As legislators and their staff make plans to head to Juneau in January, they are going to be paying attention to strict rules about their movement and attire. If they break the rules, legislators may face consequences, including being excluded from being able to perform their constitutional duty.
Legislative Council, which handles legislative business when the Legislature is not in session, has been devising sets of rules and how they will be enforced, including who will enforce them.
First, those traveling to Juneau to work in the Capitol Building will need to have a COVID-19 test shortly before they board the plane for Juneau. They’ll need to arrive early in the capital city and quarantine themselves for two weeks before the session starts, and get another COVID-19 test 12 days into their stay. If they leave Juneau to go home for a break, they’ll have to repeat that protocol.
Tests will be available for legislators and staff in the Anchorage and Fairbanks airports. Others traveling through other airports will need to make arrangements to get a COVID-19 test within a day or so of their departure. In Juneau, there will be a contractor doing testing in the airport and at the Capitol. That contractor is Beacon, an occupational safety and health services provider
When entering the Capitol building, legislators, their immediate families, and staff members will have their temperatures read by a Beacon employee. They will be required to answer a health screening survey, which will likely ask them if they have been exposed to anyone who was contagious with COVID-19 during recent days or if they are experiencing any symptoms.
Everyone in the Capitol will be required to wear face masks when in the hallways or outside of their offices. This will be enforced by Legislative Security.
On the floors of the House and Senate Chambers, members will be required to wear a double-ply masks, and will be removed from the chambers by the Sergeant of Arms if they do not. They will need to ask permission to approach the dais, and may not congregate at the dais. Floor staff will not be refilling their water glasses.
Frequent breaks will be taken for hydrostatic sanitation, and members will be behind plexiglas panels, to reduce the transmission of aerosols that may have the virus.
Specifically, the rules state:
- Any member who refuses the temperature reading or refuses to answer health screening questions will be denied entrance to the Capitol.
- Any member who refuses to wear face covering will be escorted by the Beacon contractor to her individual office where she shall remain.
- Any member who refuses to undergo testing shall be reported to presiding officer and Rules chair and the Legislative Affairs Agency executive director for appropriate action, if any.
- Anyone who screens positive for symptom shall be escorted to an onsite testing location for further screening and testing.
- Any member testing positive cannot be in Capitol until their quarantine is over as determined by the contractor.
- Any member who has close contact with known positive must self quarantine, as determined by the contractor.
- The intent of Legislative Council is that a member will be excused from the “call of the House” if they are quarantined
- In absence of a presiding officer on the first day, the rules will be enforced by the Sergeant of Arms or Legislative Security.
Members may be able to vote from their offices if they don’t wish to comply with the mask mandate, but there would need to be a rule change to allow that to occur. That change can’t be voted on until the new 32nd Legislature convenes, so any member refusing to wear a mask in the chamber would not be able to vote on the incoming presiding officer.
The one vote against the new policy was Rep. DeLena Johnson of Palmer, who said she was concerned about disenfranchising an entire district from having its member able to represent them.
But Sen. Tom Begich said that even now members can be removed for not following decorum. Men, for instance, are not allowed on the floor of either body without wearing a necktie.
“These rules only apply until we have a new president and speaker. It is pretty extraordinary, but we know the fears that many of our employees have,” said Sen. Gary Stevens, who is co-chair of the Legislative Council. “The questioned health conditions they have that they may not even be aware of, and some may not even work for us if they don’t feel safe.”
One aspect of the rules was amended. That one would have required legislators to remain seated while speaking. Sen. Bert Stedman and Sen. Natasha Von Imhof said that it was unnecessary, considering all the other barriers in place. That rule was removed on a close vote.
Members of the public, including the press, will not be allowed in the Senate or House chambers, something that Sen. Gary Stevens said has made members of the press unhappy.
Although one Legislature cannot bind the next one, neither the House nor Senate has organized with leaders, and it’s likely that the 32nd Legislature may begin and continue for several days without leadership in place. These rules are to govern that interim period, Stevens said, but they also may provide the next Legislature with guidance on how to provide a safe work environment not only for Legislators but for the employees of the building.
