Page 1423 – Must Read Alaska

Juneau bishop to fill in at Anchorage Diocese until new archbishop named

The Social

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June 25, 2019

Juneau bishop to fill in at Anchorage Diocese until new archbishop named

Juneau Bishop Andrew Bellisario has been named by Pope Frances as the temporary leader of the Anchorage Archdiocese until a new archbishop is named to replace Archbishop Paul Etienne, who has been transferred to Seattle as of June 7.

Bishop Bellisario is the “apostolic administrator” of the Anchorage Archdiocese, where in 2016 and 2017 he was pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral. He will be ministering in both the Diocese of Juneau and the Archdiocese of Anchorage until the pope appoints a new archbishop.

Bellisario belongs to the Congregation of the Mission (also known as the Vincentians) founded by Saint Vincent de Paul in 1625.

He was born in Southern California and was ordained in 1984, and served as a parish priest in California and as dean of students at St. Vincent’s Minor Seminary at Montebello. He also served as director of the De Paul Evangelization Center at Montebello and as superior of the De Paul Center Residence there.

According to the Catholic Anchor, he was provincial superior of the Vincentians Province of the West from 2002 to 2010 and director of the Daughters of Charity at Los Altos from 2003 to 2015. He later served as the Superior of the international group of Vincentians in Anchorage to serve Latino Catholics in Alaska.

In 2017 Pope Francis appointed him to the Juneau Diocese, and Archbishop Etienne ordained him as the bishop of Juneau on Oct. 10, 2017.

MRAK Almanac: Resource Development Council is on tap

Almanac

Suzanne Downing

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June 25, 2019

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6/26: 44th Annual Membership Luncheon for Resource Development Council featuring speaker Joe Balash, Assistant Secretary of Department of Interior and Gov. Michael Dunleavy, also a keynote presentation by Dr. Keiran Wulff of OilSearch. Dena’ina. Balash is from North Pole. Doors open at 11:15 am. More info here.

6/26: Democrats Debate Watch Party in Juneau 5-7 pm at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library, 3025 Diamond Park Loop, Juneau, AK 99801. Free pizza, snacks. Well, not free — someone paid for it.

6/26: Anchorage Assembly Ethics and Election Committee meets at City Hall Conference Room #240, 632 West 6th Avenue, 1 pm.

6/26: U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) will launch a new bipartisan effort aimed at cleaning up the marine debris crisis affecting America’s oceans, shorelines, and inland waterways, as well as other coasts across the globe. The Senators will unveil new legislation to build on the progress made by the Save Our Seas Act, which was sponsored by Sullivan and Whitehouse and signed into law last fall.10:45 am Eastern Time.

6:26: Miners vs. Pilots at Mulcahy Fields and Bucs vs. Chinooks at Lee Jordan Field (Chugiak). It’s Alaska Baseball League season, games start at 7 pm. Check the entire schedule here.

6/27: UAF’s Music in the Garden, featuring the Headbolt Heaters, an eclectic sound with elements of roots rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, and an underbelly of punk. 7 pm at Georgeson Botanical Garden, 117 West Tanana Dr., Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, Fairbanks.

6/27: Paddle Day is back at the Tanana Lakes Recreation Area Non-motorized Boat Launch. TRAX Outdoor Center, Alaska Dream Adventures, and Alaska Canoe School will provide free paddling instruction in canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards throughout the evening. 4pm – 7pm. Reserve a spot: http://parks.fnsb.us

6/27: Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Planning Committee (AMATS) meets to review and approve the release of key information and the project list for 30-day public comment period; Spenard Corridor Plan, and other transportation issues. Starts at 1:30 pm. Agenda is here.

6/27: Republicans in District 12 meet at Fried Rice Express, 21426 Old Glenn Hwy, Chugiak, at 7-8:30 pm. On the agenda is a report from Senator Hughes (or staff present) and a report from Representative Tilton (or staff present), with Q and A.

6/28: Alaska State Commission for Human Rights will hold a meeting in Anchorage, Alaska at the Atwood Building, 550 W. 7^th Avenue, Conference Room 102 at 9 am. Up for discussion is hiring a new executive director. The public is invited to attend. Public comment is noticed for 9:20 to 9:25 am. To participate by telephone, contact the Commission offices at 907-276-7474.

