March 21, 2014

The Fellowship has finally come to an end.  I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in one session, especially because I knew little about the political process before participating in this fellowship.  I’ve been exploring different career paths since quitting my accounting career, and being a legislative aide appears to have everything I’ve been looking for.  I get a lot of human interaction with many different people and I’m constantly learning new things about a vast array of subjects.   Best of all, I’ve gotten to come back to my native territory in Southeast Alaska.  I look forward to what my future holds, whether it be in the legislature or not, I know that this Fellowship has made me a better leader and has furthered my desire to work for the Native community and to strive to keep making Alaska a better place.  I feel if I don’t return to work in the Capitol in the future, that I have been given the tools to still make a difference because I know how to better inform the legislature on issues that matter to myself and to others.

Last night we stayed till 4:30am.  Juneau community members staged a sit in, and spent 15 hours in the Capitol waiting to hear HB 216 making 22 Alaska Native languages official, which happened to be last on the agenda.  It was definitely one of the most heartfelt bills of the year.  Many moving testimonies were given during committee earlier in the session and on the floor by Representatives and Senators.  It was so inspiring to be a part of a piece of history that is monumental for the Alaska Native community.  After the bill passed, the vibe on the second floor was so powerful and emotional for all that have been waiting on this bill.  It was definitely the best way to end an amazing session.  I’m feeling so empowered and ready to take on whatever comes next in my journey!

I have encouraged many people to apply for this opportunity next year and will continue to tell people about the great experience I have had.  I would like to see more Native people working in the legislature and joining the great group of Natives that already work here.

April 14, 2014

We are in the last two weeks of session!  There are no longer 15 minute meetings scheduled back to back to back.  Now there are few if any meetings during the day and extended floor session and committee meetings.  There are plans for legislators to work all weekend as well.  Today the Legislature officially went in to 24 hour rule.  This rule allows that if Legislator’s request their piece of legislation to be heard, that the committee chair can schedule their bill at any time with little notice.  With this in place, staffers and Legislators need to watch the schedule 24/7, which puts everyone on high stress alert.

This week I attended two committees besides the two that I attend regularly Monday through Friday.  I went to watch a presentation on Alaska Native Justice and Alaska Native Students Achieving Academic Excellence in Alaska’s High Schools.  I was particularly interested in the discussion on AK Native Justice about Tribal Law and Alaska’s criminal justice system.

This week was also Tlingit and Haida Tribal Assembly was held.  I got to watch speeches by potential President and Vice President candidates.  I also helped cook for a dinner that my uncle, Ed Thomas, hosted on Thursday night for assembly and attended his retirement party. 

March 4, 2014

Only two weeks left to go unless the legislature decides to extend the session.  No one says they can yet predict if it will go longer. 

Olson is on Senate Finance Committee and it has definitely been heating up.  Recently they have heard the KABATA which is, “An act creating the Knik Crossing Development Corporation as a subsidiary corporation of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and relating to bonds of the Knik Crossing Development Corporation.”  If it is to pass this legislative session it could mean that it would be open for traffic in 2015.  Some are for the bridge because it improves Alaska’s infrastructure and helps move goods and people more easily about the state in this location.  Some are against the bridge because we are in deficit spending and they think the state can’t afford to take on such a large capital project that only benefits a small portion of the state.

Another major bill in motion right now is HB 278,

“An Act increasing the base student allocation used in the formula for state funding of public education; relating to the exemption from jury service for certain teachers; relating to the powers of the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to high school course credit earned through assessment; relating to school performance reports; relating to assessments; relating to charter schools and student transportation; relating to residential school applications; relating to tenure of public school teachers; relating to unemployment contributions for the Alaska technical and vocational education program; relating to earning high school credit for completion of vocational education courses offered by institutions receiving technical and vocational education program funding; relating to schools operated by a federal agency; relating to the school size factor for public school funding; adjusting the calculation of state aid for public school funding; relating to the local contribution to public education funding; relating to the withholding of state aid to public education for teacher retirement contributions; relating to the teachers' defined benefit retirement plan; establishing the teachers' pension reserve fund; relating to education tax credits; establishing an optional municipal tax exemption for privately owned real property rented or leased for use as a charter school; requiring the Department of Administration to provide a proposal for a salary and benefits schedule for school districts; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date." 

Alaska Dispatch came out with a press release making statements that Gov. Sean Parnell’s new provisions that gives more to help the largest schools of those districts.  The funding formula appears that it would favor schools mainly in Anchorage and could potentially hurt rural districts. 

This weekend I will be attending Skits, which is some kind of comedy show where people act as Senators and Representatives and poke fun at them.

March 31, 2014

Another busy week in the Capitol!  This week went by just as quickly as the preceding weeks.  I spend much of my time creating the Senator’s Ulu Newsletter, in Judiciary Committee, and Labor and Commerce Committee.  This week has also had considerably nice weather, so I’ve also spent most lunches and after work outside enjoying the sunny weather.

HB 216 Official Languages of the State was heard this week and didn’t seem well received by some of the Representatives in House State Affairs.  It was somewhat disheartening to see, but they did bring up a good point in that they are worried about the potential cost of making all of them official.  It sounds like some work needs to be done to work out some of the kinks.

