Greetings from Juneau! I'm writing to you from my office in the Capitol. It shouldn't be this quiet and desolate here. Given our current state of affairs, there should be footsteps and conversations swirling about a background of hallway printers continually printing and reprinting updated versions of legislative issues.
My fellow Independent Democrats and I are some of the only legislators who've been showing up for work. We've been doing our job, standing up for Alaskans and upholding the oath of office we all took just 3 1/2 months ago.
You know all about the unearned vacation called by the leadership of both the House and the Senate. Yes, it is irresponsible when there's so much work left to do.
What you might not know is the governor asked that the leadership stay through the weekend and work together and continue negotiations on the operating budget.
We Independent Democrats stayed. Gov. Walker stayed. But Senate President Kevin Meyer and House Speaker Mike Chenault took off to parts unknown, leaving me, my team, the governor and the people of Alaska high and dry.
Maybe they had something better to do than pass a fully funded and fiscally responsible budget. Maybe giving 42,000 Alaskans the dignity of health care access just didn't grab their attention. And perhaps they had more important things to worry about than properly funding the education of Alaska's children.
I'm pretty angry. I can't believe that Kevin Meyer and Mike Chenault were no-shows. Why wouldn't they make time? They sure made time to empty $1.2 billion out of the education endowment fund to put $700 million into the oil tax credit fund, that's for certain.
They gave themselves an unearned vacation despite the fact that the state's budget has yet to be made fiscally responsible (and, equally important: fully funded), Medicaid expansion and reform hasn't been dealt with and the educational funding cuts have made people across the state rise up with anger.
The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition understands Alaska's potential as well as our financial limitations. We plan to have a budget that reflects both.
From day one we have shared our priorities and these represent Alaska's values:
Make a lasting commitment to public education;
Provide affordable and accessible health care;
Make our communities safer;
Create opportunities for Alaskans.
We aren't planning to grow the budget; we just want to reprioritize. They do not want to accept our proposed cuts. For example, we believe draining the education endowment fund to write oil tax credit checks takes away the future funding of public education and holds the oil industry harmless. Obviously, not everything is off the table.
I am still in Juneau ready to do the people's work and I'm not alone. There are a few members of the House Finance Committee as well as four other legislators who make up the 13 members of the Independent Democratic Coalition.
Going on vacation is wrong. I opposed it. The Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition in the House along with the Democrats in the Senate voted to stay here and get our work done. Unfortunately, the Republican-led majority outvoted us and they control the agenda.
I have a newborn waiting for me at home. She was born on the last day of session and I still haven't spent a full day with her. If anyone wants out of here the most, it is me. But I know my duty to the public and haven't forgotten who I work for.
Now is not the time to go on vacation. Now is the time to get back to work.
Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, has served in the state House of Representatives since 2009.
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