Sen. Cathy Giessel and Rep. Bryce Edgmon have sent a letter to the committee that is making the decision on who should receive the next round of vaccines. They have requested that legislators and staff be prioritized because they have a constitutional duty to pass a budget.
Legislators and staff will need to arrive in Juneau on or before Jan. 4 in order to complete their quarantine and testing and be ready for the session to start on Jan. 19.
Theatre. Nothing else. Virtue signaling at its finest.
Once they arrive in Juneau they will do like they always do…however they please.
Hopefully we will have some who break the rules and nothing gets done.
How do the legislators and their staff get through Canada on their way to Haines if they need to take their personal cars? Can they even get past the border?
Give them all the Vaccine, Problem Solved.
Gives a sense of “rules” that might be forthcoming for productive Alaskans…
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Can’t wait to see what happens when a quorum of our lobbyist-legislator team decide they ain’t having any more of this crap, stay home, and shut the legislature down.
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Pretty sure China flu hysteria won’t stop til we stop it.
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Wouldn’t it be great to find out Alaska’s legislature led the way to stopping it.
Notice rule #2.” 2.Any member who refuses to wear face covering will be escorted by the Beacon contractor to her individual office where she shall remain.” HER individual office? looks like this rule is specifically aimed at Lora R. to negate her influence in this session.
Corona fear isn’t about controlling a virus, Its all about controlling YOU to the next umpteenth level. WE gave the enemy new territory, and he isn’t returning it without a fight. First it was loaning him our bags, shoes, coats, and a rigorous pat downs, now the enemy demanded to keep what belongs to us to him permanently. After Bush sr, and After Clinton, and After Bushj jr, and After Obama pinching oneself is taking too long for the people to wake up after being cradled to sleep under those administrations. Our Rulers are going to be feeling sorry for themselves whenever they wake up and what doesn’t belong to them no longer belongs to them. They will do as the U.S.S.R communists officials had done go down to the local bar morning, afternoon, and evening to drink themselves drunk.
Who ever imagined that full-fledged fascism would be ushered (and largely welcomed) into the USA via so-called “public health” measures?
This is an amazing story well told. I would say there is a 90% chance this will all unravel, and therefore these elected officials are crazy to be coming to Juneau for the session. One or more legislators have serious issues with complying with Alaska Airlines Covid restrictions and requirements; so how can 60 self-important people accommodate 120 days in one small building? These are not people who follow rules, especially following an election. How could they possibly make it through a legislative session without multiple personality explosions? Legislators see themselves as answering only to their voters, but they are employers too. As employers they cannot put employees at risk without civil and possibly criminal implications. I cannot wait until the Speaker and the President have to do the Covid Bingo analysis time after time to see who will vote which way and who just tested positive. Will the press be tasked with counting the quarantine days to make sure no one cheats? I remember a Speaker’s staffer who forthrightly refused to not bring her dogs into the office, and not every one of those dogs was housebroken. I remember any number of legislators who said they damn well would smoke in their offices, and they did. Will this be like the APOC rule that says that anyone talking to anyone in the administration or the legislature, on the phone or in person, for more than 10 hours combined in any month has to register as a lobbyist; but no one counts? It’s a little difficult to make predictions when there is no information as to how the Legislature will organize, but one potential implication (if they come to Juneau at all) is that they enact a budget with just about no reductions (which is what the December 11 budget is), approve a huge bond proposition and go home. My guess is that makes approving the Governor’s PFD amounts more likely. Does this make the huge election year of 2022 almost certain to be broke and woke?
Send only the legislators to Juneau. Keep all staff at LIOs.
MOVE the CAPITOL………. first bill read across both floors.
All of this nonsense is to appease the libs who live in Juneau. Simple solution: move the Capitol.
If a legislator tests positive they are removed. Wow, sounds like they will be able to target specific individuals to keep them from doing their due diligence. I don’t trust this Beacon outfit either, they are a health services provider under the MAYO Clinic. I’m sure they will profit handsomely from this and i do expect a fair amount of false positives to influence our Legislative process.
