Omnibus education bill stopped by Democrats, and a flurry of bills introduced in House

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The Democrat minority in the House, plus Republican Rep. David Eastman, stopped Senate Bill 140 from moving forward in the House on Monday, to the dismay of half the body. On a vote of 20-20, the House version of the education bill was stuck.

It started out as a bill that would award grants to broadband companies through rural Alaska school districts, ended up being a vehicle for myriad Republican education priorities, such as support for correspondence education and charter schools, help for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, teacher pay incentives, and more.

The House majority and minority appear to be continuing to work together to resolve differences over the bill.

Pending for floor votes are two bills:

HB 143 – Advanced recycling and facilities

HJR 7 – Constitutional amendment regarding the Permanent Fund dividend calculation

On Tuesday, the House briefly met and several bills were read into the record and assigned to committees. Most of the bills introduced this late in session will not make it through both the House and the Senate before the 120-day session ends around May 15, but the bills may end up getting reintroduced next year. Some of them have been introduced in years past, such as the bill establishing a law school at the University of Alaska, and they have not made progress through committees. The bills introduced Tuesday before the body took an “at ease to the call of the chair,” are as follows:

HB 332SALE OF ALASKA RAILROADREPRESENTATIVE SUMNER(H) TRA
HB 333TAX CREDIT CHILD CARE/UTILITY/HOUSE/FOODHOUSE RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR (H) L&C
HB 334BLOOD DONATION TESTING AND DISCLOSUREREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) HSS
HB 335CIVIL LIABILITY FOR PROVIDING ALCOHOLREPRESENTATIVE FIELDS(H) L&C
HB 336ATHLETIC TRAINER SCOPE OF PRACTICEREPRESENTATIVE FIELDS(H) HSS
HB 337ESTABLISHING 4-H DAYREPRESENTATIVE FIELDS(H) CRA
HB 338PHYSICIAN LIABLITY: GENDER TRANS PROCEDURE;MINORSREPRESENTATIVE ALLARD(H) JUD
HB 339SCHOOL GRANTS AND BOND DEBT REIMBURSEMENTREPRESENTATIVE ALLARD(H) EDC
HB 340DURATION OF DRIVERS’ LICENSES & ID CARDSREPRESENTATIVE MINA(H) STA
HB 341NAMING: MARVIN THURMOND GALENA MAINT. STATIONREPRESENTATIVE CRONK(H) TRA
HB 342CRIM. CONV. OVERTURNED: RECEIVE PAST PFDREPRESENTATIVE TOMASZEWSKI(H) JUD
HB 343SCHOOL DISTRICT MEDICAL ASSISTANCEHOUSE RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR (H) HSS
HB 344MEDICAL ASSIST. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTSHOUSE RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR (H) HSS
HB 345HARBOR FACILITIES AND SAFETY LADDERSREPRESENTATIVE STORY(H) CRA
HB 347PROPERTY ASSESSMENTREPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE(H) CRA
HB 348MINIMUM VETO AMOUNTREPRESENTATIVE GROH(H) STA
HB 349RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT LEASESREPRESENTATIVE GROH(H) RES
HB 350BINDING VOTES AS CRIME; BRIBERY/COERCIONREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) JUD
HB 351JURY TRIALS FOR TERM. OF PARENTAL RIGHTSREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) JUD
HB 352DEFINITION OF PERSONREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) JUD
HB 353JURY INSTRUCTION: JUDGE LAW & FACTSREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) JUD
HB 354RESTRICT RESTAURANT USE OF POLYSTYRENEREPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON(H) HSS
HB 355STATEWIDE PUBLIC & COMMUNITY TRANSIT PLANREPRESENTATIVE MINA(H) TRA
HB 356PAYMENT OF CONTRACTSREPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT(H) STA
HB 357OUTSTANDING NATL. RES. WATER DESIGNATIONREPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK(H) CRA
HB 358PROHIBIT AI-ALTERED REPRESENTATIONSREPRESENTATIVE CRONK(H) JUD
HB 359ONE-TIME PFD PAYMENTREPRESENTATIVE CRONK(H) RES
HB 360HOME CARE EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ADV BOARDREPRESENTATIVE PRAX(H) L&C
HB 361BENEFIT REQS: MENTAL HLTH & SUBST ABUSEREPRESENTATIVE PRAX(H) HSS
HB 363FOSTER CHILDREN PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENTREPRESENTATIVE GRAY(H) HSS
HB 364CRIMES AGAINST MINORSREPRESENTATIVE GRAY(H) JUD
HB 365POWER COST EQUILIZATIONREPRESENTATIVE MCCABE(H) ENE
HB 366MINORS & RESIDENT PSYCH TREATMENT CENTERSREPRESENTATIVE DIBERT(H) HSS
HB 367JUVENILE FACILITIES: COMPUTER SCI. PROG.REPRESENTATIVE STORY(H) EDC
HB 368ELECTRICAL ENERGY & ENERGY PORTFOLIO STDSHOUSE ENERGY(H) ENE
HB 369MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIESREPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ(H) CRA
HB 370REPEAL REAL ID IMPLEMENTATIONREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) STA
HB 371MEDICAL REVIEW ORGANIZATIONSREPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE BY REQUEST(H) HSS
HB 372PROHIBIT STATE ENFORCE FED GUN LAWSREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) CRA
HB 373SERVICE OF ARMED FORCES OF THE STATEREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) MLV
HB 374TEACHER/STATE EMPLOYEE STUDENT LOAN PRGRMREPRESENTATIVE STORY(H) EDC
HB 375ENERGY SOURCES OF MOTOR VEHICLESHOUSE TRANSPORTATION(H) L&C
HB 376DELIVERY NETWORK COMPANIESHOUSE TRANSPORTATION(H) TRA
HB 377VPSO GRANTS TO BOROUGHSREPRESENTATIVE MCCABE(H) CRA
HB 378ORG. RETAIL THEFT/FUND;MKTPLACE SALES TAXREPRESENTATIVE FIELDS(H) L&C
HB 379DUI DIVERSION PROGRAMREPRESENTATIVE PRAX(H) STA
HB 380CHILD REMOVAL REVIEW BOARDREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) HSS
HB 381HEALTH CARE PROVIDER TAXHOUSE WAYS & MEANS(H) W&M
HB 382PARENT/TEACHER EDUCATION BILL OF RIGHTSREPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER(H) EDC
HB 383EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACYREPRESENTATIVE GALVIN(H) EDC
HB 384GRAND JURY CRIMINAL COURT RULESREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) JUD
HB 385OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING FEESREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) L&C

