The first batch of bills that have been pre-filed for the upcoming legislative session are now published.
Among them, Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson has filed a bill to make it illegal for police officers to use chokeholds. She has also filed a bill relating to de-escalation procedures used by police officers, and the reporting of misconduct of officers. Another of her bills relates to justification of use of force by police and would prohibit an officer shooting from a moving vehicle. Gray-Jackson has another bill establishing Juneteenth as a legal holiday.
Rep. George Rauscher of the Mat-Su has a bill that would provide for audits of the CARES Act funds that have been expended for community assistance programs and to municipalities. Rauscher also has a bill that would relocate the place that the Legislature meets from Juneau to Anchorage.
Rep. DeLena Johnson has a bill to add cybersecurity attacks affecting critical infrastructure to the list of crises that are included in the official definitions of disasters.
Rep. Andy Josephson has reintroduced a bill adding more duties to the State Commission for Human Rights, to prevent discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
Rep. Sarah Hannan has an income tax bill that has many complicated provisions relating to various forms of income.
Rep. Daniel Ortiz has a bill to move Alaska to Alaska Standard Time throughout the year.
There are also bills relating to abortion, the Alaska Judicial Council, restricting of binding caucuses in the Legislature, and more.
Must Read Alaska will be combing through the list and providing more detail, but readers can begin their own research at this link:
A second batch of pre-filed bills will be published next week.
What a bunch of fools. Mostly a liberal shopping list needs to be shredded at the start and get to work on serving the people. But I do like the idea of staying on Pacific Standard Time and having the legislative session shift locations between major cities. I would like for them to spend a full session in Barrow and one in Bethel for a start.
I thought you said MAJOR cities. Bethel and Barrow aren’t major.
Income tax? That didn’t take long.
Snort! Tax the productive – uh the working and retired who worked the best years of their lives to feed the machine that rewards those who did not. $5000 PFD for all and raid the Permanent Fund, and expect the productive and retired Alaskans to pay a hefty income tax to make up the difference. What a plan! Keep the free loaders dumbed down and doped up and they won’t notice the problem until “they” and I are out of money, We live in a harsh environment, here in Alaska. Face the consequences. I’m tired of taking care of them as a 61- year Alaskan. I’m ready to bail out on an income tax for all the productive and harsh years I’ve spent here. I’m not willing to support the free-loading drunks and dopers and crooked politicians with any more taxes. I refuse to be taxed out of my home of 40 years to support this BS.
I am totally with you Old Alaskan and right there with you on the years we have been here!.
Perhaps there would be less people in unfortunate circumstances if we pressured our politicians to allow industry into this state. We are resource rich, yet the people are poor, and our unemployment rate continues to climb. Where are 700,000 people supposed to work in this state? Every time a resource extraction venture is suggested the environmentalists get it stuck in the permitting process, ad infinitum, or the state legislature gets so erotically stimulated by the prospect of tax income that businesses wisely abandon their folly before it occurs. Eventually we either allow industry or turn off the lights.
Hard to pressure your politician when you don’t know which side of the fence they truly represent. We never know, these days, until after they are elected and then truly declare and align as they form the ruling majority team!
And the idiots just keep on coming. Damn communists. Too tough on the rats.
So far the only two that make sense to me are the permanent Alaska time and the audit of the CARES act funds. The later should be of top most priority. As the owner of a business greatly affected by the shut down(s) in Anchorage I would really like to know where the city spent its share of that money. It certainly wasn’t to help small businesses and their laid off employees. There needs to be accountability for those millions of $$$ along with consequences for inappropriate spending of it.
Agreed!
They will pass income tax when the dividend is gone. This is just to warm us up to it and fake they are apposed.
Also HB-8 is the state version of what the Muni of Anchorage did with butting into private family lives and personal decisions about counseling underaged children/vulnerable adults about sex/gender issues.
