Rep. Rebecca Himschoot thinks the last legislative session had examples of both good and bad governance. Nevertheless, she believes the state government could be doing a better job serving Alaskans.
At the top of her list of disappointments was the governor’s veto of the legislature’s near-unanimous bill to increase funding to public education, and to introduce so-called “forward funding,” which would end the annual cycle of budget uncertainty school districts face now.
The legislature failed to override the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 140 by one vote. For Himschoot, it still stings.
“As a former educator, I just have to own that that kind of – I’m going to call it mismanagement – is done by the legal standard, but not by a standard that actually works for Alaskans,” Himschoot said. “So I’m going to call it mismanagement on our side of the state, trickles down to classrooms, and it trickles down to the educators in the classroom. They feel it. They know that, if not their own job, their colleague’s job could be changed or completely taken off the books, and that kind of uncertainty does not make a person the best they can be in any field. So I would like us to improve the certainty around education funding in the state.”
The legislature was unable to rally to write another education bill, because it had to move on to other things. Himschoot said that with few exceptions, the legislature funded state agencies at the amount requested by the governor, only to learn that the money is insufficient to address some key problems, like the backlog in SNAP benefits for families who need food stamps, or the fact that the Department of Fish & Game has 100 fewer staff than it did ten years ago, and having to cut back on its research programs.
“My frustration has been, we put the funding out there, and then things still don’t work,” she said. “The constituents’ needs aren’t met. And who hears about it? It’s not the governor’s office. It’s me trying to help people get the services that they expect and should be getting. So I don’t want that to sound like I’m complaining. That’s what I’m here to do, and I’m happy to do it, but I would like our agencies to function better, and I’m a little concerned.”
Himschoot was pleased that major maintenance for schools was funded in Craig, Kake, and Petersburg, but she found it “heartbreaking” that a $600,000 hydro project for Pelican, which would have reduced its reliance on diesel-generated power, was cut by the governor from a list of six energy projects across the state.
Himschoot said the legislature took pains to pass a balanced budget, with no draw on savings, as has been common practice over the last decade or more.
But she was concerned that cuts without foresight would cost residents in the long run.
“We can always look for savings,” said Himschoot. “It’s the public dollar, we have to be really careful with it. But we’re not going to be able to serve Alaskans in the ways that they need if we keep trying to cut everything out of the budget.”
Rep. Rebecca Himschoot delivered a legislative update to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce late last month. In addition to running through various bills, Himschoot mentioned that this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend was expected to be $1,300, with an additional $295 in energy relief.
