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April 17, 2023
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Last week was calm compared to the budget storm the previous week. While we were still busy, our office enjoyed a play at the Perseverance Theater Wednesday evening thanks to the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
The Freshmen Caucus had three meetings last week and co-sponsored their first piece of legislation (see more information below). One of the Freshmen meetings was hosted by the Alaska Regional Association and was a great opportunity to learn more about Alaska Native Corporations. One of the best parts of this job is the constant learning – if I wasn’t already a “lifelong learner”, the Capitol would make me one!
Alaska Folk Festival also happened last week in Juneau and it was great to have a few friends from across the state visit. In addition to the work and activities in Juneau, I had an opportunity to spend the weekend in Sitka where I enjoyed the Yaaw Koo.eex' and meeting with constituents.
Please continue to reach out! You can email me at rep.himschoot@akleg.gov, or call my office at (907) 465-3732, with general questions, suggestions or concerns. If you are going to be in Juneau, I look forward to meeting with you. Just call ahead and set up a time with my office staff.
As always, please share Southeast Swell with your contacts and encourage them to sign up to receive the newsletter – we would like to reach more people in House District 2!
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Staff Introductions
I have a great team in the office that helps me representing you in the Capitol. My staff include my legislative aides Thatcher Brouwer and Ann Dombkowski, and my Ted Stevens Intern, Christopher Morse. Sadly for us, Christopher will be heading home this week to continue his studies. Before he does, I want to introduce Christopher, Thatcher and Ann to you.
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Christopher Morse
Christopher is a student at UAS earning his teaching degree with a goal of teaching high school history and social studies in rural Alaska. This semester he participated in the Ted Stevens Internship Program, and I was very fortunate to have him work in my office. When Christopher is not interning in Juneau he lives in Anchorage and takes advantage of all the outdoor activities Alaska has to offer, from hunting and fishing, to camping, and even snowshoeing whenever he can get out of town. However, his biggest hobby is collecting hobbies! His garage has everything from a 3-D printer to a pottery wheel. According to Christopher: “The experience I have had working here in Juneau for House District 2 has been invaluable and as much as I am going to miss finishing out the session (interns only work for the first 90 days) I feel more than equipped to tackle the rest of my classes and start teaching!”
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Ann Dombkowski
Ann is a “born-and-raised” Juneauite. Her family’s presence in Juneau started in 1898 when her paternal grandparents arrived during the Klondike Gold Rush, one from Michigan, the other from Australia.
Two grand features of her youth in Southeast Alaska were beach picnics and exploring the archipelago in her family’s 21-foot Sabre-Craft boat. Studying the nautical charts after their excursions was fascinating for her. Along with many friends who grew up in the neighborhoods of pre- and early-statehood Juneau. Ann has tremendous gratitude for her upbringing.
Wait, what about the rain?! Ann doesn’t mind it, however, at her first opportunity to leave town and go to college, she chose Mexico where the sun shines bright, hot and often. Ann finished her college studies in Fairbanks, truly awestruck by the land of wide-open spaces, a big change from her coastal hometown surrounded by mountains. Our state is big!
Ann has two grown sons, two beloved daughters-in-law, three adorable grandchildren, and a husband from Detroit. Her love for baking, numbers and children informed her three careers: baker, bookkeeper and babysitter. Now, according to Ann, “working in the Capitol takes me beyond my Juneau life to learn the needs and concerns of our vast and constantly changing state.”
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Thatcher Brouwer
Thatcher has worked seasonally as a commercial troller since 2006 when he purchased a traditional double end troller built in 1928. He now spends the summers operating his slightly larger and newer, but still old wooden, freezer troller in the waters of House District 2. As a commercial fisherman, Thatcher is active in fisheries politics and serves on the Alaska Troller Association and DIPAC Boards as well as the Juneau-Douglas Fish and Game Advisory Committee.
Thatcher has worked in the winters as a legislative aide since 2015. During this time, he has worked in the minority and majority, and has been the House Resources and House Fisheries committee aide. When Thatcher is not working for the legislature, maintaining his boat, or commercial fishing, he enjoys running with his wife Tracy, and dog Sadie, and spending time in the snow on a snowboard or skate skis.
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Fisheries Committee
On Thursday April 13th the House Fisheries and House Resources Committees met jointly to consider the Governor’s four appointments to the Board of Fisheries, Gerad Godfrey (Eagle River), Greg Svendsen (Anchorage), Mike Wood (Talkeetna) and Stan Zuray (Tanana).
