House Floor Session, 5/20/26, 3:30pm

Will the House please come to order.

Our work is nearly complete. We've got a grand total of 2 concurrences that we need to deal with. I'm not gonna predict how much time that is going to take. So my hope is to get through them and rather swiftly as we possibly can, roll down the calendar to special orders. There were a few members who wanted to make some comments, at least 1 or 2, perhaps more, make some parting comments, which will be emotional because this is our last day of the regular session, of course.

But enjoyed working with all of you, and let's get her done here. And Mr. Majority Leader, I'm going to turn to you, and let's get these things done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move and ask unanimous consent that the members go into the limbo file to take up House Bill 302.

The member from District 16 will explain the changes made by the other body. Hearing no objection, House Bill 302 is before the body. Representative Hall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Permission to read?

Permission granted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For House Bill 302, the Senate made 3 changes. The first change was relatively small. It ensured that language in Section 9 of the bill does not limit the authority of the Director of the Division of Insurance under existing statute The second change inserted language from SB 185 into Sections 4 through 8.

SB 185 affirms that Alaska's Trade Practices and Frauds chapter is regulated under the federal McCarran-Ferguson Act and Graham-Leach-Bliley Act. It also updates Alaska insurance laws by clarifying permissible rebate and discount practices, allowing health-related wellness incentives, banning misleading free insurance advertising, and permitting insurers to operate good faith pilot programs. The third change increased Alaska's unemployment insurance benefits, which haven't been updated since 2009. With this update, the maximum weekly benefit increases from $370 to $470. $470 Is 45% of the maximum taxable wage base in Alaska.

I want to note that 50% is the national standard, which would be $521. The change in the other body also increased the weekly benefit for each dependent from $24 to $72. And lastly, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development will now have the authority to annually adjust the benefit for inflation by tying it to the average taxable wage base. I support these changes and I urge a yes vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Representative Fields. Uh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to explain the relevance of the unemployment insurance changes for our construction, oil and gas workforce. A lot of folks who work surface transportation in the summer work pipeline work in the winter. When they're laid off in the fall, there's a, there's a length of time that they do not control before the ice road season comes in.

Our current, before passage of this bill, our current maximum weekly benefit of $375 is almost 4 times lower than the state of Washington. So one of the reasons we've been losing skilled trades workers is they can't make ends meet, and in every other state in the Pacific Northwest they can earn a lot better wages, recognizing that construction, oil and gas is inherently seasonal. This bill is essential to make sure that we have pipefitters, teamsters, operating engineers who work on the slope and work surface transportation in the summer, who are here if we can build a gas line. Please support our resource development industry and vote yes.

Mr. Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House concur in the Senate amendments to committee substitute for House Bill 302, Labor and Commerce, thus adopting Senate committee substitute for committee substitute for House Bill 302, Transportation, amended Senate. And recommend the members vote yes. Are you ready for the question?

Question before the body is: Shall the House concur in the Senate changes to committee substitute for House Bill 302, Labor and Commerce, thus adopting Senate committee substitute for committee substitute for House Bill 302, Transportation, amended Senate? Members may proceed to vote.

Will the clerk please lock the roll?

Does any member wish to change his or her vote? Will the clerk please announce the vote? 34 Yeas, 6 nays. By a vote of 34 yeas to 6 nays, the House has concurred with the Senate changes to House Bill 302. We do have an effective date clause.

Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that the roll call on the passage of the bill be considered the roll call on the effective date clause. Hearing no objection, so ordered. Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that Senate Concurrent Resolution 28, the title change resolution for House Bill 302, be taken up as a special order of business. Without objection.

Are you ready for the question? The question being, shall Senate Concurrent Resolution 28 pass the House? Members may proceed to vote.

Representative Johnson.

Will the clerk please lock the roll? Does any member wish to change his or her vote? Will the clerk please announce the vote? 39 Yeas, 1 nay. By a vote of 39 yeas to 1 nay, SCR 28 has passed the body.

Mr. Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that the members go into the limbo file to take up House Bill 14. The member from District 32 will explain the changes made by the other body. Hearing no objection, House Bill 14 is before the body.

