State lawmakers express cautious optimism ahead of session’s start next week

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - For the 34th Legislature beginning on Jan. 21, a first drop of prefiled bills has already been made public, with the second set scheduled to be released this coming Friday.

Ahead of that first official day, lawmakers generally expressed cautious optimism for what is expected to be another session laden with key items that could prove difficult to address within the regular – and constitutionally-mandated – 121-day session limit.

“There are some really difficult issues before us,” said Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, on Tuesday. “And it’s not just legislation that we’ve talked about already. There is some additional legislation coming forward that will be very complex.

“We have a budget that’s been proposed to us that’s a $1.5B shortfall,” she continued, citing an example of the efforts that lie ahead. “That’s gotta be dealt with. That’s going to take time, and it’s going to take collaboration.”

Among Giessel’s prefiled bills are a trio whose themes have drawn extensive attention in the past: Senate Bill 28 looks to reform the public employees’ and teachers’ retirement systems in Alaska; Senate Bill 32 focuses on utilities, renewable energy, and storage; and Senate Bill 34 seeks to remove a statute requiring the adjournment of a regular session within 90 consecutive calendar days from the start of that session.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, emphasized that while some items will have to be addressed in the next few months, there is always an air of uncertainty surrounding the session.

“Every session is a little different,” he said. “You never know where the attention is going to be focused. And then, things always pop up. But I think these are (key) issues people campaigned on, and I think these are issues the public spoke very clearly on.”

Two of Wielechowski’s prefiled bills — one, looking to establish a work-and-save program and a retirement savings board, and the other, seeking to create a financial literacy program for public schools — contain proposed policies that have been hotly debated in the past. A third, which would largely prohibit cell phone use in public schools during regular school hours, is new for him.

Outgoing House Speaker Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, who moves this session to the position of minority whip, said Tuesday she is preparing for some lengthy discussions over a slew of especially polarizing topics.

“I think it will be tough to get a lot done this session,” she said, “just because both of the houses are very divided, so it will be a matter of lawmakers trying to bridge the gap and work together where they can.

“You have 60 legislators, and every one of them has something a little different,” added Tilton, who has thus far has not submitted any bills for prefiling. “And then you have a governor at the end. So, a fiscal plan is nothing new – it’s been batted around for years – but will we ever get to a place where we have a fiscal plan? I want to hope that we do."

The House’s outgoing minority leader, Rep. Calvin Schrage, NA-Anchorage, will soon become co-chair of the House Finance Committee and said that he has hopes for a productive session but recognizes that there are pieces of required legislation that will prove to be particularly demanding.

“There are definitely going to be challenges for us,” he said, “but I am expecting this legislative session to be very productive, certainly by recent years' standards. We have bodies in the House and Senate that are aligned on major issues we need to address.”

Schrage’s lone proposal that’s part of the currently-released prefile list, House Bill 16, focuses on campaign contribution limits and directs the Alaska Public Offices Commission to adjust those limits, as appropriate, every 10 years beginning in 2031.

Outgoing House Majority Leader Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, has four bills as part of this year’s prefiles, he said. Three of those have been released already, including one that would allow for write-in candidates on presidential election ballots.

Another seeks to put a cap on the number of state holidays at 12, the current amount; and one that is related to fees for paper documents.

Like his colleagues, Saddler said he is confident about the upcoming session but foresees some challenges given the subject matter needing to be addressed.

“I think ‘cautiously optimistic’ has to be the mindset of anybody coming into the first year of a two-year session,” Saddler said. “The narrowly-divided House reflects a narrow division in the state, so I think any broad-reaching, sweeping efforts to implement big social changes or change in government are going to be met with a lot of resistance.

“You know, 21-19? It’s hard to pass bills willy-nilly; they’ll have to persuade us to get our votes, we’ll have to persuade them to get their votes,” he continued. “Will there be contentious issues? Sure ... the Legislature is where contentious issues are sent to be resolved, and so, we have to consider compromises, and if we can, we will.”

The second round of prefiled bills is scheduled to be released on Friday. The first day of the upcoming legislative session will begin the morning of Jan. 21.

Author’s note: This story has been updated.

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