Dear Friends and Neighbors

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter holiday. With a little more than a month left of Session, things are picking up as we are addressing state budgets and passing more bills.

Criminal Sentencing Bill Signed into Law

Last month, SB 56 was signed into law and it’s an important one for Alaska. I worked hard to pass this legislation, which replaces presumptive sentences of set terms with sentencing ranges for felony criminal cases. The new law stems from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Blakely v. Washington case where the court found that under the Sixth Amendment, defendants have the right to have a jury determine if they are guilty of aggravating factors in criminal cases. To bring Alaska into compliance with that Supreme Court decision, we fought hard to pass a law that brings real justice to our citizens.

If you have any questions about this legislation, or any others, please do not hesitate to call me or check out BASIS (see below).

Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS)

Legislative Hearings

Information on legislative hearings may be found at Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS), under Committee Meeting and Public Hearing Schedules.

Bill Action and Status

How do I find information about a bill if all I know is a general topic?

Our Legislative home page includes a link to the Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS). If you know the general topic of the bill, select subject summary from the box on the right hand side of the page and choose from a list of general topics. From there, you can read the short titles of bills to find the one that matches what you are looking for.

Is there a way of tracking bills?

You can track bills through the Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS). Information at this site includes, but is not limited, to bill histories, sponsor statements, committees of referral, and committee schedules. You can also access the full text of bills here.

Gavel to Gavel: Gavel to Gavel is the service that provides audio and video coverage of the Alaska Legislature's sessions, committee meetings, press conferences and briefings. You may watch on television channel GCI 18 in Anchorage You may also access audio and video coverage through the Internet by visiting: http://www.ktoo.org/gavel/

Community Council Meetings

Abbott Loop: Meets the last Thursday each month at 7 p.m.
Abbott Loop Christian Center
2626 Abbott Road
Contact AL Tamagni, Sr. at atamagni ''@'' alaska.net

Taku/Campbell: Meets the second Thursday each month at 7 p.m.
Taku Elementary School Library
701 East 72nd Ave
349-4453
Contact Ronald Jordan at akrljordan ''@'' hotmail.com

Who are my legislators (if you don't live in District 29)?

Click on the following link to find your Legislators by District or by community. You will also find a link to Alaska election district maps.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns please get in touch using the contact information at the top of the page.

Representative Ralph Samuels

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All e-mail addresses are kept "blind" for your privacy. A strict "no spam" policy is observed. If you do not wish to receive my e-mail updates, please let me know. If you know a friend or neighbor in District 29 who has not received my e-mails but would like to be included, I will be glad to include them if they contact me. Your replies, comments, questions, and/or suggestions are welcome. Constituent comments on legislation and policy issues may be tabulated, shared with other legislators, or quoted in speeches. Names, however, will be kept private.