Representative Stapp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, uh, I cannot describe my absolute glee, Mr. Speaker, with the changes made in the other body. I, uh, I, I set out to repeal a program, Mr. Speaker, that no one had been on in several years, and the bill I got back from the other body gave telehealth pay parity and of course, uh, modernized and really equalized disability pay with our firefighters and police officers. Mr. Speaker, um, I, I think this bill, HB 14, the change of the other body, really described kind of the best of all worlds.

We get to repeal a program that no Alaskan has been on for 7 years, and we also get to make our public safety and firefighters officers whole in their inability to be able to be injured on the job, Mr. Speaker. And a caveat on that is we get to give telehealth pay parity to all telehealth workers in the, uh, in the state. So I call this the Omnibus healthcare bill, Mr. Speaker, and I just absolutely urge the members to vote yes. And I will say it's an absolute privilege to carry this bill that, uh, started off as a very insignificant, meaningless bill and became a very valuable bill for the future of the state. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Majority Leader.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I'm, I'm very glad the member from District 32 has a positive contribution to our public employees.

And with that, Mr. Speaker, I would make the motion that the House concur in the Senate amendments to House Bill 14, thus adopting the House Bill 14 amended Senate, effective date added Senate, and recommend the members vote yes. Are you ready for the question? The question being, shall the House concur in the Senate changes to House Bill 14, thus adopting House Bill 14 amended Senate, effective date added in the Senate, Members may proceed to vote.

Will the clerk please lock the roll? Does any member wish to change his or her vote?

Will the clerk please announce the vote? 39 Yeas, 1 nay. By a vote of 39 yeas to 1 nay, The House has concurred with the changes to House Bill 14. Mr. Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that the roll call and the passage of the bill be considered the roll call and the effective date clause. Hearing no objections, so ordered. One more thing, Mr. Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I move and ask unanimous consent that Senate Concurrent Resolution 36, the title change resolution for House Bill 14, be taken up as a special order of business.

Without objection. No objection. Are you ready for the question? Question is, shall Senate Concurrent Resolution 36 pass the House? Members may proceed to vote.

Will the clerk please lock the roll? Does any member wish to change his or her vote? Will the clerk please announce the vote? 39 Yeas, 1 nay. With a vote of 39 yeas to 1 nay, SCR 36 has passed the House, and that essentially completes our work for the 34th Alaska Legislature.

With indulgence of the body, I would like to move down the calendar to special orders and I want to turn to our youngest member first, who is also departing. Representative Nelson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will make this short because we all have families and lives to get on to. I know I certainly do.

I truly do believe that it's an honor to be here in the legislature, you know, representing the great people of Hatcher State Teen. For these past 2 years. It's been great. Man, if I spent my 20s doing this, who would know what I'm going to do for the next 60 years of my life. So thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.

Well wishes to you, Representative Nelson, you and your bride-to-be. Glad that you both could be here today and really enjoyed serving with you. Madam Rules Chair. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On something we can all agree That's something we can all agree.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the waning days of session— permission to read, Mr. Speaker? Permission granted. Thank you. In the waning days of session, the members of the 34th Alaska State Legislature recognize and thank our floor staff, an amazing group of individuals who have come together as a cohesive team to assist our body at their best and at their worst.

By name, the members of the 2026 House Floor Staff are Sergeant-at-Arms Michaela Bradner, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Zachary Kelly, and pages Hannah Davis, Janessa Erickson, Zo Foshee, Erin Parfait, Lexi Serrano, and Katie Skaggs. These young elects Alaskans have played an integral role in keeping the House chambers running. They deserve our highest praise for their tireless work during the every floor session and all the committee meetings, delivering paperwork throughout the Capitol and providing airport transportation to us all. Whether passing notes, distributing amendments across the floor, or providing for 40 members' various needs, the House floor staffs contribution to the legislative process has been essential and greatly appreciated. Beyond the demands of the job, each of them have— each of you have contributed some— something distinct, and when these gifts come together, they create something inspiring.

Whether through singing, watercolor, general doodling, or personal style, your talents have been a delight to witness. We appreciate the good humor, positive attitudes, and professionalism brought to the legislature by this amazing team, which has not gone unnoticed. We approach adjournment, and the floor staff prepare to return to their lives, and we thank them.