6/29: Scottish Highland Games, Alaska State Fairgrounds, 8 am – 8 pm.

HISTORY ALASKANA

June 27, 1940: Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Field were activated near Anchorage. Construction on Elmendorf Field had already begun on June 8, 1940, for a major and permanent military air field near Anchorage. The first Air Corps personnel arrived on Aug. 12, 1940.

June 20, 1923: President Warren Harding boarded a train heading for the West Coast, where he would board a boat for Alaska on what was dubbed a Voyage of Understanding, which was also his way of communicating his policies and getting a feel for the pulse of the nation. Read all about that trip to Alaska and his subsequent sudden and mysterious death in California at History.com

Alaska life hack: Are you due an unemployment insurance refund?

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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June 25, 2019

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Alaska life hack: Are you due an unemployment insurance refund?

Alaskans who worked for more than one employer in 2018, earned over $39,500, and paid more than $197.50 in unemployment insurance contributions, may be eligible for a refund.

According to Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, if you had withholdings from your wages that exceed the maximum annual employee tax, you’re entitled to that refund and DoL wants to get it to you.

There are 97 individuals with unclaimed funds, totaling $124,070, according to the department.

Check the contributions that you paid, which may be listed on your W-2 form(s) in Box 14 or on your 2018 pay stubs. You may have to contact your former employers’ Human Resources department to get the information.

The refund form is found online at http://labor.alaska.gov/estax/forms/eerefund.pdf or can be requested by mail from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Employment Security Contribution, P.O. Box 115509, Juneau, AK 99811-5509.

You’ll need to provide copies of your Statement of Deductions (W-2’s) from each employer you worked for during the year. Refunds are only made if overpayments are greater than $5.

You have time: The deadline for submitting your refund request is Dec. 31, 2019.

Scofflaw legislative leaders make Alaska statutes ‘optional’

Columns

Suzanne Downing

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June 25, 2019

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Scofflaw legislative leaders make Alaska statutes ‘optional’

By REP. BEN CARPENTER

Danger — without action on our part, following the law in Alaska is about to become optional.

Meeting in Wasilla for the second special session of the Legislature isn’t debatable; it’s the law. AS 24.05.100(b) is very clear:

(b) A special session may be held at any location in the state. If a special session called under (a)(1) of this section is to be convened at a location other than at the capital, the governor shall designate the location in the proclamation. If a special session called under (a)(2) of this section is to be convened at a location other than at the capital, the presiding officers shall agree to and designate the location in the poll conducted of the members of both houses.

And yet individuals in our Legislature would have you believe the law isn’t clear.

This is a critical moment in state history and there is more at stake than where the next special session will meet.

Our legislative institution is heavily dependent on precedent. It is a big deal for two legislators to arbitrarily decide that they have the right to ignore a law and with their decision, obligate the remaining legislators to follow their lead. It is precedent setting behavior and it is not an isolated event.

These legislators are required to have 40 members in agreement to meet somewhere other than Wasilla. They are shy one vote. The legislature is now several years into a habit of not complying with the 90 day session statute and the 120 day Constitutional requirement for completing legislative work. That a second special session is even required to address the failure to pay a statutory PFD is a new precedent and a new level of absurdity. If one law can be ignored, any law can be ignored. This should concern everyone.

Following social media and news reports, it is clear that some law abiding citizens of this great State may condone this behavior by their representatives because it meets their political agenda. All citizens must realize that one day, the political winds will shift and the next leader will have precedent on their side when they decide to ignore the law of their choice. It is conceivable that misguided citizens would take current legislative behavior as opportunity to ignore the law(s) of their choice. This is history in the making and we have taken a big step down a slippery slope of lawlessness.

This precedent must be corrected with the repudiation of this behavior.

Speaker Bryce Edgmon and President Cathy Giessel have demonstrated their capacity to thwart the will of the very people they were chosen to represent and the rest of Alaskans by claiming they have a right to ignore the law of the land. Their credibility is shot; how can they be trusted to write the law, let alone act in a leadership capacity, if they will not follow the law?

I am not easily offended but having fought in two wars to defend our way of life and support of our form of self-government, I am appalled that these leaders should choose to act in such a cavalier, shortsighted, and contemptuous manner. I can only hope that members of their respective districts will recognize the danger their representatives have placed us in and act accordingly. Our way of life depends on it.

