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Recall Dunleavy group moves to ‘sign at home’

Suzanne Downing
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11
Recall Dunleavy group moves to ‘sign at home’

In a desperate effort to restart their attempt to remove the governor of Alaska in the middle of an international emergency, the Recall Dunleavy Committee has moved to a “sign at home” method of getting signatures for recalling Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Earlier this week, under pressure from their own supporters, the Recall Dunleavy Committee stopped all public signature gathering by their paid petition carriers, such as this man spotted at the Midtown Mall in recent days.

“All registered Alaska voters may now request a personal household Recall petition booklet by mail,” the committee wrote.

To comply with the law, but the Recall committee says people may instead self-certify “under penalty” their signatures before turning them in. Those books, no doubt, will come under greater scrutiny.

They’ll also cost the recall group money. The Division of Elections produced, at public expense, 1,200 booklets for the initial effort to recall the governor, and these additional booklets will have to be paid for by the Recall Dunleavy Committee.

Some people who are opposed to the recall have noted to Must Read Alaska that they will be requesting the personal household booklets.

Villages, tribes begin locking down travel to communities

Suzanne Downing
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5
Villages, tribes begin locking down travel to communities

TRIBAL COUNCILS SET QUARANTINE

The Village of Grayling, population about 200, has issued a travel ban for everyone in the village, prohibiting all inter-village travel. For those leaving the village, they will not be able to return for at least 30 days and they will need to provide a proof of screening for COVID-19.

Other villages in rural Alaska are issuing similar lockdowns, although Grayling’s tribal council may be the most stringent. Grayling is represented by Senator Lyman Hoffman and Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky.

Must Read Alaska has learned that Kalskag has also closed its doors as has Scammon Bay. Some 700 people are affected between those two communities. On Monday, Holy Cross is planning to quarantine its 150 residents, according to MRAK sources.

Such tribal rules are not always applied equally in communities among the various Native and non-Native residents. It’s unclear how mail and health care will be delivered to these communities and how their fragile water systems that require constant monitoring will be maintained if there is a breakdown and workers cannot be flown in.

In a time of COVID, tribal sovereignty bill passes House

Suzanne Downing
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3
In a time of COVID, tribal sovereignty bill passes House

The Alaska House of Representatives has voted to officially recognize the 229 federally recognized tribes in Alaska.

Rep. Chuck Kopp, the sponsor of House Bill 221, said the bill is a way to end colonial thinking in Alaska. It passed 31-5, with a conservative bloc of Republicans voting against it that included Reps. Ben Carpenter, David Eastman, Mike Prax, Delena Johnson, and Colleen Sullivan-Leonard.

Proponents said it was largely symbolic, but those opposed to it worry it will allow governmental sovereignty and a patchwork of new fiefdoms that are independent from State sovereignty but receive money from State government.

But that already happened under the Walker Administration in 2017, when former Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth, who now leads the Recall Dunleavy Committee’s legal team to remove Gov. Mike Dunleavy, ruled that the existence of a tribal government does not even require a federal determination. She determined tribes in Alaska are sovereign in ways that were not explicitly extinguished by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

Dunleavy to Legislature: Pay the remaining PFD now

Suzanne Downing
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10
Dunleavy to Legislature: Pay the remaining PFD now

HE IS HALTING EVICTIONS FOR THOSE IN AHFC HOUSING

Gov. Mike Dunleavy today asked the Alaska Legislature to release the $1,306 in Permanent Fund dividend payments that were owed to Alaskans under statute in 2019, but were kept from them by the Legislature last year.

“This is the quickest way to get relief to Alaskans to so they can pay their rent, buy gas, and keep on with their daily lives, he said. We can get those PFDs out in April, very fast,” he said.

“Never in the last 40 years has the payment of the PFD been more critical, and Congress itself is on the verge of enacting its own version of our dividend program to get cash in the hands of all Americans,” Dunleavy said. Alaskans are facing personal crises as they look for ways to make their next rent or house payment at the end of the month, and to buy food for their families, he said.

While federal relief payments appear to be headed for approval, many Alaskans need help right now, Dunleavy said, calling on the Legislature to act quickly with the most effective form of relief that could be made. It is a form of relief that depends on the authorization of the Legislature, as the governor cannot access the funds alone, Dunleavy said.

“We need to be there for them so no Alaskan slips through the cracks. Failure to act immediately on this will have devastating consequences on Alaska’s public health and could jeopardize our pandemic response.

“I urge our Legislature to follow the lead of Congress and take concrete action to safeguard the lives and welfare and the economy of Alaska now.

