I am reporting, with mixed feelings, what I heard about the fate of HCR 21, the Alaska ACE Resolution introduced by Representative Geran Tarr. The Resolution is sitting in the House Finance Committee, and I am told that it is, to use the words of veterans in the legislative process, "dead." It will apparently not surface this year, although stranger things have happened. So I am disappointed (and prepared to be elated if it does resurface).
However it ends, Representative Tarr was able to build a record of information about ACE's, talk to many of her colleagues, and move the bill out of the House Health & Social Services Committee to House Finance. That's an accomplishment. Many Alaskan's also sent letters of support and have become more engaged in public policy advocacy. So I am heartened.
2016 is an election year, and I hope that our loose coalition of ACE advocates can be a bit more formalized and help bring the issue of ACE's to greater prominence during the 2016 elections for state House and the Senate. All of our representatives come up for election every 2 years, and half of our senators are also up since they serve 4 year terms. It we can help our candidates focus on ACE's during the election season, we might be able to make more progress on an actual bill during the next session.
Because the Resolution was introduced during the second half of a session, we only had a limited amount of time to help it move. While I was still hopeful that we might make greater progress, it was a difficult issue to advance during this period of intense State of Alaska budget pressure.
If you are interested in working on making ACE's a more visible issue during the upcoming elections, please let me know. I do public want to thank the many individuals and organizations in Alaska who helped to advance the Resolution as far as it went. In our Tlingit language, Gunalchéesh [Thank You]. Quyanaa is Thank you in Sugpiaq/Alutiiq, the language of my father's people. You help and support is so very much appreciated.
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