NFIB/Alaska State Director Denny DeWitt reports from the State Capitol on the legislative week ending June 24, 2016
It seems so long ago, but there was a regular session of the Alaska Legislature before lawmakers were called back five times for a special session. Left over from the regular session were three bills of interest to small business that Gov. Bill Walker acted on last week.
He signed Senate Bill 74, the Medicaid reform bill, and House Bill 375, requiring tax payments be filed electronically.
Senate Bill 91, which NFIB lobbied extensively on, has been transmitted to the governor, and we are expecting it to be signed shortly. NFIB was able to knock the proposed $2,000 felony threshold down to $1,000 and get restitution included in probation requirements.
Now back to the latest special session.
On June 19 Governor Walker called for a Fifth Special Session to begin on July 11. He once again included his array of proposed taxes, including reinstatement of the personal income tax, restructuring of the Permanent Fund, and oil and gas taxes and credits. The same things the Legislature cannot come to an agreement on or to which it has said “No.”
Meanwhile, in wrapping up the Fourth Special Session, legislators passed bills:
- relating to foster care and adoption
- oil and gas taxes and credits (House Bill 247) on oil and gas taxes and credits
- premium assistance for those in the individual health insurance market (House Bill 374)
- and they also transmitted the operating and capital budgets to the governor.
The governor must decide if he will accept or veto House Bill 247 and if he will veto part of the appropriation for the Permanent Fund Dividend to start establishing the fiscal plan he has proposed.
Congress
In Washington D.C. this past week, I met with Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Representative Don Young and their staffs as part of the NFIB Fly-In.
We discussed the overtime rule, midnight regulations, and the ACA penalty if a business gives its employees assistance in purchasing health insurance. Our delegation is behind NFIB positions 100 percent. We are fortunate to have a delegation that both understands and supports small businesses.
The NFIB Fly-In is a great opportunity to interact with our delegation and their staffs, sharing real stories of the need and concerns of our members. I encourage all of NFIB/Alaska members to consider attending next year, especially because there will be a new administration and new issues that will affect your business.
The next report from the State Capitol will come after the Fifth Special Session convenes or if there is significant information before.
Previous Reports
(Tile photo courtesy of Gov. Bill Walker’s Flickr page)