………kind of like all the “false positives” who voted for Biden. We end up being governed by counterfeit.
Extra time for covid testing and response times means extra per diem. Who is footing that bill. Perhaps Beacon with their new “enforcement” contract. Shall we know the Beacon employees by their “S.S.” collar insignias?
Bow to this, legislators, and you kneel before your new King.
“Off with their heads”
Alaskans had the chance to remove many of these legislators from office. They chose poorly. Elections have consequences. You can either get involved in your community to represent someone who would support moving the legislative process out of Juneau, or continue to deal with legislative corruption hidden from you in Juneau. Good luck getting the voting process secured with these politicians.
Two Words – Mail-in, Dominion — both used in the primary to help keep the fat, fat.
Awww, I once aspired to be a temperature reader one day. Those days are now behind me. A dream lost forever. Seriously though, they have staff that fills their water cups, haha haha, wouldn’t want our legislators pulling a muscle.
The great vaccine is out, so why continue with this ruse.
Closed door legislation, like the Anchorage Assembly, it’s all making sense now.
Sounds to me like the welcome mat has been pulled by Democrats who run Juneau. Legislators not welcome! Remedy: Move The Capitol,…….NOW
It really makes the most sense to move the legislature to the population center of the state. Fewer legislators will be traveling home to SE AK from South Central than the other way around.
Why not this:
Send all legislators to Juneau and quarantine them for two weeks INSIDE the Capitol Building. Make the Session memorable for all Alaskans. Tell them they have exactly 2-weeks to pass the governor’s budget, while quarantined. Then, get the hell out of Juneau and head home. End of Session.
Our legislature isn’t subject to the federal Open Meetings Act? Everything they pass without public scrutiny is void – including the budget. Get ’em vaxxed and tell the staff to quit bellyaching – they are servants?
Why don’t they just get the shot and call it good. Immunization for Immunity…
While your at it we need to get more vaccines out, We should be 10% by now, If you can test 10k in a day then you sure could vaccinate them too.
The Restaurants who should be allowed to vaccinate their staff to open up fully…
Just saying the sooner we get to herd immunity the better.
A very good idea, but the anti-mask anti-vaxxer group led by Rep. Vance will refuse.
Dogs get vaccinated for rabies and distemper. Why not Democrats?
I asked my legislators about this. Was told it was done by the outgoing Legislative Council, you remember the Legislative Council with 4 members summarily defeated in the August primary. Think of this as a going away present to the new incoming legislature from Chuck Kopp, Cathy Giessel, John Coghill and Jennifer Johnston. Cheers –
The first vaccinated was Congress; wonder why this lot hasn’t moved to the front of the line.
KEY to this whole mess is: “These rules only apply until we have a new president and speaker.”(Evidently they think Biden” is getting in.) Yes, everyone has the belief that Biden won, but as the true facts are, this Election was a “FARCE”.. All set up the China who gave us this COVID-19 and “RIGGED” this election. “Don’t count your chickens BEFORE they hatch or “It isn’t over til the fat lady sings”…Please note…According to the upcoming Electoral College Process and the following Constitutional Process, We may not have a new President. So Therefore, These rules may not follow what the Binding Caucus/Legislators may determine.
KEY to this whole mess is: “These rules only apply until we have a new president and speaker.”(Evidently they think Biden” is getting in.) Yes, everyone has the belief that Biden won, but as the true facts are, this Election was a “FARCE”.. All set up by China who gave us this COVID-19 and “RIGGED” this election. “Don’t count your chickens BEFORE they hatch or “It isn’t over til the fat lady sings”…Please note…According to the upcoming Electoral College Process and the following Constitutional Process, We may not have a new President. So Therefore, These rules may not follow what the Binding Caucus/Legislators may determine.
Why not hold the session in anchorage like the people voted for an turn Juneau into a fishing village for good the people need access and that’s not Juneau.
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