If you tune into today's House Health and Social Services Committee, you'll find Americans for Prosperity Alaska testifying in support of more government in the form the Department of Health and Social Services split.

#akleg
Rep. Spohnholz calls 'em out. Notes the reorganization really only calling for additional execs without any actual plan for improvement. Asks if they really support additional bureaucracy without a plan for improvement.

AFP's McKee says, well, there's more to look at.

#akleg
Rep. Fields notes that AFP has historically opposed public employment. Says their support for additional public employees - even if there's not really a plan for them - sounds like a sea change in AFP's policy.

McKee says that AFP has always respected public employees.

#akleg
Also, should be clear that Americans for Prosperity Alaska has taken no official position on the split, but McKee says they see the value in splitting it and echoes a bunch of talking points that Crum, Dunleavy and company have been saying.

#akleg
But that's about the only fun thing from this hearing.

Up now is Trevor Storrs of the Alaska Children's Trust who's talking about chronic stress in people working in the field of child welfare during the pandemic, lost trust in community partners and lack of outreach.
Tanana Chiefs Conference Chief PJ Simon testifies. Calling the split of intertwined services like OCS, DPA and Behavioral Health "baffling." Says that success for families in crisis requires the utilization of many services that would be separated under the proposed split.
#akleg
He questions why a whole slate of new bureaucracy is needed for what appears like a few more hands and a study of existing statistics.
He also points out that it's hard to ignore that pretty much everything going into the Department of Family and Community is stuff the Dunleavy admin has tried to privatize or deeply cut.

#akleg
Rep. Prax, R-North Pole, asks Simon how Tanana Chiefs Conference works...

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More from @mattbuxton

5 Mar
In the House and Health and Social Services Committee, Phil Hofstetter of Petersburg Medical Center says they had more covid-19 cases following the expiration of the disaster declaration than they DURING THE REST OF THE PANDEMIC.

#akleg
He says that travelers started to ignore travel requirements and individuals started to ignore masking mandates, etc. Behavior was changing, he said, because there was no more public health emergency.

He says the hospital is at capacity for covid-19 treatment. #akleg
They've had to close schools after getting through the pandemic without having any significant closures.
Read 5 tweets
4 Mar
The Senate Transportation Committee is currently meeting on the proposed closures of several DMV offices. Sen. Kiehl notes a lot of stuff--driver's tests, senior tests--need to be done in person.

Admin Commissioner Tshibaka suggests they just change the laws.

#akleg
Sen. Myers notes that you've gotta do the CDL certification in person.

However, Sen. Shower is gung-ho and asks Tshibaka if there's other laws they can change.
Sen. Kiehl also notes that it looks like a lot of the data about the movement online may be affected by the pandemic. He asks for a longer look back.

Sen. Shower, doing the work for Tshibaka, says well maybe people don't use it that much because people don't know.
Read 27 tweets
4 Mar
Sen. Lora Reinbold responds to Gov. Dunleavy's letter calling her a liar and spreader of disinformation about covid-19 and the state's response. So far a lot of hollering about "illegal" this and "illegally" that.

#akleg

Livestream via @alaskalandmine: facebook.com/19238368545053…
She pats herself on the back for waiting a week to hold her response because Dunleavy got covid. She wishes him a speedy recovery.
She credits herself with the #akleg failing to pass the disaster declaration. (It'd be the House's disorganization, but whatev, since when has she been about facts?)
Read 21 tweets
2 Mar
Really interesting discussion in House Finance Committee right now about the state's financial future when governor is not offering any real direction other than to dip into savings and put things up to a vote of the people.

The admin summed up:

#akleg
Revenue Commissioner-appointee Mahoney acknowledges that the governor's long-range fiscal plan doesn't exactly pencil out when it requires new revenue but he opposes new revenue without a vote of the people. She says it'll require additional, continued spending out of savings.
House reps ask her if that's her recommendation, to keep spending the Alaska Permanent Fund without a solution.

Mahoney: That would not be my recommendation, but there would not be any other choice.

#akleg
Read 23 tweets
2 Mar
The House Finance Committee has been hearing the budget overview the Senate had several weeks ago, but it warrants repeating that a lot of what's in the governor's budget is short-sighted (either one-time money, one-time cuts).

#akleg
Legislative Finance Division Director Painter reminds them that overdraws on the era comes at the cost of increased future deficits. "Every time we overdraw, it increases future deficits ... which means we have to reduce services even more or raise taxes even more."

#akleg
Here's Painter's analysis of the what the overdraws would mean for the state. AKA big hits and a deficit that's roughly $200M - $300M larger.

#akleg Image
Read 9 tweets
27 Jan
Aaaaaand we're off with the first Senate Judiciary Committee meeting of the 32nd Legislature with chair Sen. Lora Reinbold, a mask and election denier, rocking the clear face shield.

#akleg
Watch here: ktoo.org/360TV/
Background on why her spot is... problematic: midnightsunak.com/2021/01/25/sen…

#akleg
Reinbold says they'll be posting parts of the U.S. and Alaska constitutions on the wall: "Super important to recognize that it’s the supreme law of the land."

And then goes right into the covid health orders.

#akleg
Read 37 tweets

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