Please authorize, I’m asking the Legislature, please authorize the payment of the PFD now so Alaskans can receive this payment in April to help with their daily lives,” Dunleavy said.

Dunleavy also announced:

  • Small business bridge loans at local lending institutions.
  • Interest rates on these loans will match SBA, and be 100 percent guaranteed by the state
  • Establishing a $1 billion fund for disaster relief, coming from existing accounts in government that are already in hand.
  • Aggressively expanding unemployment insurance.
  • Signing executive order to protect 13,000 Alaskans who receive rental assistance from AHFC. No evictions for 60 days.
  • AHFC is being directed to suspend foreclosures and evictions immediately.
  • Loan services are authorized to grant forbearance.
  • Help for health care workers with more protective gear.
  • $100 million to address the increased public health workload to combat the virus.
  • More health safety equipment for state workers.
  • Municipalities will be getting aid. Resources will be set aside to help local governments cope with the loss of sales tax and other revenue.

This story is being updated. Check back…

Now, a dozen COVID cases

Suzanne Downing
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28
Now, a dozen COVID cases

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC RELIEF FOR BUSINESSES

Gov. Mike Dunleavy said that with three new cases identified today, there are 12 cases of COVID-19 virus identified in Alaska. With more and more testing being done, he said the public should expect more.

The first case of COVID in Alaska was on March 11, and was a cargo pilot who developed symptoms enroute from Asia. Since then, more than one case per day has been identified in the state, and drive-through testing is occurring.

The two additional cases in Fairbanks occurred in adults in their 30s or 40s who had not traveled in the past 14 days. However, they may not be random cases, but people in known contact with earlier Fairbanks cases.

The case in Ketchikan is also not considered community transmission.

At this time, there are no hospitalized COVID patients in Alaska. All of the patients are staying at home and being monitored, said Dr. Anne Zink. The JBER patient is also self-quarantined in his home. They are all doing well, she said.

ECONOMIC RELIEF FOR BUSINESSES

Dunleavy spoke to the economic distress that Alaska is experiencing, and said SBA loans would soon be available that could release up to $2 million for individual businesses. Other state funds for bridge loans may be made available more quickly, he said, the details of which are being worked out.

He acknowledged that this is a government-induced crisis impacting businesses and it’s not the fault of the businesses, but the result of a health emergency that required government to close down restaurants, bars, gyms, and myriad other facilities to slow the spread of the virus, which typically takes a drastic toll on the elderly.

CANADIAN BORDER

The governor also spoke briefly about the border closing with Canada. Four border crossings — Hyder, Haines, Skagway and Tok — will not be closed at this time. The border closures are to prevent people traveling for leisure, not to prevent people from their usual business travel.

MEDICAL MANDATES

New mandates were ordered by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink today: They include no optional dentistry and no optional medical procedures being conducted in the state at this time. The medical community needs to preserve surgical masks and protective gear for emergency situations; shortages of these protective items are now widespread in the Lower 48. The elective procedure order is as follows:

Mandate 5.1 – Elective Procedures

All patients, providers, hospitals and surgical centers are required to postpone or cancel all non-urgent or elective procedures for three months to decrease the overall impact on the Alaska health care structure and preserve personal protective equipment. This would include pre-scheduled surgeries deemed non-essential. This mandate does not apply to surgical cases coming through the emergency room or for an existing hospitalized patient.

Because the terms “non-urgent or elective” are not fully defined, the state recommends each hospital creates a physician task force that would be available to evaluate on a case-by-case basis and make a determination on borderline surgeries. This action is taken with the guidance from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and the American College of Surgeons: www.facs.org/about-acs/covid-19/information-for-surgeons and www.facs.org/about-acs/covid-19/information-for-surgeons/triage.

The moratorium on non-emergency dentistry is as follows:

Mandate 6.1 – Elective Oral Health Procedures


Dental clinical settings and oral health professionals are recognized within the highest risk categories for both transmission and contraction of the coronavirus, as most dental procedures release significant aerosols in the operatory atmosphere. Therefore, in concurrence with recommendations from the American Dental Association (ADA), the Alaska Dental Society, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, elective oral health care procedures are required to be postponed for a period of one month. 

Alaska oral health professionals should be aware:

  • There is a growing shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in health care facilities as response to COVID-19 continues. Please closely monitor supplies of PPE.
  • There is a high risk of disease in individuals over 60 years of age and individuals with underlying or chronic health conditions. 