I ask the members to join me in thanking them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Madam Rules Chair. Representative Freer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I hope to keep this a little bit short, but I've got a kind of a long I apologize.

This is a few—. On the topic of 13 years, now it's here. 13 Years, now it's here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Permission to read?

Permission granted. Thank you. This was, uh, I had hoped to offer this special order a couple of days ago, but we haven't had special orders because we've had some long days. So a few days ago, we received some very exciting news. Santos' pickup project has officially officially reached first oil.

For the North Slope and for Alaska, this is no small moment. In the midst of the end-of-the-session chaos, it could be easy enough to simply say, "Wow, that's great," and move on. But I'd like to take a minute to acknowledge what this really means for Alaska and what it took to get here. The announcement that came a couple of days ago was 13 years in the making. 13 Years from discovery to first oil, 13 years of work, planning, permitting, financing, construction, and a feat of logistics using every mode of transportation.

Thousands of Alaskans, from geologists to pipe layers to shop owners, have had a hand in bringing this project to life. Phase 1 of the Pikka project represents more than $3 billion invested on the North Slope. From a single drill site, we'll develop nearly 400 million barrels And later this year, production will ramp up to 80,000 barrels per day down-taps. Under the fall 2025 forecast, the Department of Revenue estimates PICA Phase 1 will contribute nearly $5.4 billion to state and local governments over the life of the project, a net positive to the state, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. An estimated $1.5 billion in royalties will be shared with private landowners ASRC, subject to the ANCSA provision 7 and 7.

Those royalties will flow to every region and every shareholder across the state. And by reducing pipeline tariffs, it's estimated every new barrel down from Pikka— down-taps from Pikka will increase the value of every other barrel of oil produced on the North Slope by approximately $1. Pikka is the type of development Alaska has been seeking for decades. New companies, new capital, new approaches to the environment. Santos, the operator at Pika, hails from Australia.

Their only footprint in the US is right here in Alaska, and they're doing things a little differently. For their part in the project, Pika Phase 1 targeted net-zero emissions from first oil. This is the first oil and gas project in Alaska and one of the first in the world to do so. A global leader in decarbonization efforts, Santos recognized the impacts impacts of climate change on communities is taking the initiative to meet those head-on in shared commitment to the land. Some may not know this, but PIKA is actually an Inuvialukt word.

It means "up there." While subsurface rights belong to the state, the PIKA project sits on surface lands of the Kugpikmiut. Responsible development on the North Slope has always depended on balancing economic opportunities with respect for the land, subsistence, and the people who call the region home. Through continued collaboration with the landowners and actively responding to community input, Santos has proven themselves to be a respectful partner. While today is about recognizing first oil, it is also about recognizing what comes next. From the potential for growth at Pika to the Kwaka and Horseshoe units on state land, there's much to be excited about as we look forward.

So today I want to congratulate everyone involved in reaching, reaching this first oil milestone. It's a significant achievement for the North Slope, for Alaska's workforce, and for the future of our state. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Representative Jimmy. Madam Speaker, on the topic of two topics. On the topic of two topics. The first one, Anganik Angutik.

Second topic, I'm going to do in English because I want— we all know what it's like to have our children graduating. My daughter, she's graduating this Sunday. You all know my mom passed away in January and we both weren't doing good, so she transferred down here and she immediately fell in love with Juneau, the school. So She saved me, I saved her. So I just want to congratulate you, baby, and we did it.

Representative Mina. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of a birthday—. A topic of a birthday—. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We do have a birthday, not today but coming up here in the chambers. A certain member of this house is turning 34 on Saturday, I believe.

And when I asked her staff what I should say, they said she's turning 34, she likes to be outside, like camping, and she has a dog named Zephyr. So I just want to add a few more details. Fun fact, she and I started in the Capitol at the same time in 2017. I was an intern, she was a staffer. We both love Alaska dearly.

And when other members are like, this job is so hard, it's so stressful, We both look at each other and we're like, I love this. This is really, really great and really fun. Um, we love the Alaska Flag Song, even though I know the song a lot better than her. And I will say I have had less bills vetoed than she has, so I want to congratulate and say a great early happy birthday to the member from House District 35.

Representative Carrick. Oh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was so much more of a roast than I was expecting. I wasn't expecting that at all. I just want to say thank you to all of you.

