Greetings and Salutations Friends, Neighbors, and Alaskans!

The first regular session of the 33rd legislature is officially underway! Quite a bit has transpired over the last week in both chambers, so here’s the rundown:

Senate: The Senate gaveled in with relatively little action due to the control of 17-member binding caucus majority. Following the election, I was offered a position in the majority but declined when I learned that the organization was a binding caucus with an unclear vision for Alaska’s budget future. I campaigned against the binding caucus in 2020, and in my view, my vote belongs to my conscience and to my constituents. I can sleep better at night and look myself in the mirror if I’m open and upfront and honest and say, I’m going to vote on something based on the merits, not because of an agreement I made beforehand.

In break with decades of precedent, the majority chose not to provide the three-member Conservative Republican Caucus (of which I am a member) a role on floor with a recognized minority leader (a position previously held by my district’s predecessor in the last superminority) or any other minority protections. The majority has also chosen to only provide us one seat on a standing committee with my placement on the Senate Transportation committee. I hope that moving forward the majority reconsiders their committee assignments for Senators Shower and Hughes, who represent some 70,000 citizens in Alaska who now have no representation on any Senate standing committees.

For more information on the Conservative Republican Caucus committee assignments (click here). 

House: The House of Representatives started the week in a more dynamic state with no presiding officer being selected till last Wednesday. Fortunately, the House was able to organize faster than it has in the past two legislatures with the election of Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton and a strong Republican-Bush coalition majority. While the House has some caching up to do in terms of organization, they are well on their way to coming together to produce a plan to bring some fiscal stability for the state.

For more information on the House Majority’s priorities, you can watch their first press availability by clicking (here).

In closing while our position maybe reduced by the majority, myself and the other members of the Conservative Republican Caucus will continue to work with the House Majority and Governor’s Office to advance the interests of our districts and the state. I will also look for opportunities to find common ground and working relationships with the Senate Majority and House Minority. Contrary to the narrative purported by others, my fellow minority members and I have a long history of working across party, caucus, and chamber divides to advance policies that better our state, better our economy, and better the lives of individual Alaskans.

Always advocating on your behalf,

Robb