Recommended actions:

  • Postpone all elective and non-essential dental procedures.
  • Prioritize treatment for patients experiencing dental emergencies, here defined by the ADA as ‘Health care related to relief of severe dental/oral pain and infection management’.
  • To help decrease the overburden of emergency rooms and urgent care facilities as COVID-19 response rapidly increases, oral health practitioners are encouraged to provide emergency dental care through patients’ regular dental home, including after-hours where possible, except in the case of a life-threatening emergency.
  • Limit orders and use of PPE to the minimum necessary for emergency care.

GOVERNOR SUPPORTS PAYING BACK MISSING PFDS

Gov. Dunleavy reiterated his support for paying back the portions of the Permanent Fund dividends kept from Alaskans over the past four years.

“I can’t think of a time in the past four years that people would have needed cash in their hands than they do now,” he said. He urged the Legislature to pay back the PFDs.

“Right now what people need is cash in their hands. I’m hoping the Legislature moves on this sooner, rather than later.

Another conservative nominee takes on Rep. Zack Field’s Thunderdome

Suzanne Downing
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7
Another conservative nominee takes on Rep. Zack Field’s Thunderdome

JAMIE ALLARD GOES INTO THE RING, COMES OUT UNSCATHED

A nominee for the Alaska Human Rights Commission got to experience the now-common public character assassination by House State Affairs Committee Chairman Zack Fields.

Conservative women nominees who have had their reputations, religious beliefs, and personalities brutalized by Fields during confirmation hearings are now numerous enough to have their own club.

Jamie Allard

Fields set up a surprise hearing for Jamie Allard, who is also a candidate for Anchorage Assembly, but who is the governor’s choice for the Human Rights Commission.

With just 24 hours to prepare, Allard phoned in to the committee hearing, only to be called a racist by Fields because of a social media post she made that questioned some of the terms of tribal sovereignty as it pertains to law and order in rural Alaska.

Fields also accused Allard of being fired from the State Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

She said it wasn’t so.

He accused her of ordering lots of office furniture and forcing people to move offices at DMVA.

She said it was a printer she needed so that personnel documents could be printed confidentially, and the printer was repurposed from elsewhere in the department.

And finally, he accused her of having an abrasive personality.

But Allard was having none of it. “Are you calling me racist?” the U.S. Army veteran asked Fields at one point. Allard is Hispanic, and she was loaded for bear on that question.

He quickly backed down and said he didn’t “know her heart” but other people, whom he would not name, might think she is racist.

He also said that “other people” had told him she had been fired, and that others told him that she ordered several office remodels at DMVA. He believed them, not her, he said.

At once point, Rep. Sarah Vance had to intervene during what had become a battering, asking what Allard’s work at DMVA had to do with a volunteer position on a state commission. Allard had worked for the Dunleavy administration for about six months, before resigning to run for Anchorage Assembly.

When Fields needed a break from the inquisition, Rep. Andi Story jumped into the fray and asked Allard what kind of activities she has planned to reduce racism or sexism, and asked her whether she supports gay rights.

Allard responded that she would be working on topics pertaining to the commission and that she would follow the law.

Fields had finally had enough of Allard and recessed the committee, after it appeared she wasn’t going to lose her cool or allow him to take unfair shots at her reputation.

This is our ‘rainy day’: Alaskans need the PFD now

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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This is our ‘rainy day’: Alaskans need the PFD now

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

By JOE GELDHOF, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Alaska is at a critical point.  Oil prices have tanked.  The threat from the COVID-19 virus is obvious.  Our state’s fiscal and budgetary situation is in chaos.

The wealth Alaska has received in the last four decades from oil belonging to the citizens has largely been spent.  Looking back, it is easy to determine we spent too much of our non-renewable oil wealth and saved too little.

As a result of our spending habits, we face a fiscal crisis, one that is augmented by the COVID-19 virus, low oil prices and a volatile stock market.

Our organization, the Permanent Fund Defenders, believes prompt action is required to prevent Alaska from falling in economic catastrophe.  Instead of managing this crisis, we fear our elected officials will accelerate the raids on the Permanent Fund earnings and deny Alaskan citizens the direct benefits of their savings account.

Now is the time for all Alaskans to stand together to defend the Permanent Fund and use our savings wealth for the benefit of every Alaskan.  

Wealthy Alaskans and those with power want to divert funding for the PFD into government, so they do not have to pay taxes. This hurts those among us with the smallest resources and builds the budget on the backs of the poor.