It is truly the honor of my life to serve in this body with all of you, to serve West Fairbanks, and I just want to echo the comments of the Rules Chair, all of the nonpartisan staff in this building that make this entire process work are invaluable. I'd also like to thank with great joy just the work of all of the staff who work for each one of us. They're all amazing, including the just inestimable value of my own team: Cadence Connor, Griffin Siqueo, and Stuart Relay. I couldn't do anything that I do without any of the three of them or without all of you. So thank you so much, and it's great to turn 34 at the end of the 34th legislature.

Representative Stepp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of retirement, on the topic of retirement, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the body to give a shout out to my friend, sometimes nemesis, the co-chair of Finance, the representative from Anchorage. Mr. Speaker, sometimes we get along, sometimes we did not, sometimes I was a thorn in his side. And sometimes I'm sure he would agree that I've made it painful at the Finance Committee, Mr. Speaker.

But I would say I actually absolutely appreciate the member from Anchorage, his diligence, his work, his intellect, Mr. Speaker, which is honestly probably superior to my own. I'll admit it, it's true, you know. But it has been a great enjoyment of mine to work with the member from Anchorage, Mr. Speaker, the co-chair of Finance, and I wish him the best in retirement, and I hope he will forgive me for being hostile and argumentative, sometimes belligerent, but most of the time funny and charming. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Representative Vance. On the topic of unsung heroes. On the topic of unsung heroes. Well, I want to thank the unsung heroes of the other staff that don't get seen visible on the camera, and that is beginning with the legislative lounge and the kitchen. They keep us fed and most of us alive because I don't cook for myself while I'm here.

To the IT staff who is always keeping our phone lines ringing, even then, even though we prefer them to be broken sometimes. They are always available to those staff in the committee rooms who deal with a lot of our nonsense, to Legislative Legal Services that draft copious amounts of amendments, and from technical to ridiculous, they are very, very patient people and working around the clock, to the Clerk's Office To our families and all of the staff that has seen our highs and lows, the good and the bad, and worked on some really important legislation. Some made it, some didn't, but the work was there and counted all the same. And to many of them who are sitting in the gallery, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Representative Bynum. Why, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I guess this is my last chance for this session to give a little talk, so I take advantage of it. I know you're all tired. I'm just kidding.

But on the topic of unexpected surprises—. On the topic of unexpected surprises—. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I was elected, I took a lot of time watching this chamber, not only here on the floor, but the committees, to learn what, what's actually happening here. But we don't get the full story when you watch from home because we have these brief at-eases, which are not so brief, and a lot of side conversations that happen, work that's happening in the offices.

And I sat down and had a cup of coffee with the former representative that held my seat, Representative Ortiz, and he had asked me, he said, from, from what you've learned 'Who do you think you're not gonna get along with in the chamber?' And I said, 'Well, I know there's a few people 100% that I won't get along with.' We could probably rattle those names off, but I won't. But then I said a name, and he said, 'Really? Really?' And I said, 'Absolutely. I don't think I'm gonna get along with this person because we just see the world differently.' And he said, 'Well, I hope that you will you'll find out that that isn't true. But I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna like this person when I got here.

And so I came to the Capitol, put in the work, and I was looking for that person. I'm still looking for that person that I didn't think that I would, would like, because this person that I began to know and meet was one of the most generous, big-hearted people— person that I've— I think I've ever met. He cares about his community. He cares about the people in this room. He cares about Alaska.

I'd like to think that I've been able to create a friendship. We can disagree, we can argue, we can have different points, but I've learned something from this person. That's to be a caring person. I want to say that I'm going to miss this person because they're not going to be here next year. We have a little bit of work to do with a special session.

But I'm going to miss my friend, the representative from District 13, for being the most generous person that I know. Thank you, Representative Josephson, for being a friend.

Representative Satter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request permission to speak on the topic of rumors. On the topic of rumors. Thank you.

I'm not talking Fleetwood Mac. Mr. Speaker, the rumor— Fleetwood Mac was a band back in the '70s.

Thank you. We've had Baby New Year, now you got Father Time talking. No, Mr. Speaker, the rumors are true. I hate to give Jeff Landfield credit, but I'm not planning to be back here for the 35th legislative session, so this is my last day of regular session. Regular session, I said.