The two committees Judiciary and Labor and Commerce that I’ve been responsible for were all bills that had been previously heard.  In Judiciary I heard HB 47 Injunction Security:  Industrial Operation, HB 218 Sentencing on Aggravator/Deportation Status, and SB 201 Criminal Trespass on Private Property.  In Labor and Commerce I heard SB 183 Extend Emerging Energy Technology Fund, HB 269 Immunity for Volunteer Health Care Provider, and HB 167 Architects, Engineers, Surveyors.  Seeing the multitude of bills coming through each of the committees is fascinating considering the holes in different laws, or loopholes that people use to get around the law. 

I also just read about my first project I took on in the legislature that involves Katie John.  I put together the packet and presented on Katie John Day which taught me most of what I know about subsistence rights.  In the news today I found out that the Supreme Court decided that it will not review the latest ruling in Katie John case, a blow to the state and a win for AFN!

March 24, 2014

Last week was another busy week.  There are only 28 days left in the legislative session.  I spent much of my time filling in for Senate Judiciary committee and Senate Labor & Commerce committee by preparing packets and attending the meetings.  What I like about my experience so far is the variety of topics to learn about.  One bill may be about prostitution laws and the next bill about hunting regulations.  I feel that this experience definitely feeds my curiosity and my interest in continual learning.

I also attended the weekly Native Issues Forum where my boss Senator Olson was one of the guest speakers.  It was the first public speech I’ve heard him give outside of the Capitol.  He gave a great speech about his experience in the education system and a couple of reindeer herding stories before he rolled into this session’s important topics.  Some he brought up were VPSO firearms, budget cuts and a fiscal overview. 

This weekend I attended the yearly Legislative Shoot Out competition with staffers in Senator Giessel’s office.  It was a lot of fun and I got to spend time with people that I don’t normally see while working in the Capitol. I also went with my aunt and uncle to a dance practice held on Auke Bay Beach.

March 16, 2014

"Selfie" with the Governor

 

This week seems to have gone by in a blur as we head into the second half of the session.  Things are  be speeding up and moving right along.  I spent much time on the phone with Alaskan citizens about SJR9 School Vouchers that the Governor is really trying to push.  A vast majority are against allowing moneys for private institutions.  It was supposed to be heard on the Senate floor last Wednesday but they postponed and it hasn't been heard yet.  Many suspect that SJR9 would pull money further away from education in rural locations that are already suffering.

This week I went to a lunch and learn and learned more about Unmanned Aircrafts at University of Alaska Fairbanks. They are starting a vast array of different projects such as counting sea lions and seals, scouting fires and volcanoes, simulating search and rescue missions, counting fish in streams, researching the arctic, etc.  They believe that they get an even more accurate count on wildlife then planes and helicopters because the small unmanned aircrafts are much more quiet and less visible.  They are also able to fly in areas with high risk levels to manned aircraft without putting peoples lives in danger.

My sister Heather came to visit this week!  She came during her spring break to visit family and hang out with me in the Capitol.  I got her introduced on the Senate floor and brought her with me to Judiciary committee and then sent her off the Health and Social Services committee.  We also attended a couple of interesting Lunch and Learns. 

I ended the week by attending the last day of the Native Studies Conference.  I got to learn a lot about different Native programs/ideas/concepts around Alaska that I can possibly use in the future.  I also watched a Tlingit/Haida dance performance.  At the end the host called all the men in the audience to learn how to dance and amazingly ALL of the twenty-five or so men from the audience participated!  It shows how great the Juneau community is and that they get involved.

March 7, 2013

I made it to Cordova!

Senator Olson's office gave me Thursday and Friday off of this week, so I decided to come and see where my boyfriend grew up and meet his family.  It's a gorgeous place so far, lots of water and mountains.  We camped last night on Eyak lake in a bare minimum cabin and near froze to death.

This work week was eventful even though it was short.  What may be the highlight of my experience was getting to witness the Governor sign the first piece of legislation this year.  I got to research HJR 15/SJR 12 which is a resolution that gets legislation support for ANCSA contaminated lands given by the federal government.  It's a resolution important to me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed working on.  Representative Millett and two of her staffers, and Senator Olson and I were invited to watch the official signing.  Proceeding the signing, Representative Millett insisted we get a "selfie" picture with the Governor and he agreed.  She sent it to Ellen Degeneres in hopes of getting it on tv.

I also went to a couple of events in which Senator Begich spoke about issues in Alaska.  I admire him for his work on behalf of Alaska Natives and everything he's accomplished.  I want to look into working for him in Washington DC so I can learn more about processes and procedures on a national level.

Since I've gotten to Juneau my eyes have really opened and I feel like if I want to serve the Native community, that this might make the biggest difference during my career path.  I'm so thankful for First Alaskans giving me the opportunity and for placing me in a rural office so I can focus on issues that Natives face now and in the future.  Without going through this experience I never would have learned as much about the political process in Alaska and ways I can get involved in the future.

Thank you First Alaskans staff and board members!!!