Stutes elected Speaker of the House

JUNEAU — On the 24th day of the 32nd Alaska State Legislature, the House of Representatives finally elected Representative Louise Stutes (R — Kodiak) as Speaker of the House. The deciding vote to break the deadlock came from Representative Kelly Merrick (R — Eagle River).

“I want to thank you for the trust you put in me and I look forward to uniting the house. We all need to walk down the same side of het street and I’m very excited to be instrumental in bringing this house back together. Thank you, thank you for the confidence,” said Stutes.

Stutes becomes just the third female Speaker. Merrick joined Reps. Matt Claman, Harriet Drummond, Bryce Edgmon, Zack Fields, Neal Foster, Sara Hannan, Andy Josephson, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Dan Ortiz, Josiah Patkotak, Liz Snyder, Ivy Spohnholz, Andi Story, Geran Tarr, Chris Tuck, Adam Wool and Tiffany Zulkosky to elect Stutes as Speaker. Despite Stutes’ election, the House has yet to organize a majority.

“I congratulate Representative Stutes on becoming the next Speaker of the House. She has the strength to lead a diverse group of Alaskans in the bipartisan coalition and do what is best for Alaskans. I look forward to working closely with her to move this state in a direction all Alaskans are proud of,” said Democratic Senate Leader Tom Begich.

With Alaska’s disaster declaration expiring at midnight on Sunday, Governor Mike Dunleavy has said that the power to extend the COVID-19 disaster declaration lies with the Legislature that is now in session. However, 15 House Republicans sent Dunleavy a letter on Friday urging him to extend another disaster declaration for 30 days.

“Acknowledging many Alaskans immediate need for the resources allocated through a disaster declaration, the Alaska House Republicans support a new 30-day disaster declaration,” the letter reads.“We intend that this temporary extension will lead to the good-faith negotiations needed for all Alaskans to get the help they need, while also providing a pathway for Alaska to turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The letter was signed by Republican Representatives Mike Cronk, Steve Thompson, Sara Rasmussen, Kevin McCabe, David Nelson, Bart LeBon, Ron Gillham, Ken McCarty, Mike Prax, Kelly Merrick, Sarah Vance, Tom McKay, Cathy Tilton, James Kaufman and Laddie Shaw. At Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference, Dunleavy said that he believed an extension of the disaster declaration would help, but that the state would continue to manage the pandemic response without if necessary. On Friday, Dunleavy issued a press release reaffirming that belief.

“In the absence of a declaration, my administration is fully prepared to manage the rollout and distribution of the vaccine to ensure anyone that wants a vaccination will be able to get one. We will also continue to respond to COVID-19 as we begin the process of getting back to normal as soon as possible by focusing on the economy and assisting Alaskans in staying healthy. As we move forward, we will notify Alaska and stakeholders of our plans.”