So you have the unfortunate duty of listening to me as I take a brief walk down memory lane. Mr. Speaker, I spent about 30 years working for— I think we were staffers together in the old days— 30 years in and around this building. My first job was as an interim-only front desk girl, title deliberate, uh, in this building back in 1993, working for Cynthia Tuohy and Con Bundy in the old Health, Education, and Social Services Committee. Since then, I've been a House staffer, I've been a Senate staffer, I've been staffed for 4 governors, I served 6 terms in the House and absolutely 0 terms in the Senate, but we won't talk about that.

The old-timers will remember. I've been honored to serve on Resources, on Finance, Labor and Commerce, Health and Social Services, Education, Military and Veterans Affairs, Joint Armed Services Legislative Council. Been honored to work on some big issues. SB 21, like it or hate it, it was some of the legislation. The creation of AGDC and all that that's brought us.

Multiple iterations of the gas line projects. I repeat, multiple iterations of gas line projects. And a lot of issues relating to natural resources, social services, military disabilities rights, Veterans Affairs, and of course always serving the constituents and the various and interesting and pressing interests they bring to the table. I'd like to think I've had some personal wins, including the digital fishing license bill, a supplement to the driver's license bill, licensure for applied behavior analysts, Medicaid coverage for autism services, excuse me, Assistive technology loan disposition, ABLE accounts, achieving a better life experience. And just this year, Mr. Speaker, Pick, Click, and Save got in, along with myotosis, myositis awareness, and just a few hours ago, firefighter disability, never give up, always keep pushing.

Uh, Mr. Speaker, I've had a couple missed opportunities. Um, Susitna-Watana Dam is one I wish we'd gotten across the finish line. State ownership of submerged lands is another one. Natural gas pipeline is a perennial favorite, but I take some pleasure and comfort knowing that good ideas don't go away, they just keep coming around again until they win. But win or lose, I've always had the honor— now's where I get choked up— of representing Chugiak/Eagle River.

Ah, I didn't want to do this. It's beautiful country back home.

Darn it. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. My seatbelt. It's got beautiful country.

It's got beautiful mountains. It's got the ocean and good families and schools and churches. Dammit. I'm gonna get through this. And people, some of the greatest people.

It's been an honor to serve them. Okay, enough of that. Okay, so, Capitol. This has been my home for about 6, uh, a long damn time. I spent 5 years of my life here.

Legislators and staff has been great friends and colleagues, some of them here, some of them gone. We had a lot of fun back when we had Fridays at Foster's. We had the music and the games and the skits and the jokes. We had skits, we had stairwell sing-alongs, and I hope that the tradition remains and hope we can indulge it tonight. I will miss the community and the people here.

It is special.

Over a career, you make friends, and sometimes you make people who are on the other side of that friendship spectrum. And so in that spirit, I just want to humbly offer my apologies to and ask the forgiveness of anybody I've offended, and I know I have. And so, third page, we're almost there. Going forward, what does the future have? Time passes.

Believe me, time passes. There are no indispensable men or women, and it is time for me to find out what life is like outside the grind of campaigns and fundraising and organizations and caucus formations. And subcommittees and committees and prayers, pledges, and daily calendars, and Lord help us, special sessions, even when they're not that damn special anymore. So, Mr. Speaker, in the future, I look forward to seeing more of Alaska, taking more hikes, making more music, and taking full advantage of the gifts that God has given me and the time he's given me. Thank you.

Representative Saddler, we're going to miss you. Godspeed to you and your family and all the memories that, that all of you who are departing are going to leave behind. But not forever. So thank you for those very, very powerful words. Representative Mears.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of perhaps a final May birthday—. Representative Mears. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is also going to double as a staff appreciation.

My session staffer Talia Ames' birthday is on Monday. And I think it's a moment as we're also reflecting on everybody that supports us. Our staff is a huge part of that. Talia had been part of the LIO and the nonpartisan staff prior to coming over to the partisan side and thought that it looked like so much fun to be part of this. And I think that she's enjoyed it.

