The Alaska Legislature has entered its third week of the new session. Representative David Eastman, whose district includes the Upper Valley, is one of many freshman legislators in Juneau this year. KTNA’s Phillip Manning spoke with Representative Eastman about his early impressions and some of the bills he is sponsoring.
Wasilla Republican David Eastman is the new representative for House District 10. He defeated incumbent Wes Keller, a fellow Republican, in last year’s primary and Democrat Patricia Faye-Brazel in the general election in November. Eastman campaigned on a very conservative platform, and his early actions in Juneau follow suit.
In one of his first actions as a legislator, Representative Eastman was the sole vote against electing Democrat Bryce Edgmon as Speaker of the House. Normally, members of the House’s minority caucus go along with the will of the majority for Speaker. Eastman says his vote against Edgmon is the fulfillment of a campaign promise.
“I had made it public fairly early in the campaign that I was only going to be supporting someone for House leadership who was on board sustainable budgets according to the ISER-Goldsmith model. The current Speaker, unfortunately, was not with me on that.”
Two of the bills Representative Eastman is sponsoring are aimed at restoring the portion of last year’s Permanent Fund Dividend that was vetoed by Governor Bill Walker. Those bills are identical to the ones sponsored by Senator Mike Dunleavy.
The other two bills deal with eligibility for food stamps. The first of those, House Bill 67, would prevent the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services from filing waiver requests for food stamp work requirements as permitted under federal law. Eastman says the state is not currently applying for waivers for individuals.
“There hasn’t been a case-by-case attempt to apply that particular waiver. Currently that waiver has been one size fits all. We do not currently, as a state, enforce that particular work requirement.”
There are exemptions that do not require waivers initiated by the state, including for individuals who spend a significant portion of their time engaged in subsistence activities. Representative Eastman says those exemptions would remain intact.
The other bill dealing with food assistance, House Bill 68, would disqualify an individual for food stamps who is not complying with child support requirements. Representative Eastman believes child support is a moral obligation as well as a legal one.
“There are many opportunities to work with child support, and you don’t have to be a millionaire to pay child support. I think in some situations $50 is sufficient to meet the requirement.”
Eastman acknowledges that there is a broad spectrum of cases involving child support, and that the disqualification for food assistance would be reserved for those who the Child Support Services Division determines are not making a good faith effort.
“What it requires is that you work with the child support agency to pay that debt. If they decide after going around and around with you that that’s not what you’re actually trying to do, then that’s what triggers the requirement to change your behavior in order to continue to collect your food stamps.”
Both bills have been co-sponsored by fellow Valley Republican George Rauscher. They have been referred to the House Health and Social Services Committee, but have not yet received hearings.