Given the crisis we face, the wise thing for our elected officials to do is immediately make an additional PFD payment based on the 2018 application process. Using the 2018 application process (for the 2019 check) will allow for payment of a $1,400 within 60 days, benefiting every eligible Alaskan and especially those most in need.  

Payment of $1,400 to every Alaskan eligible for a PFD last year will provide a buffer to the economic uncertainty caused by low oil prices and the COVID-19 virus. 

Alaskans need relief today, not down the trail. Governments like Hong Kong are making immediate cash payments to every adult resident to stimulate their economy, a move hailed by many economists as a sound way to protect the economy and reduce economic uncertainty. 

Alaska’s people and our economy will benefit from an immediate payment to every person of $1,400. Payment now, based on the eligibility requirements from last year when the PFD was reduced, will help Alaskans through these difficult times.

The earnings generated by the Permanent Fund belong to the people of Alaska, not the lobbyists and special interests trying to deny Alaskans from obtaining a responsible share of their saved wealth.

For too long, Alaska’s politicians have avoided making the hard choices that would put our state government spending on a sustainable trajectory.  Our politicians have spent too much, avoided tough calls on making government more accountable and toyed with various borrowing and fiscal incentive schemes that favor powerful special interests. It’s past time for Alaska’s elected officials to put the citizens first and stop pandering to special interests.  

Now is the time for the legislature to act by appropriating a portion of the earnings wealth to the people. The earnings wealth derived from the Permanent Fund belongs to the citizens of Alaska, not the special interests.  Payment of an additional $1,400 as part of the 2019 PFD program will help individuals in our state and mitigate the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 virus and a diminished economy. 

Going forward, what Alaskans deserve and need is a constitutional amendment that permanently protects the Permanent Fund. 

The mineral resource wealth from our commons belongs to all Alaskans equally. Every Alaskan deserves an equal share of our wealth.

After the legislature appropriates a supplemental PFD payment, they need to put a constitutional amendment before the voters allowing for a sensible draw from Permanent Fund earnings, perpetual protection of the Permanent Fund from the ravages of inflation and a guaranteed payment of a dividend to every eligible Alaskan.  

Permanent protection of the people’s wealth and payment of a dividend is hardly a radical proposition. After all, the wealth belongs to the people of Alaska, not the lobbyists and special interests trying to deny Alaskans from obtaining a responsible share of their saved wealth.

The Permanent Fund Defenders Board includes: Chairman Clem Tillion (Halibut Cove), Jack Hickel (Anchorage), Rick Halford (Aleknagik), Joe Geldhof (Juneau) & Juanita Cassellius (Eagle River). Website: www.pfdak.com

Relief for laid-off workers speeding through Legislature

Suzanne Downing
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5
Relief for laid-off workers speeding through Legislature

The Alaska House passed HB 308, which will waive work-seeking requirements for those collecting unemployment insurance, extending that requirement to 120 days.

The bill has the support of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and passed the House 38-0, with two members excused. The bill:

  • Allows Alaskans who are unable to work, or who are underemployed because of public health measures, to become eligible for unemployment benefits and help prevent the spread of COVID-19;
  • Waives the standard 1-week waiting requirement to begin receiving unemployment insurance benefits;
  • Increases the weekly per-dependent benefit from $25 to $75, providing relief for families who have lost childcare and income simultaneously.

The bill has a companion measure in the Senate and is expected to move quickly to the floor of the Senate by Friday.

The bill reflects the Trump Administration’s signing of H.R. 6021, which is an emergency relief package driving unemployment benefit relief to states. It required Alaska to develop some flexibility in its own legislation.

Dunleavy asks feds for waiver on REAL ID deadline

Suzanne Downing
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8
Dunleavy asks feds for waiver on REAL ID deadline

The Dunleavy administration has asked the federal government for an extension on the REAL ID deadline, due to the ongoing national emergency caused by the COVID virus outbreak.

The REAL ID law stipulates that on Oct. 1, 2020, all people will need a REAL ID-compliant identification, such as a REAL ID driver’s license or a U.S. passport, in order to board commercial flights, enter federal buildings or gain access to American nuclear plants.

In many parts of rural Alaska, people have not yet acted to bring their identification into compliance. The new Alaska driver’s license that is REAL ID compliant has certain design features that indicate the holder of the card has been verified by the state Division of Motor Vehicles.

Nationally, according to the Department of Homeland Security, only 95 million out of 276 million total drivers and ID cards met the Real ID standards, although many Americans hold passports, and those are considered REAL-ID compliant and may be used to get through the TSA checkpoints at airports.

No response has yet been received by the Department of Homeland Security, sources in the Administration said.

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