I appreciate the willingness of these four appointees to put their names forward and respect the experience Gerad Godfrey, Mike Wood and Stan Zuray have had on Fish and Game Advisory Committees and with the Board of Fisheries process, but I am concerned that with these appointees almost all the board members will be from Southcentral Alaska.
If these appointees are confirmed, coastal Alaska will only have one representative on the board and there will not be any members from Southeast, Kodiak, the Aleutians, Bristol Bay or Western Alaska. Given the complexities of the regional fisheries I am concerned that there will not be adequate familiarity with the different fisheries in Alaska with the new appointees. I am still deciding how I will vote in joint session on these appointees.
I was surprised and disappointed that John Jensen from Petersburg was not reappointed. I would like to thank him for his years of service on the Board of Fisheries.
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Education Committee
In Education this past Thursday the committee heard round two of public testimony for HB 105, SEX/REPRODUCTION EDUCATION; SCHOOLS. This is the second time the bill sponsored by Governor Dunleavy’s office resulted in a little over five hours of in-person and call-in testimony. While this bill is generating a lot of interest I remain eager to focus on the issues that confront our schools and students rights now. These include pink slips and program cuts due to continued flat funding of public education.
Last Wednesday the committee heard another of the Governor’s bills: HB 106, TEACHER RECRUITMENT; LUMP SUM PAYMENT. This is: "An Act authorizing lump sum payments for certain teachers as retention and recruitment incentives." The bill provides a bonus to educators outside of the Base Student Allocation (BSA) system.
The Education committee also heard a presentation by Co-Chair Justin Ruffridge’s staff on his bill HB 139, CORRESPONDENCE STUDY PROGRAM FUNDING which is: "An Act relating to funding for correspondence study programs." The bill would increase the allotment distributed to correspondence students in the state.
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Freshmen Caucus Bill
On Friday, the Freshmen Caucus cosponsored a bill to create a raffle for first time filers of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Alaska has the lowest completion rate in the nation, leaving roughly $6,000,000 in student aid on the table annually. Filing the FAFSA is an important first step in a post-secondary plan for many students. The Freshmen Caucus is committed to supporting Alaska’s future workforce to attend vocational or academic programs after graduation. The raffle offers first time FAFSA filers the opportunity to win $1000 a month during the open enrollment period October 1- June 30 each year, as well as the opportunity to win one of five $10,000 prizes when the enrollment period closes.
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The Freshman Caucus Getting Ready to file the FAFSA Bill
Representatives Jenny Armstrong, Andrew Gray, Genevieve Mina, CJ McCormick,
Alyse Galvin, Justin Ruffridge, Jesse Sumner, Donna Mears, Rebecca Himschoot;
Back row: Representatives Ashley Carrick, Cliff Groh
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State Forester Decision on Whale Pass Timber Sale
Whale Pass, on Prince of Wales (POW), is no longer in my district, but I have been grateful to the residents there for their advocacy against the State’s plan to log the area adjacent to homes in the community. Representative Ortiz has made several visits to Whale Pass, attending community meetings and council meetings, and he previously wrote a letter to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) asking for an allowance to avoid cutting timber so close to the community. Whale Pass residents are feeling the direct impacts of this.
The DNR is under pressure to supply logs to small scale mills on POW and this week the community learned no allowance will be made despite the requests by Representative Ortiz and community members. The State will log near the community to help supply timber to mills before more Forest Service timber becomes available. It can be very difficult to navigate the fine line between supporting local resource-based businesses and the needs of a community.
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Meeting with constituents
at the Beak Restaurant
in Sitka this past weekend.
Thanks to the Beak for hosting!
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Constituent Connection
at the Beak Restaurant.
It was great to catch up
with my friends in Sitka.
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Meeting with stakeholders from the Alaska Regional Coalition | |
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Suggest how the Forest Service should manage the Tongass National Forest
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Testify Before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, April 20th at 9:00 am on the Budget
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The Senate Finance Committee will be taking testimony on the operating budget on Thursday, April 20th at 9:00 am for residents of Southeast Alaska. Please call in or sign up by 10:15 am.
- You can testify from your local Legislative Information Office or by calling 1-844-586-9085 (from outside Juneau and Anchorage), 586-9085 from a Juneau prefix and 563-9085 from an Anchorage prefix.
- When you call to testify you will speak with an operator and you will need to ask to be transferred into the Senate Finance Committee to testify on the operating budget.
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Follow the Legislature and Comment
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If there is a bill or resolution you want to follow, you can get an email update every time action is taken on the legislation with the Bill Tracking Management Facility.
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