Editorial: An abdication of responsibility?

  • By Peninsula Clarion Editorial
  • Friday, November 17, 2017 9:44am
  • Opinion

Last week, the Alaska Senate passed an update to criminal justice reform legislation — then adjourned and headed home. The action prompted criticism from the House majority coalition and the governor, with House Speaker Bryce Edgmon calling the Senate’s action “an abdication of their responsibilities.”

We hope the speaker is aware of the irony in that statement. After all, the crime legislation passed during the most recent special session — which the House continues to drag out — was passed by the Senate back in April, during the regular session.

The House and Gov. Bill Walker have two gripes with the Senate. The first is that the version of Senate Bill 54 passed by the House contains a potential constitutional issue, which the Senate opted not to address. The measure would make presumptive sentence ranges for first-time Class C and Class B felonies the same, something that could potentially violate due process requirements.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The other complaint is that the Senate did not take any meaningful action on Gov. Walker’s proposed employment tax — though that should not have come as a surprise, as the Senate majority has adamantly opposed a new broad-based tax.

Edgmon and Walker both criticized the Senate for, as the Speaker phrased it, worsening “the ongoing recession and fiscal crisis by refusing to even consider a new revenue proposal.”

Again, we hope the speaker is aware of the irony in that statement. The proposed payroll tax would eventually collect $300 million to $325 million a year — putting a very small dent in a budget deficit that will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.7 billion. Lawmakers from the Senate and House have pointed to use of a portion of the earnings of the Alaska Permanent Fund as the biggest part of a budget solution, and the measure on the table to do that, SB 26, would cut the deficit by about $1.8 billion. However, the House and Senate passed differing versions of the bill — the House version requires a broad-based tax be enacted for SB 26 to take effect — and a compromise bill never made it to the governor.

The issues with SB 54 can be fixed as soon as the next regular session starts — which at this point, is less than two months away.

As for worsening the fiscal crisis, the governor’s payroll tax would cover roughly 10 percent of the budget deficit, maybe a little bit more. Meanwhile, the measure that would address two-thirds of the shortfall has been ignored — or conveniently forgotten. Yet the House wants to pin the blame on the Senate for that, too.

The current special session hits its 30-day limit on Tuesday, and the Legislature’s next regular session starts on Jan. 16, 2018. Lawmakers know what needs to be done. Failure to do so will truly be an abdication of responsibility.

More in Opinion

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.