Latest news with #ZackFields
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska House encourages school districts to limit students' cellphones, with some exceptions
Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, speaks Friday, April 26, 2024, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Legislation passed Wednesday by the Alaska House of Representatives would require the state's school districts to adopt policies that restrict the use of cellphones by students during school hours. House Bill 57, which will advance to the Senate after a 34-6 vote, does not require districts to ban students' cellphones altogether but does require them to regulate students' use of phones during regular school hours, including during lunch and the time between classes. An earlier version of the bill would have required the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development to draft a model policy as an example for districts to follow, but that requirement was eliminated in a floor amendment. The amendment also eliminated a requirement that school districts report their academic performance before and after the new cellphone policy. Cellphones would be allowed for translation purposes, in emergencies, for medical reasons, and as needed for instruction. Restrictions on cellphones in the classroom are growing in popularity across the country, and eight states — including Florida, California, Virginia and Indiana — have banned them altogether. Every state except Nevada and Wyoming has proposed or is considering a statewide ban or restriction, according to a tally kept by the Associated Press. Some members of Congress are considering national legislation. The bans come amid a broadening base of research that shows smartphone and social media use can contribute to negative mental health and poor academic achievement among students in grade school and high school. Several lawmakers, including Gov. Mike Dunleavy, proposed legislation this year that would restrict cellphone use in schools. HB 57, from Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, became the leading bill. On April 11, Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, proposed an amendment that rewrote the bill's language to reflect a section of an education bill approved by the Senate Education Committee. Ruffridge said he thinks Alaskans believe in local control of education. 'The language of Amendment No. 2 gives that ability to govern yourselves and be as strict or as permissive as possible at the district level,' he said. Fields spoke against the amendment, saying it turned HB 57 from a cellphone ban into 'a cellphone discouragement policy.' The amendment passed on a 19-18 vote. Five days later, when the bill came up for a final vote, Fields voted for it. 'The amendment adopted to this bill substantially weakens it,' Fields said. 'I'm still going to vote for the bill and send it to the next body because I think there's an opportunity to resurrect better language.' Other legislators also stood up in support, offering anecdotal stories about the way cellphones have affected their children and children they know. 'Parents and our state are at war against these screens,' said Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, speaking in favor of the bill. A handful of legislators spoke against the bill, including Ruffridge, whose amendment significantly rewrote it. Ruffridge said he supports giving local school districts the authority to make decisions like this. 'It's not up to us to do,' he said. Rep. David Nelson, R-Anchorage, said that there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about kids' mental health, but that is a wider issue than just cellphones. 'If we're going to be trusting young people and saying, 'Hey, you are the future,' why are we banning communication devices in public schools?' he said. HB 57 is subject to a reconsideration vote on the House floor before it advances to the Senate, but legislators said they don't expect the tally to change much, if at all. The bill has been tentatively scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska Legislature approves bill allowing teenage alcohol servers at restaurants, breweries
Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, speaks in favor of Senate Bill 15 on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska Legislature has voted to allow teenagers as young as 18 to serve alcohol in the state. On Wednesday, the Alaska House of Representatives voted 32-8 to pass Senate Bill 15, which lowers the minimum alcohol-serving age in restaurants, breweries, wineries, distilleries, resorts and similar businesses. The minimum age to serve alcohol at a bar or sell it at a package store remains 21. A separate provision of the bill requires alcohol-serving businesses to post a sign stating that alcohol causes cancer. Another late-added section also allows members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to attend each other's social clubs. The House's vote follows a 19-0 vote by the Alaska Senate in February and sends the bill back to the Senate for a concurrence vote. That's typically an uncontroversial act that asks the Senate to agree with minor changes to the bill that were made in the House. If the Senate concurs with the House changes, the bill will go to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for final approval. 'I am hopeful for concurrence,' said Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River and the bill's sponsor. SB 15 is almost identical to House Bill 189, which passed the Legislature last year. HB 189 was one of five bills vetoed by Dunleavy because they were passed by the House after the legal end of the regular session. 'This one passed literally two minutes after midnight and was vetoed for that reason,' said Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, who carried the bill on the House floor. Speaking before Wednesday's vote, Fields called SB 15 a 'jobs bill' that will help employers hire for Alaska's busy summer tourist season. Rep. Alyse Galvin, I-Anchorage, spoke in favor of the bill. She worked as a waitress while growing up in Anchorage, and as a teenager, she earned half of what her older coworkers did because she couldn't serve alcohol, she said. 'I was living on my own, paying my own way through college, and I was at Simon and Seafort's and many of the restaurants that you all are familiar with, and because I couldn't serve alcohol, I made much less money, and so I think this gives those of us who are trying to make it on their own an opportunity to make money and also get good training and supervision about how to be safe while serving,' she said. Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, has advocated the cancer-warning section of the bill for three years and spoke in support of that segment. 'This bill is not telling anyone what they should or shouldn't do. It's simply informing Alaskans about a medical fact long established, the simple way to lower your risk of cancer is to choose not to drink alcohol,' he said. None of the bill's opponents spoke against the bill before the final vote. Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, voted in favor of the bill last year but was among the eight 'no' votes in the House this year. Vance said that after thinking about the bill over the past few days, she supports the current over-21 drinking age and doesn't think it makes sense to tell Alaskans that they can serve alcohol but not drink it. 'It felt like we're putting a moral juxtaposition for those in that age range, and it's just not fair,' Vance said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska House requests support for program that helps rural internet access with billions
Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, speaks Friday, April 26, 2024, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House of Representatives is backing the preservation of a multibillion-dollar federal aid program that subsidizes phone and internet service in rural America. The legality of the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund is being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, and on Monday, the state House voted 33-6 to request that Congress preserve the fund whether or not the court rules against it. No state benefits more from the USF than Alaska, which in 2023 was the beneficiary of $509 million in spending from the fund. That spending subsidizes internet access for rural schools, clinics and households. House Joint Resolution 6, which advances to the Senate, was sponsored by the House Labor and Commerce Committee. 'There's broad, bipartisan support for the Universal Service Fund,' said committee chair Zack Fields, D-Anchorage. The organizations supporting HJR 6 include the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, the Alaska Municipal League, and 'just about every school district in the state,' Fields said. The Alaska Department of Law has also filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the fund's legality. Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, spoke in support of the resolution, saying that 'on balance, (it) is a very beneficial program, especially in the area of delivering communication services in the rural health portion of it, which provides critical needs to all Alaskans, especially those in rural communities. Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, was excused absent from the vote, and six Republicans voted against the resolution: Reps. Jamie Allard of Eagle River, Kevin McCabe of Big Lake, George Rauscher of Sutton, Dan Saddler of Eagle River, Cathy Tilton of Wasilla, and Sarah Vance of Homer. McCabe, speaking against the resolution, said he opposes the USF because it is funded by a fee on telecom companies. 'This is a tax. It's a big, beautiful tax,' McCabe said. 'I understand the need for it. I just can't support a tax. If you're a conservative Republican, and you're worried about taxes, this is a tax.' Fields attempted to rebut the assertion by noting that most of the fund's fees are collected outside Alaska, which benefits from the result. 'If you think that Alaskans should have good infrastructure and that maybe people from New York or Silicon Valley should pay for it, this is a good resolution for you,' he said. 'Our citizens should not be saddled with the worst telecom access on the planet. We deserve equity and access.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