I think it’s obvious that nothing anyone could do to the Alaska economy would be as bad as a state income tax. Our production of anything and everything we could possibly originate, manufacture, grow, engender or compose for the rest of the world to buy was down long before we caught the Chinese flu. Alaska is no longer an oil state is what was said in the Alaska House Finance Committee yesterday. Income is the best measure of what we produce; so of course a legislator from Juneau, home of state government, wants to tax it to make everything less efficient and more expensive to produce in Alaska. Alaska is losing population, and the population leaving is not being selected randomly. People who choose to not work, no longer work, or cannot work tend to stay. People who work for government are also more likely to stay, at least until retirement. So the very people we most need stay to create, rebuild and invent the next Alaska economy are those most likely to leave, exactly as they are also the very working families legislators would tax. Why tax those producing families? To protect state government from difficulties in the state economy of course. Some might say to protect state government from the very recession caused by government. One Juneau official told me, “We need to tax these people now; they made money in Alaska and now they will leave for jobs down south so we need to tax what we can before they leave.” Frankly, the state operating budget deficit is now so large compared with aggregate state income, with or without an income tax, that real reductions (which have never been tried despite the smoke and mirrors used in Juneau to show otherwise) are necessary; but first we are going to spend the Permanent Fund it seems (which surprises no one) by determining that the upside of the business cycle, which previously would have been counted as clawing back cyclical losses in the corpus, are instead earnings to be spent on state operations and on debt service for bonds sold to increase the capital budget. On this trajectory the income tax proponents will soon discover that all the producers have moved to better jobs, and all we have left to tax are state and municipal employees, and the retail workers selling things to state and municipal workers. That day is not as far off as 2030, which you can easily see in the hand-outs to yesterday’s hearing, found at akleg.gov.
“Frankly, the state operating budget deficit is now so large compared with aggregate state income,”yep all that done on mostly Republican state control.Mike Dugan warned against it years ago.And worse, we are a one horse pony(N.S oil).Higher oil prices will help, but higher taxes are coming, thats not a bad thing, just uncomfortable.The reality is more jobs only means more property taxes, good on local level, does absolutely nothing on state level(which carries the primaryly heavy lifting state wide).Thats changing, and will in the future even more
The blame can be placed widely, but the reason we have to worry about property taxes is because a large part of the state has none! Many Alaskans pay property taxes to support local government services, including education, fire protection, law enforcement and road maintenance. However, large parts of the state entirely depend upon the state and federal government to pay for local services. We who pay property taxes, and in many cases sales taxes, damn well are not going to turn around and pay a state tax to pay for local government in those places that choose to not pay any local taxes! That is a fact.
If Gov Dunleavy imposes an income tax, I am packing up and leaving Alaska and taking all my assets with me.
Happiness will be seeing Alaska in my rear view mirror!
Enough is enough ain’t it. Me too. Tired of supporting feedbags.
Wyoming starting to look nice to me.
Governor Dunleavy cannot impose an income tax and would likely veto one that the legislature might pass.
DOA. Predictable Democrat activity. More bs from the Crats.
Good luck with that.
“Nov 24, 2020 — A total of $4.5 million for these trail projects around Anchorage came from the $157 million in funding that Anchorage received from the CARES Act grant was directed. The trails project was heavily pushed through the Assembly liberal majority by State Rep. Zack Fields, who sold it as a job training program.” mustreadalaska.com
Anyone know how many times we have tried to pass a bill to get off Seattle time? How do you expect the Idiots that run our capital to get home at the end of their shift? They all have connecting flights from Seattle. The lobbyists rule our capital. The other bills, no surprise. Maybe after they deplete the PFD, half of the dead weight will leave, and when the government gets done eating itself, we Alaskans might have some peace. Not a one government, local or state, has suffered any financial burden during this pandemic. Not that they cannot draw unemployment benefits like the rest of us. Good for them, but does the private sector really have the meens to continue to support them? We shall soon see.
You are going back to a tax. Like in the old days. Just know it’s coming.
I see the legislature is hard at work again trying to drive people away from Alaska and discourage investment in the state. So what else is new?
Sara Hannan and the city who voted for her wants working Alaskans to pay for the states over spending? What a joke okay first we don’t have enough money to pay Alaskans what they are owed, as they transfer money out of the pfd and stuff their own coffers for future use. Now they have the audacity to put a bill in to take working peoples money especially after a year of financial devastation to most Alaskans. Well I will kindly ask her to put up her salary and ask her city to pay for the whatever they want. Don’t come for my earnings. If any tax are to be requested, the fairest tax should always be a sales tax. This way everyone is paying their fair share. Since that’s the time we’re living in right, everyone wanting their fair share. But before any mention of tax should be brought up, why haven’t you look at cutting government. We are a small population with an overly priced government. Who keeps voting in these folks in???
Agree – no “Like Button” on this forum – like your comment. Right on. Well said.
I agree with Ruth, especially the daylight savings time garbage we are forced to go through twice a year! For what purpose? As for the other proposals…garbage. Who are these people that are wasting our state’s money? And enough of the gender stuff. Nobody cares!