She's been a fantastic committee aide. And really, our staff is so much support for us. They're not just doing that work for us. But especially as we're here in our final days, we know how much they support us emotionally, nutritionally, and with all the things that we need. I'm wondering if a mic's going up behind me in the corner, and I hope it is.

But anyway, I wanted to send that appreciation and happy birthday out to Talia.

Representative Klawe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to give a shout out to the freshman legislators. You guys are awesome. I was there a couple years ago, and you guys give a fresh perspective.

You're collaborative, you're ambitious, you don't have a problem speaking your mind. You're not here to, uh, sit and just watch the other people. You guys are Awesome. And there's been specifically a couple of changes that have made a big difference in this, the chamber. I won't, um, I won't say the district, but there's been, uh, one representative that's a freshman that has changed our life.

Um, uh, but just, it's been an honor to serve with the freshman legislators. I know it's hard when you first get here, but I just appreciate the brains and the ambition, the perseverance that you guys have brought to the chamber. And I just, I want to recognize you because I know it's not easy to be here. So thank you. Representative Underwood.

I don't know who that was about, but on the topic, Mr. Speaker, of passing gas. Representative Underwood. You don't want to repeat that title? Okay.

It has been the honor of my life serving with you all tonight. It was an honor getting to say the prayer again, the second time. I got to actually say the prayer last year as well on the closing day. It reminds me of my dad. He loved to do corporate prayer.

Prayer and, um, super special to me. But I just never thought in a million years that I would get to spend another hour with you guys, another 30 days with all of you trying to pass gas. And I feel like we are gonna do it. We are gonna do it. And I'm excited to work with all of you for the next 30 days.

So thank you for giving me the best 2 years of my life, learning and loving Alaska so much deeper with every part of it that each of you carry, every passion that you bring to this body. It has just expanded my knowledge of what goes on around this state, and it has been literally an honor serving with all of you. So thank you. Let's pass some gas. Representative Gray.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of gratitude. On the topic of gratitude. Mr. Speaker, I I don't feel healthy right now. Like, I just, I physically don't feel well from all of these days in a row of being here sitting on the floor.

And there is a group of people who gets here hours before us and stays hours after us. And if I feel this bad with as little sleep as I had, I cannot imagine how the clerk and her staff feel. And I just want to acknowledge the people who've been getting even less sleep than us, and that is the clerks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Representative Hannan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of West High alumni. On the topic of West High alumni. I used some of my best lines at his retirement party already. Um, but if you missed Andy Josephson's retirement party, you still have the opportunity to come see in my office what he looked like at 14.

Because when he was a freshman in high school, I was a senior at West Anchorage High. Um, Representative, uh, from District 10, our majority leader, his wife was also there. The representative from District 15. She was a few years behind us, but we saw each other at the pool because 13, 15, and I were all on the same team. Yes, I'm older than both of them.

Um, and the representative from District 35, her dad was there. He was a year ahead, so he's out of the same yearbook that District 13 is in, but I can show you her dad from my junior year. This is all just to remind us how small Alaska is. You know the saying of we're 7, you know, Kevin Bacon's 7 people removed, and we always say in Alaska, "If I don't know you, I know your people. We're 1 person removed." We learned before Andy's, excuse me, before Representative from District 13's retirement that he's always been a fan of the character Snoopy.

And we know that he's a fan of bonfires because there's a lot of papers that need to be destroyed from his office. And so if anybody's planning, if any of the staff are planning any bonfires this weekend, there is a predicted day of some sunshine coming up. You should just swing by his office and get a box or two of fire starter because there are piles. And piles and piles.

He knows the West High alumni fight song, but we won't sing it because there's some East High School graduates in here that would be very offended. Nope, she's shaking her head, she doesn't want to sing. There's also some service in Diamond High.

What I'll miss most about The co-chair of finance is being able to refer to my staff, "Well, the professor gave a lesson today." And I'm wondering what history book I haven't read that I need to, because he pulls out tidbits that remind us all of how long and short time is. It's that expanding time concept. I know that he's got some remarks to make, and staff. To acknowledge, but we're sure going to miss him. And like I said, if you didn't get to see what he looked like at 14, I am happy to show you my yearbook pictures of the District 13 representative.

And, um, he had a lot of hair then.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Representative McCabe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the topic of Rule 18. The topic of Rule 18.