I call on all legislators to consider alternatives for these two leadership positions and act immediately to replace these legislators with members who will follow the law and lead others to follow the law. Our credibility as legislators depends on it.

Ben Carpenter represents House District 29, the northern part of the Kenai Peninsula, stretching to Seward.

Let the people of Alaska decide

Anchorage Daily Planet

Suzanne Downing

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June 25, 2019

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By THE ANCHORAGE DAILY PLANET

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has told the legislative Permanent Fund dividend working group that any changes to the annual payout should involve a vote of Alaskans.

“Ninety-nine percent of the work we do in Juneau, the people of Alaska have basically said, ‘You guys do it,’ ‘” Dunleavy told the eight-member panel. “We’re too busy with our lives, we’re too busy with our jobs and that’s your role. But when it comes to something of this magnitude, that’s been around for decades, that impacts virtually every Alaskan, I think it behooves us to really think about engaging the people in a positive manner.”

He is absolutely right. There should be a vote on any changes.

The working group, composed of four members from each of the Legislature’s chambers, is tasked with finding a way forward in the raucous fracas over how the dividend will be calculated and its size this year.

There are two camps: one, adamantly backed by Dunleavy, wants the $65 billion fund’s dividend to be calculated under at 1982 law that would give each Alaskan about $3,000.

The other wants to ignore that law, as has been done for the past three years, and reduce the dividend’s amount to about $1,600, or even $900, to address the state’s budget gap. They would reduce the dividend to political whim.

Mat-Su Delegation says moving special session illegal

Suzanne Downing

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June 24, 2019

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Mat-Su Delegation says moving special session illegal

With the presiding officers of the House and Senate determined to not bring the second special session of the Legislature to Wasilla, the Mat-Su delegation has called foul, saying that their leadership is now violating the law.

“I find it fascinating that legislative leaders would rather visit a courtroom than visit the Mat-Su,” said Sen. Shelley Hughes, co-chair of the delegation.

The Republican-led Senate, which was considered a fragile majority to begin with, appears to be fracturing over the issue.

Because five months of legislating in Juneau has failed, the Mat-Su delegation wrote in a statement, the governor’s choice of a Wasilla-based special session should be given a chance.

Attempts to deny affordable access to more than a half million Alaskans comes with great risk of litigation, the group wrote.

“Wasilla is a friendly community that’s been busy in recent weeks preparing to welcome the legislature. An unlawful attempt to subvert the legally determined location is beyond troubling,” said Rep. ColleenSullivan-Leonard, delegation co-chair.

“The Constitution requires a 2/3 agreement (40 votes) in a poll of the joint House and Senate for the legislature to call itself back into a special session, and statutes require that same poll to determine the location. The presiding officers had only 39 votes to call the legislature into its own special session in Juneau. The statutes clearly state that when the governor issues the call for a special session, the governor determines the location,” the delegation wrote in a statement.

Gov. Michael Dunleavy called the second special session to Wasilla for July 8. He suggested the Legislature use Wasilla Middle School.

The Legislature convened, as required by law, on Jan. 15, but had not completed its work in the 90 days mandated by statute, or the 121 days mandated by the Constitution.

The Legislature also blew through the 30-day special session, passing an operating budget for the state in the 11th hour, and then awarded itself back-pay per diem for the time spent in Juneau, which was also violating a law it passed in 2018.

[Read: Legislative leadership says ‘no thanks’ to Wasilla special session]

The governor may have called the Legislature into special session in Wasilla, but by law he cannot sue the Legislature. Yet, as the statement from the Mat-Su delegation indicates, someone else may.

Education department will disburse school funds monthly pending lawsuit outcome

Suzanne Downing

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June 24, 2019

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Education department will disburse school funds monthly pending lawsuit outcome

Superintendents in Alaska’s school districts were advised today by the State Department of Education and Early Development that, although the funding for their next school year is hung up in a court challenge, they’ll start receiving monthly payments.

A letter from Commissioner Michael Johnson outlined the plan. He said that with the constitutional question of “forward appropriating” going for judicial review, he will disburse FY 2020 monthly payments on or before the 15th of each month, except the initial July 2019 disbursement.

