Time to Gear UP!
Anchorage legislators are
headed home on Saturday, Feb. 18 to hold a Town Hall meeting at the ZJ
Loussac Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon.
A number of Interior Delegation legislators are also headed home, and have their Town Hall meeting on Sunday, February 19 at West Valley High School from 1 to 3 p.m.
House Finance Committee Statewide Teleconference on the FY13 operating budget – helpful tips to make it easy!
Within the next several weeks, the House Finance Committee will be calendaring their statewide teleconference on the FY13 operating budget. This is a great opportunity to actively participate in the process.
How does this teleconference work?
Notice will be posted on the legislative calendar as to the date and times the House Finance Committee will be taking public testimony on the FY13 operating budget. Typically, time is allotted for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, rural and offnet sites throughout the day. The public is invited to attend these meetings at their local legislative information office where they will sign up to present their supportive testimony. Once the committee receives the roster of speakers, they will call upon each person to come to the table to give a two-minute presentation. And they are serious about this time constraint!
Note: We will send out a notice on our legislative update enewsletter as soon as the dates/times are posted.
What if I can’t make it to the hearing?
House Finance Committee members will also accept written testimony sent by email, US Postal Service or fax. It’s also a great idea to ‘cc’ your own legislators so they know what you are supporting.
Why is this hearing important?
Legislators WANT to hear from their constituents! They will be listening intently to take notes of what is said and what budget items have the most vocal support. The more people that show up to testify on the budget, the better, especially when it comes to the University.
What’s in the UA FY13 operating budget? (PDF)
The UA Board of Regents have addressed the most pressing funding requirements for the University, i.e. fixed costs, salary increases, and high priority program initiatives. It is important to note here that the Governor has reviewed the UA Regents’ request, recommending funding of fixed costs, salary increases and the Honors Program. No funding was provided for the high-priority program requests.
However, it is very appropriate to advocate for anything in the UA Regents’ FY13 operating request, and support is needed for any of the program requests to succeed. This opportunity to provide testimony is a very effective way of getting your messages to legislators. It is especially important for ‘outside’ advocates, that is, private citizens, students, alumni, business and industry leaders, and UA partners.
This is a proven method of advocacy – in years gone by, legislators were swayed by passionate testimony for various programs, and funding was included in the final budgets. In fact, the more people that testify to promote a program, the better!
What UA Board of Regents’ FY13 operating budget program initiatives are not funded to date? (See BOR FY13 Operating Request details - PDF)
You will have two minutes to convey your message, so short bullet points are essential in this case. This hearing is on the operating budget only.
Note: Two opportunities will be provided for public testimony for capital budget (infrastructure and building) requests. The capital budget deliberations typically happen towards the end of session in late March/early April.
You will be asked to identify yourself, including your name, affiliation, and legislative district. This will really get the legislators’ attention if they are at the table.
Legislators are not so much interested in the financial details of the budget request as they want to hear your own story. Tell them what program initiatives you are supporting and why – what will this provide to the state, to Alaskans, to enhance workforce development, student achievements, etc. What will happen if the initiative is not funded?
At the end of your short testimony, make sure to thank the legislators for their time and ask them for their support of your request.
Who are the House Finance Committee members?
Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak)
Representative Bill Thomas (Haines)
Representative Anna Fairclough (Eagle River)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (Dilllingham)
Representative Reggie Joule (Kotzebue)
Representative Mark Neuman (MatSu)
Representative Tammie Wilson (North Pole)
Representative Mia Costello (South Anchorage)
Representative David Guttenberg (Fairbanks)
Representative Les Gara (East Anchorage)
Representatie Mike Doogan (West Anchorage)
Representative Mike Hawker (Alt.) (Anchorage Hillside)
What’s happening on the Hill?
All three Chancellors have been invited by Senator Johnny Ellis to present to the UA Boosters Caucus on Feb. 28 to discuss collaborative and cooperative efforts between campuses. The Chancellors will also be presenting to the Juneau Downtown Rotary on the same date. This hearing may be available on Gavel or Gavel or Alaska Legislative TV.
The UA Board of Regents will be meeting in Fairbanks on February 15 and 16. Public testimony will be taken on both days from 10 am to 11 am. Testimony is taken in-person only. During this meeting, a ribbon-cutting event will take place for the new ACEP Lab Modules. Senator Lesil McGuire is expected to make a few remarks at this ceremony.
Governor’s Cup Hockey! February 24 in Anchorage and February 25 in Fairbanks. Come cheer on UAA or UAF in this final tournament of the season.
A number of Interior Delegation legislators are also headed home, and have their Town Hall meeting on Sunday, February 19 at West Valley High School from 1 to 3 p.m.
House Finance Committee Statewide Teleconference on the FY13 operating budget – helpful tips to make it easy!
Within the next several weeks, the House Finance Committee will be calendaring their statewide teleconference on the FY13 operating budget. This is a great opportunity to actively participate in the process.