We didn't. You're welcome. Representative Ruffridge. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, since we're thanking folks, and I, uh, want to share all the thank-yous that we've had for staff and for the floor staff and all the people, our clerks, who make this this, uh, job go around.

I also want to say a thank you to the families that are behind, uh, all of us here. Uh, a member of the staff, uh, of the co-chair of the, uh, bills in the House who likes to cook breakfast for many of us told me and my family when we first got here that people that, uh, succeed at this do so because they have good people behind them. And I look out into the gallery today, and I know that not everyone is here that is family. But even your son, Mr. Speaker, is back there, and it's been great to have him be a part of this and getting to know him a little bit better. I've gotten to know many of your families throughout this fun experience.

And actually, I will say, you know, for many of you, your families are definitely your better halves, and I've enjoyed getting to know them. And to those families that make this work and sacrifice a lot for us to be here, a big thank you.

Representative Ellard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to give a shout out, and I know we're not supposed to say their name, but I'm going to squeeze it in, and hopefully the Rules Chair won't give me a point of order. But I want to say thank you to Senator Elvie Gray Jackson.

It was a good year.

And without her mentorship, her friendship, and we all have to admit she gives the best hugs. She helped me get my deaf and hard of hearing bill across that finish line. That's what the 16-0 vote, and everybody in this chamber did that. Everybody in the other chamber did it too. And it's going to the executive branch, and I just want to say thank you to everybody.

All the staff sitting behind me, I know they were rooting us on. I just spent a few minutes up in Carrick's office. Dear Lord, there was a lot of estrogen up there. I mean, it was full of women. And the bonding that we do in the chambers, the bondings we do all over this building, and it's just been a really good year.

So I also want to say, I want to say something. So years ago, when Dan didn't make it to Senate like he had mentioned, Senator Sadler, or Sorry, Representative Sadler. I remember him coming to our house door knocking, and I came home from door knocking as well, and my husband goes, dude, there was a strange guy here. I said, strange guy? And he goes, yeah, he's running around knocking on everybody's door.

And I go, damn, that's what we do. That's what we do when we want to get reelected. And he goes, well, he had to use the restroom, so we, so we let him in.

I'm sorry, but it was, it was funny because my daughters always recognized him as Bathroom Dan.

So it's just been a really good year. So I want to thank everybody for that 60-0, and we are the 21st state to pass a bill of rights, Children's Bill of Rights for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. So thank you, everybody. Thank you, Mr.

Representative Story, did you want to make any comments?

Sure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Um, never lose a good chance to say hello. Uh, I, I just really, uh, want to thank the body for all the hard work they've done. I think about when I go home late at night and I see all the staff that is out taking care of our building, staying late at night too, making sure that we have a great building when our visitors walk in and our family members and our constituents. This Capitol is in tip-top shape, and I'm just very grateful for that. And then I'm also grateful that we prioritize some things for children today.

Children are just our future. They're the foundation of every great state. And so let's keep on supporting our kids. Thanks. Representative Josephson, did you want to provide some closing comments?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Permission to make some closing comments? Permission granted one last time. All right, Mr. Speaker, I had a— actually, longer address, but I think I'm going to write some of this for whoever is willing to publish it, um, and I'm going to give a much more abbreviated edition. Um, between my father and I, we've served 28 years here.

He served 14 years in both bodies, and I've served 14 years here. Um, if you, if you haven't served that long, and I'm now third in seniority, it can happen quickly. So I first filed when I was 47 years old in August 2011. I think I filed a letter of intent, had a fundraiser in November that fall, and I turned 62 in July. So time moves along.

It's been a great experience, much better than what I'd been doing, frankly, practicing law, and certainly more interesting, more stimulating. I first— I want to, before I forget, I want to introduce my staff one more time. Ken Alpert, Joe Meehan, Sharon Johnson, and the incomparable Alexander Schroeder, and Aaron Page, who's not here at the present time. They've just been great to help me do what I do, and I think the state's better for it. A couple staff— I've had many over the years— that, that really stand out were Catherine Reardon, who lives very near where we're situated, and Elise Sorenberg, who's now the Deputy Clerk for the City of Aldise.