Holding back the July funds will likely trigger the lawsuit from the Legislature’s leadership, which disagrees with the governor on the constitutional question.

The Department will work to transfer funds as quickly as possible after the Legislature files its lawsuit against the governor, which is expected before July 15, Johnson wrote.

The reason for the expected lawsuit is that the Dunleavy Administration believes it is unconstitutional for the Legislature to appropriate funds a year in advance, when there are no funds to actually dedicate.

The “forward funding” that the Legislature has been doing with the Education budget is unconstitutional because, for the first time, there have been no funds actually set aside for the specific future purpose; it was more of a promise, and that action binds the hands of future legislators and the Executive Branch.

Dunleavy and Attorney General Kevin Clarkson say that the Legislature has not actually funded the coming fiscal year for Education, but the letter from the Education commissioner indicates the Administration is looking for a way to ensure schools have some certainty.

The letter is here:

06.24.19 Superintendents – Letter regarding funding

Legislative leadership declines Wasilla special session

Suzanne Downing

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June 24, 2019

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Legislative leadership declines Wasilla special session

LEGISLATURE TO MEET IN JUNEAU, ANCHORAGE, BUT NOT VALLEY

The Alaska Legislature announced today it will convene in Juneau on July 8 for the second special session, with the majority of meetings to be held in Anchorage.

“For Legislative leaders to try and pull an end run without the proper votes is a personal attack against Mat-Su, and, that is unacceptable,” said Rep. Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, of Wasilla, House District 7.

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, D-U-Dillingham, and Senate President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, released the following statement:

“Funding the 2019 Permanent Fund dividend is critical to Alaskans. However, the long-term issues about the sustainability and future of the Permanent Fund must also be addressed. Unfortunately, the Governor’s special session proclamation restricts discussion solely to the amount of this year’s PFD.

“Importantly, the Governor’s proclamation also fails to include the Fiscal Year 2020 capital budget. If the capital budget is not finalized in July, Alaska’s private sector industries could be devastated by forfeiting nearly $1 billion in federal highway and aviation projects because required state matching dollars were not provided.

“For the reasons outlined, we believe the Legislature should call itself into session. We intend to hold floor sessions in Juneau, the seat of government established in the Alaska Constitution, and hold most committee hearings in the Anchorage Legislative Information Office.

“This approach would save hundreds of thousands of dollars and provide in-person access to Alaskans on the road system, while also utilizing facilities designed for legislative proceedings and providing Alaskans who are unable to attend in person the ability to participate and follow along as lawmakers consider these crucial issues.

“Although we are one vote short of the forty vote threshold to call ourselves into our own special session agenda, the majority of legislators in both bodies considers it our right to determine the location and venue best equipped to conduct business on the Governor’s special session call, while providing the most access to as many Alaskans possible.

“We respectfully urge the Governor to add to his call the capital budget and long-term issues relating to the future of the Permanent Fund.”

Gov. Michael Dunleavy issued this statement:

“Our focus has been on bringing the people and legislature together on the PFD. But instead of convening in Wasilla, legislative leadership is attempting to retreat back to Juneau. This move to negate the special session in Wasilla has no legal basis. A governor is clearly empowered to call a special session in a location of their choosing (AS 24.05.100). The Senate President and Speaker of the House admit they lack the votes to change the venue or call a special session of their own, yet they are committed to thwarting the law and the voice of the Alaskan people. This is all part of why Alaskans have lost trust in their lawmakers. How can we with a straight face expect people to follow the law when the legislative leadership ignores, breaks, and skirts the law at every turn?”

Earlier today, legislators from Wasilla penned a warm welcome to the Legislature to Wasilla. Read that story here:

Wasilla special session is going to cost a bit more

Wasilla special session is going to cost a bit more

Suzanne Downing

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June 24, 2019

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Wasilla special session is going to cost a bit more

BUT SPECIAL SESSION COULD DONE BE CHEAP, IF WORK IS DONE IN FOUR DAYS

Editor’s note: This has been a fast-moving story. The update is at this link, describing the legislative leadership’s decision to decline a special session in Wasilla.

$1.3 million for 60 legislators spending 30 days in Wasilla.

