Kreiss-Tomkins said many bills with broad support and little opposition did not pass, some held by law makers seeking concessions from their colleagues, others just running out of time. Supporters said it would provide flexibility for school districts to employ fluent teachers in Alaska Native languages. It had the backing of the Association of Alaska School Boards and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. He expects the governor to support that legislation. вЂњAnd this new type of teacherвЂ™s certificate is directly tailored to the needs of these immersion language programs. вЂњNative language programs obviously relevant across Alaska and especially in rural Alaska and world language programs are very popular in Anchorage and in the Mat-Su, and actually some of the best programs you can anywhere in the country in a K-12 setting,вЂќ he said. One bill he was happy to see clear both chambers will allow the state to issue a new teaching certificate for Alaska Native language immersion programs. However, his bill proposing that never passed out of House committees and he didnвЂ™t see the political will to pass it. HeвЂ™s been pushing for a constitutional amendment to cap the amount that legislators can pay from the pot of money. The lawmaker was glad the final budget did not deplete the earnings of the Permanent Fund. вЂњIt was sort of functional from the budget perspective because there was enough money to go around for all sorts, of things, including a large PFD (Permanent Fund Dividend), including sustained state services, including capital projects, but we didnвЂ™t resolve any of the fundamental issues and there was still not a deficit of acrimony and contention,вЂќ Kreiss-Tomkins said.

But he said it helped law makers get their work done on time this year. Kreiss-Tomkins said the budget surplus from high oil prices and one-time federal funding made it difficult to pursue any long-term fiscal fix for the years when the price of oil drops again.

PetersburgвЂ™s outgoing representative in the Alaska House called the regular session that ended last month вЂњcomplicated.вЂќДemocrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, represents his hometown Sitka, along with Petersburg and many other small island communities in Southeast. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins addresses the Alaska House of Representatives, March 12, 2014.

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