How does this teleconference work?
Notice will be posted on the legislative calendar as to the date and times the House Finance Committee will be taking public testimony on the FY13 operating budget. Typically, time is allotted for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, rural and offnet sites throughout the day. The public is invited to attend these meetings at their local legislative information office where they will sign up to present their supportive testimony. Once the committee receives the roster of speakers, they will call upon each person to come to the table to give a two-minute presentation. And they are serious about this time constraint!
Note: We will send out a notice on our legislative update enewsletter as soon as the dates/times are posted.
What if I can’t make it to the hearing?
House Finance Committee members will also accept written testimony sent by email, US Postal Service or fax. It’s also a great idea to ‘cc’ your own legislators so they know what you are supporting.
Why is this hearing important?
Legislators WANT to hear from their constituents! They will be listening intently to take notes of what is said and what budget items have the most vocal support. The more people that show up to testify on the budget, the better, especially when it comes to the University.
What’s in the UA FY13 operating budget? (PDF)
The UA Board of Regents have addressed the most pressing funding requirements for the University, i.e. fixed costs, salary increases, and high priority program initiatives. It is important to note here that the Governor has reviewed the UA Regents’ request, recommending funding of fixed costs, salary increases and the Honors Program. No funding was provided for the high-priority program requests.
However, it is very appropriate to advocate for anything in the UA Regents’ FY13 operating request, and support is needed for any of the program requests to succeed. This opportunity to provide testimony is a very effective way of getting your messages to legislators. It is especially important for ‘outside’ advocates, that is, private citizens, students, alumni, business and industry leaders, and UA partners.
This is a proven method of advocacy – in years gone by, legislators were swayed by passionate testimony for various programs, and funding was included in the final budgets. In fact, the more people that testify to promote a program, the better!
What UA Board of Regents’ FY13 operating budget program initiatives are not funded to date? (See BOR FY13 Operating Request details - PDF)
- New initiatives to improve graduation rates
These requests support UA’s responsibility during students “the 3 critical years”. They include supporting UA’s part in the joint effort for insuring college readiness and student success during their three key decision and high attrition years (last year of high school and year 1 and year 2 of college). Specific focus placed on improving retention, timely completion, removing student obstacles, establishing much better performance facts, and creating a common database for student decision making. - Response to state high-demand jobs
Funding to accommodate the growing demand for trained professional in the areas of Engineering, Health/Bio-Medical, Teacher Education, and Workforce Development continues to be a top priority for UA. Only through continued investment in these areas will we keep up with the State’s need. The alternatives are to recruit from outside or go without. - Alaska Research, Economic Development, Intellectual Property
These requests support UA’s newly initiated efforts to create economic value from UA intellectual property commercialization and focused research.
You will have two minutes to convey your message, so short bullet points are essential in this case. This hearing is on the operating budget only.
Note: Two opportunities will be provided for public testimony for capital budget (infrastructure and building) requests. The capital budget deliberations typically happen towards the end of session in late March/early April.
You will be asked to identify yourself, including your name, affiliation, and legislative district. This will really get the legislators’ attention if they are at the table.
Legislators are not so much interested in the financial details of the budget request as they want to hear your own story. Tell them what program initiatives you are supporting and why – what will this provide to the state, to Alaskans, to enhance workforce development, student achievements, etc. What will happen if the initiative is not funded?
At the end of your short testimony, make sure to thank the legislators for their time and ask them for their support of your request.
Who are the House Finance Committee members?
Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak)
Representative Bill Thomas (Haines)
Representative Anna Fairclough (Eagle River)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (Dilllingham)
Representative Reggie Joule (Kotzebue)
Representative Mark Neuman (MatSu)
Representative Tammie Wilson (North Pole)
Representative Mia Costello (South Anchorage)
Representative David Guttenberg (Fairbanks)
Representative Les Gara (East Anchorage)
Representatie Mike Doogan (West Anchorage)
Representative Mike Hawker (Alt.) (Anchorage Hillside)
What’s happening on the Hill?
All three Chancellors have been invited by Senator Johnny Ellis to present to the UA Boosters Caucus on Feb. 28 to discuss collaborative and cooperative efforts between campuses. The Chancellors will also be presenting to the Juneau Downtown Rotary on the same date. This hearing may be available on Gavel or Gavel or Alaska Legislative TV.
The UA Board of Regents will be meeting in Fairbanks on February 15 and 16. Public testimony will be taken on both days from 10 am to 11 am. Testimony is taken in-person only. During this meeting, a ribbon-cutting event will take place for the new ACEP Lab Modules. Senator Lesil McGuire is expected to make a few remarks at this ceremony.
Governor’s Cup Hockey! February 24 in Anchorage and February 25 in Fairbanks. Come cheer on UAA or UAF in this final tournament of the season.
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