That’s what the Legislative Affairs Agency estimates a 30-day special session will cost, and it compares well enough with previous special sessions, which cost as much as $1.1 million for 30 days. Gov. Michael Dunleavy has called for the special session to convene on July 8 somewhere in Wasilla.

Although the cost does pencil out to $6,666 more per day to have the special session meet at Wasilla Middle School than, say, Juneau, the tab could be a lot smaller if legislators finish the one thing the governor has asked them to do: Fund the Permanent Fund dividend. And that could be done in less than a week.

Many legislators would be able to drive home every night. Anchorage is only 40 minutes away. And for most of special session, only Finance Committee members and leadership would be needed on most days.

The House Republican Minority — 15 of them — are sticking together to keep the special session in Wasilla. They like the chances of the Permanent Fund dividend being fully funded if meetings are held near where people really care about this issue.

Even while the House and Senate Majority are searching for one last vote that would move the session away from the fastest growing area of the state, the Wasilla delegation has thrown out the welcome mat. In a letter to fellow legislators, they wrote today:

“On behalf of the residents of the City of Wasilla and the over 100,000 residents of the entire Mat-Su Borough, it is our pleasure to host the upcoming Special Session in Wasilla. Celebrated as the Valley’s major business center, Wasilla’s diverse businesses will no doubt be able to offer the legislature numerous choices in hotels and lodging, restaurants, transportation, audio/visual assistance, medical services and centralized LEO/EMS services.

“In touring Wasilla Middle School, we saw firsthand that it is ready to accommodate all meetings necessary to conduct state business. In reference to recent discussions about the additional $200,000 cost compared to meeting in Juneau, a Wasilla businessman said it best: “This whole question is ridiculous.The cost overage is a bogeyman, in a state where $200,000 is 3 ten-thousandths of one percent of the state budget.That’s like objecting to spending one dollar and eighty cents out of a household income of sixty grand.”

“Because of Wasilla’s centralized location, many Alaska residents from numerous communities statewide will be able to attend much more affordably than if the special session were held in Juneau. Messages received from across the state clearly indicate that many, many Alaskans are excited to be involved and for their voices to be heard.

“Although a number of Alaskans are frustrated with the challenges our state faces and discussions regarding the PFD, it’s important to point out that the Valley has a proud history of civil and respectful public gatherings, including large legislative town halls.

“Should there be a chance to take a break during the special session, the Mat-Su is the crown jewel of recreational offerings: kayaking at Wasilla Lake, hiking at Hatcher Pass, bike rides along our miles of bike paths or at Government Peak Recreational Area, all within ten miles of Wasilla Middle School. Additional and nearby fishing, boating, and other summertime opportunities are vastly available whether north on the Parks Highway or to the east in the Palmer or Sutton area.”

Not to mention the great restaurant options all over the Mat-Su Valley. Even Rep. Laddie Shaw could find a mountain to climb and para-sail off of.

The Legislative Affairs Agency again expressed concerns about security at Wasilla Middle School, but a group of veterans gathered at a coffee shop in Wasilla this morning suggested that the Palmer Correctional Center is also available for the security-minded legislator.

“They’d be safe there,” one of them offered in jest. “It would be a great location, and the camera system needs to be set up anyway for the influx of criminals that are going to be sent there — as soon as [legislators] get their work done.”

But when it comes to safety, the City of Wasilla has a lot of police per capita — more than Anchorage or Juneau.

Gov. Michael Dunleavy has placed just one item on the special session agenda: Funding for the annual Permanent Fund dividend. That item was separated from the operating budget by the Legislature this year and, with checks expected to go out in September, is still unfunded.

But a special session on this topic could take as little as four days — two days of work in the House, and two in the Senate.

“A bunch of us out here in Wasilla think it’s worth getting legislators together in a place where people are unequivocal on the Permanent Fund dividend,” one old-timer said. Wasilla would definitely be that place.

MRAK Almanac: Resource Development Council is on tap

Alaska life hack: Are you due an unemployment insurance refund?

Scofflaw legislative leaders make Alaska statutes ‘optional’

Let the people of Alaska decide

Mat-Su Delegation says moving special session illegal

Education department will disburse school funds monthly pending lawsuit outcome

Legislative leadership declines Wasilla special session

Wasilla special session is going to cost a bit more

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