Won’t all of Alaska’s legislators, including those running again for re-election, be paid until their terms are over when the next Legislature convenes in January 2025? If so, then they still have months to serve. Alaskans should demand they do just that, if for no other reason than to earn their recent 67% pay increase they (using a classic legislative slight-of-hand) granted themselves.
Perhaps with a little “off season” preparedness, the next session might begin with well-crafted legislation. Perhaps they can finally stop simply reacting to every crisis by waiting until the last minute when options are few and any solutions are usually exponentially more expensive. They can also hold hearings outside the legislative session to formally investigate and perhaps recommend loss of position, impeachment, and/or criminal sanctions for malfeasance and negligent incompetence.
Yes, the second session of the current Legislature will end soon, and all pending legislation will die. However, all legislators are still “on the clock”. Therefore, let them earn their pay until ‘it’s over.’
— Lynn Willis
Eagle River
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