A couple staff went on to law school, including Nathaniel Grabman and also Megan Holland, the niece of our own state representative. People who've had real successes in their lives.

I want to talk about my districts. I represented the U Med. Turns out it's a very progressive district. Hillary Clinton carried it by 59%. That gives you a sense of it.

My current district is much more moderate. But I've really come to love it. I really have. It's, it's a different district. It's warehouses and breweries and wholesalers, and, um, you know, wound through all that are residences.

And I hope they've embraced me. Um, I know I've embraced them. One of the things that I've been blessed to do as a legislator, and, and I really find this noteworthy, is that I think I've followed the model of listening to what the constituents want, but they represent— they elected me to represent them, and I'm going to go do that job. And as you know, we're making decisions every minute. They can't possibly know the set of facts that are before us in that minute, and they've just left me alone to do the best I can, and I really appreciate that.

Just a few other remarks.

Passing of legislation, if that's been a difficulty, know that I didn't get my first personal legislation passed until my third term. That was the bill that afforded health insurance to the spouses and children of our fallen first responders, and that will really stick with me. A couple of the things that stick with me We, you know, I've lost some colleagues here. Max Bruenberg, um, one who I, I can't pretend that I knew well at all, but was Gary Knopp. Um, and Gary, uh, there was a woman who, uh, was an out, uh, lesbian woman, and she was assaulted because of it.

And everyone knows this is true. Um, and Gary stood by me as I tried to improve our laws to protect that cohort, for lack of a better word, of our community. And I never stopped working on that. And Gary also, I remember I was trying to move an anti-discrimination bill out of committee and I needed his support to do it. I remember we were standing outside the third floor stairwell right by the governor's office and I said, and Gary said, Andy, does your bill just say that everyone's going to be treated the same.

I said, Gary, that's all it does. And he said, I'm there. And that, that stays with me. Um, I just— a couple other comments. Um, I want to thank the representative from Kodiak who has made my life so much better.

She is often the wisest person in the room. When she joined the minority in the 30th third term. She made us better, and I know my, my co-chair from East Anchorage agrees with that. She's just been a real positive influence in my life. I want to thank the Majority Leader, who's just a powerhouse, a man who knows so much about so many things.

And I want to make sure to, to thank you, Mr. Speaker. You are just a fount of wisdom strategic wisdom, intelligence, uh, you know, mile-wide, uh, expertise on all sorts of issues. And, and the beauty of your strategic sense is it's not derived cynically. You, you understand where you're going and what's before us to get there. Thank you.

And you've just been great. Um, The one thing I want to say is I will be— I'm not going to do what Representative Story was asked. I really am retiring. And I— it looks as if I will be— I need to work this out with my wife a little bit, but I've been admitted to 3 law schools to do postdoctoral work. Work.

And one of them I have to inform tomorrow that thank you, but I won't be attending. But it looks like I'll be, I think, going to study at a place called the Vermont Law School where they've offered me a fellowship. And the plan is to do intensive study in natural resources environmental law and then return to the Great Land and resume the practice of law here. So that's the current plan. I wish you all the best of luck in the 35th.

I know many of you will be back here. Frankly, I hope you'll all be back. And a lot of work to do, a lot of work to do, so keep doing it. Thank you so much.

Well, I'll say one last time, um, Representative Nelson, Representative Sadler, Representative Josephson, anybody else who might be sneaking away without letting us know, I would say farewell, except for I get to see you tomorrow at 10 AM. So don't go too far. 10 AM tomorrow, remember. But before we bring everything to a closure, I just want to thank the team up here who have just been incredible. Rhonda, Lou, Chris, Michaela, Zach, of course all the floor staff.

You know, for every floor that we've taken, every floor session we've taken in the evening, they've had to stay 2 to 3 hours hours afterwards. They have done everything to make this place shipshape and work the next day, sometimes earlier than we would want to be. But thank you all. I really appreciate everything you've done on behalf of the body, and I too will see you tomorrow at 10 AM. All right, Andy, take us home.

I'm tempted to say live from New York, it's Saturday night, but— because it feels like that. But body, I ask that under Uniform Rule 52, I ask and move that the 34th Alaska State Legislature adjourn sine die. There being no objection, the House is adjourned sine die.