Education continues to dominate conversations in the legislature. The House passed SB 140 a few weeks ago with the Senate concurring shortly thereafter. The bill was sent to the Governor’s desk for consideration. The deadline for Governor Dunleavy to decide whether or not to veto SB 140 by this coming Thursday, March 14th.
Negotiations on further education proposals continue daily. As of the time of this article, it is undetermined which course potential legislation may take. I appreciate my conversations and correspondence with constituents and education leaders in my district, and I continue to support action to address our educational needs.
Education is important, and worth fighting for at home and in Juneau. The workforce of today is comprised of the students who were educated yesterday. The number of skilled workers in our state needs to expand and grow beyond our current levels. We must enact laws, create policies and write regulations which attract and retain companies and industries. There isn’t one magic bullet that will solve our problems, but will be a combination of solutions we implement.
At our core we must become a State that is more attractive to families because of our economy, and not just the many intangibles we typically use to describe Alaska. We must solve our education funding issues, and we must identify and implement energy solutions quickly. While education is the most talked about topic right now, the truth is that it is just one of the many important issues we must address. Fishing, mining, transportation…also added to the list of must do’s in our state.
I believe in rolling up my sleeves and working hard to accomplish a goal. As Alaskans, that is what we do. As elected officials, that is what we have been hired by voters to do. As a state, that is what we must do if we expect to thrive in the years ahead.
I am excited about legislation that benefits our students which includes HB 148, a House Education Committee bill carried by my office to positively impact the Alaska Performance Scholarship. HB 148 passed the House by a unanimous vote and we anticipate the legislation will be heard next week in Senate Finance.
HB 371 was passed out of the House Health and Social Services Committee this past week and is now headed to the House Floor. I have worked closely with the Department of Health to ensure this bill will improve the review committee process as they work to reduce illnesses, injuries, and deaths for Alaskans.
No single bill under consideration will singularly alter our landscape overnight, but a combination of good public policies can make a difference over the years ahead and keep our economy strong and moving in the right direction.
You reach me by email at Rep.Justin.Ruffridge@akleg.gov or my office by calling our Juneau office at 907-465-2693.
