Muñoz details new bills, priorities for upcoming legislative session

Rep. Cathy Munoz (R-Juneau). File photo.
Rep. Cathy Munoz (R-Juneau). File photo.

The budget deficit and marijuana regulations will take center stage during the upcoming legislative session says Juneau Rep. Cathy Muñoz.

Muñoz hopes Gov. Bill Walker will submit his amended budget well before the Feb. 18 deadline. She says Juneau is well taken care of in the capital budget with full funding for continued work on the State Library, Archives and Museum. But, she adds, lawmakers will need as much time as possible to address a $3.5 billion deficit.

“I will be paying close attention to the impact of budget cuts to make sure that there’s not disproportionate impact to one community compared to another community. We’ll be looking for equitable distribution of those reductions,” Muñoz says.

Muñoz will oversee budgets for the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Alaska Court System.

When not tackling the budget, lawmakers will likely spend much of their time debating how to regulate marijuana. While voters approved a ballot measure in November to legalize cannabis, the details of how to do that were left to be resolved.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of focus on the content and packaging issues. Also, enforcement will be a big point of discussion,” Muñoz says.

Muñoz, a Republican, will introduce several bills this session, including one to add sexual orientation to the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

Another bill Muñoz will introduce would allow residents with unforeseen medical conditions to still qualify for a Permanent Fund Dividend if they’re out of the state for too long. Currently , residents who require out-of-state medical care can stay eligible with an extension, but that extension isn’t as generous as for students or military.

Muñoz says she’s also working on a bill to help expand affordable housing by addressing how municipalities assess property taxes on new subdivisions. She says important issues for her office include the new healthcare plan for State of Alaska employees and the Tulsequah Chief Mine.

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