{"id":50619,"date":"2019-07-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/capitol-live-university-of-alaska-regents-meet-to-discuss-universitys-financial-situation\/"},"modified":"2019-07-15T19:04:07","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T03:04:07","slug":"capitol-live-university-of-alaska-regents-meet-to-discuss-universitys-financial-situation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/capitol-live-university-of-alaska-regents-meet-to-discuss-universitys-financial-situation\/","title":{"rendered":"Capitol Live: Rep. Sara Hannan’s Town Hall, Douglas Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
Summary: <\/strong>Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, stressed the damage the state budget cuts would cause but encouraged constituents not to lose hope. She laid out the options available, namely HB 2001, set to be discussed on Wednesday, July 17.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 6:34 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Member of the audience thanked Hannan for representing them, and received applause. Hannan thanked everyone for coming and encouraged people to make contact.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 5:50 p.m. – Question Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t So the opportunity to override is over?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan: That’s correct, the first five days after the vetoes are the last opportunity. We can pass HB 2001 but that too is subject to veto.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Is there a way the legislature can call a session to Juneau?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan: We don’t have the votes. We need 40, we have 39. Legislators are feeling the pressure. Are they willing to follow the governor off a cliff?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Wouldn’t it be better to just go to Wasilla?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan: This is unprecedented, so if you go to Wasilla you set the precedent. The law that says the governor can set a location for a special session has never been tested. People have said in sessions, “The day you go to Wasilla, is the day your Capitol moves.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Recall movement just kicked the can down the road?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t If the governor were recalled, then the Lt. Gov would be the governor.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan said that the groups organizing recall vote had met in Anchorage but had not yet finalized their petition language.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Legal question about HB 2001, minority members, Wasilla members, questioned whether that was allowed under special session? This may turn into a fight over semantics.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Well we have lawyers and courts who are able to determine that, but the call for the special session was related to appropriations and that’s what the legislature is trying to do.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Was the sweep<\/a> known?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan: We started hearing murmurs of it, so Stedman, R-Sitka, and Foster, D-Nome, started asking, ‘what funds are you looking at sweeping?’ but they didn’t receive an answer.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t No other state gives so much executive power, no other state gives the governor line-item veto power, she said. The constitution would need to be changed in order to alter that, but that’s not a fight I would want to have in this current political climate.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Is the reverse sweep going to help us see when the Alaska Performance Scholarship is available? What are we to look for so we can know when there’s money?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The reverse sweep does need a three-quarters vote, so there is that same thresh-hold. I don’t think the money’s going to be there by the time you’re going to need it in August, that’s my cynical view.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t We are getting some movement on PFD versus cuts issue, but even where some of my Republican colleagues agree that these cuts are too drastic but that’s generally where the agreement ends.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Every time I met with an oil company representative I would ask “what does your company feel about a change to our tax system” and would receive vague answers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Our biggest tool with the governor is the PFD, how much of a PFD do you want?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t (Crowd suggests nothing, stonewalling on PFD)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t What’s the status of House Bill 2001?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t I imagine it will be 38 for, 22 against. It’s will mostly likely be vetoed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t I’ve heard that the 22 in Wasilla are very upset at the amount of political pressure they are getting, so keep it up. But don’t show up on their doorstep or call their cellphones.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Investment in large data centers that can handle the computing needs of public\/private clients (Dept. of Defense, for example)? Consideration of publicly funded corporation of data centers.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Noah (who asked the question) is always thinking about the future, and locally, but I cannot fathom any sort of investment under this administration.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t There’s no political will to pursue alternative revenue streams?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t There were those of us who had the political will, there was no political momentum.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Way to restructure UA to make it more cost effective?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Board of Regents is set up to make those decisions. I don’t want to micromanage the regents but I think the administration has made it clear that cuts need to be made.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t What I don’t like is the ‘we don’t need all that research that no one’s paying for’ talk. Is there room for more efficiency? <\/em>Yes. The more we cut public education and then say, well kids still can’t read, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Motor fuel tax?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t We don’t have a lot of state taxes unless you’re industry. There’s a lot of small taxes that could be enacted. The fuel tax seems less popular because everyone is a consumer of that tax. It get addressed from time to time but no real dialogue.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Where are we at on the increase on Pioneer Home rates?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Administration opportunity has closed as of July 1, “I believe that the public testimony was universally in opposition” but I don’t think that’s going to affect the current administration.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 5:48 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan: I want us to talk about revenue. I think there’s a critical mass of people in this state that are willing to talk about oil and gas tax reform.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t I’m in favor of a progressive state income tax, I think it taps into our migratory, seasonal workers. Many of those people make their living in Alaska but they’re not paying Alaska.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 5:46 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hannan: I<\/a> introduced a vaping tax (nicotine) <\/a>– “You don’t know how many lobbyists there are until you introduce a bill to tax vaping.” Juul flew a representative all the way from San Francisco to stress how “different” vaping was, she said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 5:41 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Oil prices have been declining but the Permanent Fund Corporation has other investments and generating revenue from those sources.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Originally, PFC was only allowed to invest in bonds, which have a smaller return.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t But now we have more diverse funds, Hannan said, and the stock market has been doing very well, that money could be used to bolster state budget.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t