Thread by @mattbuxton

The Senate Democrats press availability is underway.

Watch here: ktoo.org/360TV/

#akleg

Minority Leader Begich lays out some general priorities for the caucus: police reforms, substance abuse treatment, clean drinking water, protect Power Cost Equalization, strengthening education (K-12 and the university), oil and gas tax reform, AMHS, renewable energy.

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Sen. Kiehl: "We cannot continue the path taken by previous #akleg and #akgov of simply spending down our savings to fill that gap year after year."

Says new revenues and resolution on the PFD question are needed. "Without that, we will take this state over a cliff."

Sen. Gray-Jackson says it's really an honor to be part of a caucus with some priorities.

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On her police reform slate, she says she's been working directly with law enforcement agencies from the start. "We have everybody on board. ... We're ready to go and move forward with these bills this session."

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Asked about Shower's SB39, Sen. Kawasaki: "It's going to be billed under voter reform but it's voter suppression." He says it would make it harder for people, particularly seniors to vote.

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Sen. Olson says there's real issues for elections, particularly in rural Alaska where the the Division of Elections failed to ensure people in his district could vote: "I find that offensive and disheartening. ... I can understand why my phones lit up over the past week"

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Begich says he finds it odd to see "purported conservatives proposing a bill to take away local control."

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Asked about whether session will be more contentious, Begich says: "It's certainly going to be different but whether it will be more contentious has yet to be seen."

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Begich says the majority has at least said they're committed to hearing minority Democrats' bills "fully and fairly."

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On oil taxes, Begich says there's members of the majority who've "expressed an interest in looking at oil and gas taxation."

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Kawasaki reminds that SB21 only passed the Senate by one vote with some calling it an experiment they'd hope would work at all price points: "I think the experiment has surely failed."

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On the Alaska Marine Highway, Sen. Kiehl says it was "realllllly disappointing" to see the governor not put forward any proposed reforms for the system that came out of the advisory last year and instead only proposed a $3M cut.

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Asked about Sen. Reinbold's upcoming hearing where she'll have an anti-mask anti-lockdown doctor testifying, Begich: "You ought to use science."

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Kiehl, who's on the committee, says that there's a fair question about the least restrictive effective means of protecting public health but stresses that the critical word is "effective."

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Asked about the Jamie Allard defense of pro-Nazi license plates as innocuous German words.

Begich: "They're not innocuous German words." He says he supports the decision to remove her from the committee, saying her words were "reprehensible."

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He says, though, the First Amendment protects those words but that "America should wake up to those words." He says the way to respond is with free speech and by voting.

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That's it.

Begich says they'll be planning on making press availabilities about once a week. Invites the press to reach out to their members whenever needed.

#akleg