In addition, several House committee resolutions were introduced on Tuesday:

HCR 10PERMANENT FUND COMMITTEE: UNIFORM RULESREPRESENTATIVE GROH(H) RLS
HCR 11ALCOHOL CANCER AWARENESS MONTHREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) HSS
HCR 12PORNOGRAPHY AS PUBLIC HEALTH CRISISREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) HSS
HCR 13RECOGNIZING NCSL ON 50TH ANNIVERSARYREPRESENTATIVE SADDLER(H) STA
HCR 14UAA LAW SCHOOL; LAW SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPSREPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON(H) EDC

House joint resolutions introduced on Tuesday include:

HJR 22RESIDENT SUBSISTENCE USE OF FISH/GAMEREPRESENTATIVE BAKER(H) RES
HJR 23CONST. AM: GOVERNOR VETOREPRESENTATIVE GROH(H) JUD
HJR 24CONST. AM: LIEUTENANT GOVERNORREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) STA
HJR 25CONST. AM: MEMBERSHIP OF JUDICIAL COUNCILREPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN(H) STA
HJR 26STATE JURISIDCTION OVER COASTAL WATERREPRESENTATIVE VANCE(H) FSH

8 COMMENTS

  1. If Eastman voted against it, then it’s not a good bill. He really thinks things through, and I’m sure he testified to why it wasn’t a good bill.

  2. In the intro here, you’ve made the mistake of putting me in the majority.

    Based on the talking points coming out of the House Majority its a common enough mistake.

    Even were everyone in the minority to join me in voting against something, as in this case, it would still pass by a majority vote because the majority would predictably vote for it. And since they are the “majority” they would have the “majority” of votes needed to pass this, without my vote, or the vote of anyone in the minority.

    (Note: bills don’t currently go to the floor in the house until a majority has already committed their support to the bill).

    The House Majority talking points have been anything but honest on this bill, much less my opposition to it.

    Some members of the House Majority desire to change the version of the bill that is currently up for debate from Version “S” to Version “H”. Some members of the House Majority do NOT want to change from Version “S” to Version “H”.

    The immediate debate is between the members of the Majority Caucus who want to make the change and those who don’t.

    The Majority’s talking points leave out that rather conspicuous detail. The talks continue.

    • Thank you for calling out the error in the article! I figured that if it were true, there was a reason for it. I want to thank you also for submitting HJR24. I wish it were already in place to put an end to the “split the vote” for the senate seat. I wish that something were to be introduced to stop people who are overseeing elections from being able to run in them. There probably already is something in place, but the lawless do not follow laws or rules.

  3. Can you write article uncovering GEC (Global Engagement Center) and how they are behind all the censorship on internet so far and also voting manipulation, using the high speed internet? And how they have declared war on democracy?
    Thank you-all for all your super excellent information articles!

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