Rauscher’s CARES audit and relocating the legislative session bills are excellent. Also the cyberattack bill sounds appropriate. Forget the income tax until the state has exhibited belt tightening. If what DOT spent yesterday on Matsu valley roads, it seems they have plenty of money to throw away and very likely indicative of other departments.
Income tax (“Education Funding Bill” HB-9) on struggling Alaskans, to fund what!? Who wrote this abomination – the Halibut Cove cabal? This is a Seaton/Walker redux or some other looter feedbag entity we don’t know of. I have a mathematical problem with a $5000 PFD payout this year for every man, woman, and child in this state and the raiding of the Permanent Fund, and expectation that the productive and retired persons who saved all their lives would be burdened to fund the deficit in the Permanent Fund to pay for it. Go back to the drawing board for a fair tax scheme that everyone will pay. I’m certainly not an expert in how to screw the productive public over, but this scheme reeks in my mind! Education Funding, my butt.
Didn’t see “Restore Permanent Fund Dividend Losses To Those Who Got Ripped Off” in there.
Yeah. They owe me back pay.
There won’t be any incomes to tax.
The blame can be placed widely, but the reason we have to worry about property taxes is because a large part of the state has none! Many Alaskans pay property taxes to support local government services, including education, fire protection, law enforcement and road maintenance. However, large parts of the state entirely depend upon the state and federal government to pay for local services. We who pay property taxes, and in many cases sales taxes, damn well are not going to turn around and pay a state tax to pay for local government in those places that choose to not pay any local taxes! That is a fact.
It’s like we didn’t have an election. Same BS coming out of Juneau.
My e-mail to Elvi:
Have you ever taken the Use of Force Continuum course? I seriously doubt it. I have twice, with the USAF and ASDF, along with annual continuing education.
From what I have seen, you have no clue as to that use of force, how we are taught to escalate and deescalate rapidly. Not once in any training was choke holds taught, so you adding to take that training way is again based on a total lack of knowledge of Law Enforcement (LE) training.
I am not surprised that you are introducing this bill. For those of the far left like yourself have made up your mind about LE from the likes of BLM whom have called for cops to be killed. This bill is nothing more than an attack on LE based on your bias towards equal protection under the law.
I as a former USAF Security Forces contractor and former Constable with the ASDF, I made arrests, using that Use of Force Continuum many times. The suspects had the level used on them that they caused. I had to use the presentation of deadly force once. That stopped the actions of the suspect, once that was done, the weapon presentation ended. I had to take down suspects with force, once that force stopped the actions of the suspect, then that force ended.
I ask that you educate yourself before you start putting forward a bill that is not necessary because all that you “say” you want accomplished is already being done! Why don’t you contact the State Troopers and attend a course at the Academy? Educate yourself vs following the likes of those who are pushing harming police with defunding and adding what you “think” is best when you have never been on the front line!
Mike Coons
President, Matsu Chapter, AMAC Action
No income tax to pay a dividend! As long as the dividend is still paid that’s exactly what an income tax would be.
The one good prefiled bill reported on here in that damn Daylight Savings lunacy. It is interesting that Ortiz from Ketchikan filed it coming from the most Eastern city in Alaska. Point is one size fits all time zones do not work! It is crazy when the sunset for today is tomorrow… and when the sunrises after noon as it does in Western Alaska. Look at going back to different time zones like we had prior to the Capital move votes already.
They do already kind of. Gamble is in the Hawaii time zone but residents choose to follow Alaska time.
I will not pay an income tax to support thousands of people that do not work and do not live in an area where there exists an economy in Alaska. That is a criminal act to take money from people that earn it while throwing away millions on giveaway programs to people that are doing nothing to support themselves.
16 year old minors being pre registered to vote.
Oh great. Are there not enough dead people or
People who have moved out of state or out of their
district to aid in voter harvesting? Or is the next
Goal to have minors voting and harvested for credit
At schools???
Why would we want to remain on Alaska Standard Time all year long? Washington, Oregon and California are all going to go on permanent daylight savings time once approved by the Feds. This means we’ll forever be two hours behind the west coast and five hours behind those east coast states that also go on permanent DST. I’m all for getting rid of the biannual clock change, but we need to be on permanent daylight savings time, like most of America. And yes, I’m well aware of our time zone realignment back in the 80s. Like most Alaskans, I’d rather have my daylight at the end of the day, not the beginning.
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