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Action necessary:
►Print
and distribute this message to colleagues and friends.
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Send an e-mail to your representative and
senator supporting a Base Student Allocation of $5,953
Calendar:
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Mar 30 -
House Ways & Means / HB 204 and HB 206 / PERS/TRS --
7:00 AM
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Mar 30 - Senate Education Finance Subcommittee / Budget
Closeout -- Noon
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Mar 31 - House State Affairs / HB 179
(KELLY'S MISGUIDED PERS/TRS LEGISLATION) -- 10 AM
LEGISLATIVE SESSION PICKS UP STEAM
This week has been very busy
not only with education related legislation but also with
the hearings in the House Oil and Gas committee on Governor
Palin’s Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA). NEA-Alaska
will not be reporting on AGIA or the overall budget as
members will get inundated with information on that through
the media. The NEA-Alaska lobby team will continue to keep
our focus on NEA-Alaska priority issues. Please read on.
SENATE FINANCE — SB 123
Senate Finance moved SB 123, the “fix-it” bill, from
committee today. Five senators recommended “Do Pass” and
two (Elton and Olson) gave the legislation “no
recommendation.” This bill is currently 54 pages, but as
we’ll all remember, SB 141 started at 91 pages and grew to a
125 page mess before it was passed in the special session of
2005. If you would like more information on SB 123 please
go to
www.legis.state.ak.us
Here you can enter “SB 123” in the bill root box and you can
get information such as the entire bill and the Governor’s
transmittal letter.
The
report will be read across during tomorrow’s Senate floor
session and may move to the floor as soon as next week.
HOUSE
STATE AFFAIRS — HJR 9 and HB 179
House State Affairs met Tuesday and took up HJR 9. This
resolution would ask Alaska voters to ban benefits for
same-sex couples. NEA-Alaska upholds the state constitution
and adamantly opposes HJR 9 and all legislation that
discriminates. Lydia Garcia presented the committee with
the following
testimony opposing HJR 9. HJR 9 is an
attempt to create a media stir for the statewide advisory
vote next week. In spite of testimony 16-10 against HJR 9
and another 11 opposed (making the real number 27-10) the
State Affairs committee still moved the legislation on a 5-2
vote.
Please vote NO on Tuesday on the Statewide advisory
vote. This is
a shameful waste of over $1 million dollars.
Today, House State Affairs heard HB 179. Rep. Mike Kelly
from Fairbanks proposes this 34 page/71 section bill as
another attempt to dump more of the costs of retirement on
to employees. This is the same Mike Kelly that introduced
legislation in 2005 to increase the contributions for
employees.
Make no mistake, if this unconstitutional bill is
allowed to pass it would be an immediate 5% cut in pay to
all public employees.
It
appears we will always be on the opposite side of the fence
to this lawmaker. Why? He seems to think the PERS/TRS
problems belong to the employee and not to the actuary, The
State, former reduced employer contributions and other
factors.
Contact your representative and tell them to make certain
this bill dies in committee.
HB 179 is scheduled to be heard in State Affairs again
this Saturday (see Calendar).
HOUSE
FINANCE — HB 72 (AREA COST DIFFERENTIALS
House Finance met yesterday and heard from only two
testifiers. Last week House HESS heard from several
teachers, school board members and NEA-Alaska on the need
for the area cost differentials addressed in HB 72 (seven
sponsors – Prime is Mike Chenault – Nikiski).
HB
72 would add over $72 million to K-12 education. HB 72 is
supported by NEA-Alaska as a means to achieve adequate
funding. What must be recognized is that not one dollar of
the $72 million would go to the largest district in the
State (Anchorage). Obviously, a significant amount of money
must also be put in the Base Student Allocation ($5,953 is a
good number) or allocated through a direct student count
grant as was conducted last year. This bill stayed put in
House Finance as they await other considerations on
education funding. Please
send an e-mail or make a call to your legislator supporting
HB 72.
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE — SB 1
The
SSCE heard Senate Bill 1 (sponsored by Sen. Gary Wilken –
Fairbanks) and moved it from committee. Senate Bill 1 as
proposed by Sen. Wilken will increase K-12 education funding
by $430 per student (approximately $88 million). NEA-Alaska
and our members have proposed a Base Student Allocation (BSA)
of $5,953. This is an increase of $573 per student
(Approximately $115 million increase to K-12 education).
NEA-Alaska applauds Sen. Wilken for beginning the discussion
at a reasonable level. Please send a message to Senator
Wilken thanking him for his efforts and to your senator
asking them to amend Senate Bill 1 to a BSA of $5,953. A
BSA of $5,953 will allow schools to strive toward
adequate funding and to make up for some of the losses
from 1983-2002. This bill now moves on to the Senate
Community and regional Affairs committee.
NEA-Alaska apologizes for the length of this LCS. This is
the only LCS this week and there was plenty of action. The
next LCS will be published on Tuesday, April 3rd.. If you
know anyone who wishes to receive the LCS/Legislative
Update, please send us an e-mail with their home e-mail
address if possible, and we’ll add them to the growing list
of K-12 education advocates!
Bill Bjork, NEA-Alaska
President
Lydia Garcia, Interim Executive Director
John Alcantra, Government Relations
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