessions and committee hearings during the first week of March. His counterpart in the Senate, Charlie Huggins, has also resolved to work through Energy Council.
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Alaska Supreme Court Decides Pipeline Worth Billions, Not Millions
The State Supreme Court reaffirmed on Wednesday that the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is worth $10 billion.
Murkowski Continues To Push For King Cove Road
In her annual address before the State Legislature on Wednesday, Murkowski described the Interior Department’s decision to block the project as “heartless and wrong.” She says it’s an extreme case of federal overreach.
Bill Would Standardize Grievance Process For Mental Health Patients
The bill would set up a 24-hour crisis line for patients and establish an administrative appeal process. Mental health facilities would be required to employ patient advocates and to use the same type of complaint forms.
Democrats Use Driver’s License Bill As Vehicle For Gay Rights Fight
A bill that would save military spouses the trouble of going to the DMV has triggered an unlikely battle over gay rights in the state legislature.
Measure Would Increase Public Seats On Judicial Council
A group of Republican state senators want to change the make-up of a commission tasked with vetting judges for the governor. But some critics worry that could shift the balance of the judicial system itself.
Former Alaska Territorial Governor Mike Stepovich Dies
Former territorial governor Mike Stepovich died early this morning, after being injured in a fall. Stepovich served as governor in the late 1950s and was a major advocate for Alaska statehood. He was 94 when he died. Stepovich was born into a Fairbanks mining family. Alaska Edition host and Anchorage Daily News columnist Michael Carey was a teenager when Stepovich was Governor. He says Stepovich was a strikingly handsome man who was Governor at at critical time in Alaska history.
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Legislators Rack Up Million-Dollar Travel Bill
In 2013, the state paid nearly a million dollars for lawmakers to fly across Alaska, across the country, and in some cases, around the world. APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez reports that legislative travel costs went up nearly 50 percent last year.
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Fabe Addresses Cost Of Delivering Justice
The State of the Judiciary address can sometimes be a lofty affair, where the head of the State Supreme Court sets out a vision for what justice in Alaska should look like. This year, Alaska Supreme Chief Justice Dana Fabe delved into more pragmatic concerns, like the effect of declining revenues on the state legal system.
Measure To Elect Attorney General Moves Ahead
Alaska is just one of seven states in the country that does not elect its attorney general. A constitutional amendment that’s moving through the Legislature would change that.
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State Senate Rejects Pay Raises For Governor, Commissioners
The compensation bill was approved unanimously and now needs a vote from the House.
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Partnership To Combat Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
For nearly a year, a group made up of lawmakers, mental health advocates, and Native leaders have been working on a strategy to bring down the number of babies born with the disorder.