March 1,
2011
Dear Neighbor,
More Questions than Answers
 The House Resources Committee passed Governor Parnell’s bill to give away around $2 billion of Alaska’s oil wealth each year back to big oil. I was disappointed by the Committee’s action to move the bill despite many unanswered questions. We have not heard any real evidence; the only thing the committee has heard was "anecdotal evidence", "industry input" and "personal opinions" from administration. That is not enough for me to accept the risk to the state. Even with our current level of funding through ACES, Alaska is in deficit spending. If HB 110 passes Alaska’s saving accounts will be depleted in 5 years. There are still too many questions and Alaskans deserve a hard look at the impact of this “give back”.
Defending Pre-K & Other Important Funding
While producers look to gain $2 billion more through the Governor’s bill, the state trying to balance a $12 billion budget by cutting critical services to local communities. A perfect example is the pilot Pre-K early education program. This program was cut last week from the budget. House Republicans have said the fate of the Program lies in the amount of public testimony they hear for this critical need. I would like to encourage any of you or anyone you know that is interested in Pre-K to testify on behalf of this important program.
It doesn’t stop with just Pre-K funding. Here are a few more highlights of cutting services:
- There is no increase for the base student allocation (which determines how much money individual schools districts get);
- $150,000 was cut from the Autism Resource Center;
- There is no increase for child care reimbursement rates; and
- The Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Initiative took major cuts to services that are not attached to law enforcement
 Advice Time for the Budget
The House Finance Committee will hear public testimony on the Budget TOMORROW and it is important that you have your say! We will hear from thousands of voices on every budget item and use the advice to craft a budget that makes sense for our state. This is the way to give your advice on the budget…
- Testify during the House Finance Committee meetings on
TOMORROW Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Public Testimony
- 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. Fairbanks
- 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg,Dillingham, Cordova, Unalaska
- 4:15 – 5:00 p.m. Homer, Kenai, Valdez, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Seward, Mat-Su, Glennallen, Tok
Visit the Legislative Information Office at the AlaskaUSA Building and send a Public Opinion Message
Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,
![[SIGNED]](../../images/signatures/31.gif)
Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Representative |
