Left Overs

I ran into DMV director Whitney Brewster in the Capitol hallway Monday. Whitney (disclosure - she's a former student of mine) was there to be ready to answer questions about CSHB (Committee Substitute for House Bill) 3 titled

"An Act relating to issuance of identification cards and to issuance of driver's licenses; relating to regulations concerning identification cards and driver's licenses; and providing for an effective date."

This act is an example of how easy it is to think you know something and really know very little.  I had actually seen parts of the bill, but not all of it.  I knew that Rep. Gruenberg was trying to amend HB 3 to strengthen existing language in statute that  has prohibits state employees from implementing the federal Real ID Act.   But I didn't understand why he was doing that.  It turns out HB 3 would limit non-citizens from getting Alaska driver's licenses that lasted longer than their US visas.   I also didn't realize that Monday the House was having its first evening floor session - beginning at 5pm.    In the picture, Rep. Fairclough is explaining the negative consequences of the bill on domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking victims.   Rep. Chennault, Speaker of the House, looked like he was in pain sitting at the podium. 

Rep. Seaton talked about international students, legally in the country, who get visas that last for the semester, plus short term bridge visas until the next semester.  He mentioned one student, had the bill been in force, who would have had to get eight drivers licenses.  As you can see it failed 23 - 17.  One Democrat - Mike Doogan - voted for it.  Only two women (out of ten) - Charisse Millett and Cathy Muñoz - voted for it. 

As I got almost home Monday evening, I noticed a pair of bald eagles looping over the trees on the nearby hill.  They are a common sight, but always an uplifting one. 

 And Tuesday night we went to the second night passover community seder at Temple Sukkat Shalom on Douglas Island.




Finally, I came across an Alaskan blog
Borderland that has an assessment of national education standards from an insider's perspective that's worth reading.  Here's the lead of that story:

As everyone  has heard, “Alaska and Texas are the only states that declined to  participate in the [national]  standards-writing effort.” Unreported, though (except  here) has been the fact that the State of Alaska was planning a  comparative review of the new standards with what we have in place  already. And now, Megan Holland has picked up the story,  opining  for the Anchorage Daily News : 

As 48 other states are participating in a rewriting of  their education standards, Alaska is taking a look at its own and  wondering if it should get onboard and raise the bar for students. But  while some educators say Alaska kids deserve to be held to the same  standard as the rest of the country, others are saying we are different  and the current, laxer standards are just fine.

But… that’s not quite how it went. Since I was one of the “educators  from across Alaska” who participated in Alaksa’s  Common Core Comparison, it’s time for me to add some actual  substance to Megan Holland’s confused commentary.[the rest]