Alaska legislators ask feds to reinstate program that sent money to rural schools
The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to fix a problem with a program that pays money to rural school districts affected by the decline of the timber industry.
On Monday, the House voted 35-4 to pass a resolution urging Congress to reinstate the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.
Congress failed to renew the act earlier this year, costing rural Alaska districts more than $12 million in funding.
Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, introduced House Resolution 5 after the congressional failure.
'This represents more than $12 million of funding that is directly being used for our schools and our communities,' he said Monday on the House floor. 'This has a significant impact to our communities, and if this is not renewed, it will cause hardship for many of our small communities without a way out.'
The communities of Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau and Craig all testified in support of the resolution, which also asks that the act be permanently funded.
The four votes against the resolution came from Reps. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River; Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake; Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla; and Sarah Vance, R-Homer. Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, was excused absent.
Speaking on the House floor, McCabe said he thinks it's a mistake for Alaska communities to rely on federal funding and that the state is owed land by the federal government. Developing that land could generate revenue that would offset the need for federal help, he said.
Other lawmakers spoke for the majority of House members in favor of the resolution.
'I think it's a matter of fundamental fairness,' said House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage. 'It is the most responsible thing we can do to speak up for our neighbors.'
HJR 5 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
27 minutes ago
- The Hill
Speaker Johnson vows to fight California Democrats' ‘illegal power grab'
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) slammed California Democrats' proposed House map on Monday, saying he's taking measures to stop the new congressional lines from advancing. 'Democrats across the nation have played politics with redistricting for decades, and this is just the latest example. Republicans who are following state and federal laws will not be lectured by people who abused the system,' Johnson wrote in a statement on X. 'I have instructed the NRCC to use every measure and resource possible to fight the California Democrats' illegal power grab,' he continued, referring to the House Republicans' campaign arm. 'I will continue to lead efforts to defend our House Republican incumbents and grow our majority so that we can continue to deliver on our commonsense, America First agenda.' California Democrats proposed a new set of congressional lines on Friday, which aim to neutralize the gains Texas is expected to make with their new proposed House map. Because the Golden State uses an independent redistricting commission to draw its House map, Democrats are looking to place the map before voters in a special election this November to get around the redistricting commission and do a mid-decade redrawing of their House maps. The moves in California came in response to Texas, as the White House has pushed the Lone Star State and other GOP states to redraw their House maps ahead of 2026. Republicans are bracing for a challenging midterm environment and are looking to offset potential losses next year. Unlike California, Texas only needs to pass new maps through the state legislature before it heads to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for his signature. Democrats have argued they need to do redistricting in response to Texas, saying their party has fight fire with fire. Both parties have been criticized for taking the opportunity to redraw their House maps and both have been guilty of gerrymandering. Johnson is not the only Republican who's signaled he's against California's move. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who championed redistricting reform when he was in office, also indicated on X he was gearing up to fight the Golden State's proposed map.
Boston Globe
27 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Texas Democrats say they're ending a two-week walkout over gerrymandered US House map plan
The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has sought to shore up Republicans' narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first presidency, when Democrats regained House control and used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him. Dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state more than two weeks ago to deny the GOP majority the attendance necessary to vote on redrawn maps intended to send five more Texas Republicans to Washington. They declared victory after Republicans adjourned that first session and Democrats around the country rallied in opposition to the Trump-led gerrymandering effort. Advertisement
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Texas Democrats say they're ending a two-week walkout over gerrymandered US House map plan
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats say they are ending a two-week walkout that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts to satisfy President Donald Trump's demands for a greater GOP advantage. Democratic leaders say they will return for a second special legislative session after seeing California Democratic leaders proceed with plans to redraw their own U.S. House maps to neutralize Republican gains in Texas. The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has sought to shore up Republicans' narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first presidency, when Democrats regained House control and used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him. Dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state more than two weeks ago to deny the GOP majority the attendance necessary to vote on redrawn maps intended to send five more Texas Republicans to Washington. They declared victory after Republicans adjourned that first session and Democrats around the country rallied in opposition to the Trump-led gerrymandering effort. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Monday aimed to resume pushing through redrawn U.S. House district maps that would carve out a bigger GOP advantage in the 2026 midterm elections after state Democrats indicated they were ready to end a two-week walkout. In response, California Democrats are also moving ahead with their own reshaping of congressional districts to counteract Texas, putting in motion a potentially widening and unusually timed redistricting battle nationwide. The redrawing began in Texas but has been stalled since dozens of Democrats, who are the minority in each chamber, left the state on Aug. 3, with most of them going to Illinois. The absent lawmakers had signaled they were ready return to Austin after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ended a first special session and California moved forward with its own plan. The Texas House was scheduled to try convening a quorum again Monday. Abbott put redistricting on the agenda at the urging of President Donald Trump, who wants to shore up Republicans' narrow U.S. House majority to avoid losing control of the chamber, and with it, prospects for Trump's conservative agenda in the later part of his term. It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among those that empower independent commissions with the task. The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of the resulting battle, which has reached into multiple courtrooms and statehouses controlled by both parties. On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total House seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control. Texas' maps would aim to give the GOP five more winnable seats there. California Democrats, who hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — on Friday unveiled a proposal that could give Democrats there an additional five U.S. House seats. But any changes would first need the approval of state lawmakers and voters. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that his state will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts.
