50 YEARS TOO LONG
Urgent Need to Restructure the House Finance Committee
Speaker Tilton Must Act Decisively For a Pro-Life Budget.
URGENT NEED TO RESTRUCTURE
THE HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
FOR A PRO-LIFE BUDGET
During a pivotal moment in Alaska’s Legislature, the recent resignation of Independent Representative Josiah Patkotak presents more than a mere reshuffling of committee members; it offers a profound opportunity to steer our state towards a future that fervently upholds the sanctity of life. This is not just a matter for our legislators; it is a clarion call to every Alaskan who values life.
Almost providentially, the transition falls on Sanctity of Human Life Week, opening the door for significant changes. Alaska Right to Life recently sent a letter to Representative Cathy Tilton recommending Representative David Eastman for the CCM. Representative Eastman’s steadfast commitment to protecting babies provides Alaskans waiting to be born a committed voice on the CCM.
Additionally, the one-member House Republican Caucus is the only Caucus currently without representation on the Committee on Committees.
The Bi-Partisan Majority Caucus consisting of Republicans and influential Planned Parenthood endorsed abortion advocates is heavily represented on the CCM, as is the Democrat led House Minority.
But Republicans who refuse to caucus with Democrats and Planned Parenthood’s abortion advocates will appreciate the representation on the Committee on Committees that only Representative Eastman can provide.
It’s likely that Representative Patkotak’s seat on the CCM provided his region of the state with a voice on the CCM, and that replacing him with Representative Eastman could raise concerns about geographical or regional representation. In that case, Representatives Vance, Carpenter, and Tomaszewski have all made strong public declarations of their commitment to protect innocent human life from conception to natural end of life and should be considered as Representative Eastman’s alternate.
The CCM membership is based on the House Speaker’s sole discretion to appoint members to the committee. Shortly after being elected last year, Speaker Tilton appointed the following members to the CCM:
Representative Tilton (R), Chair
Representative C. Johnson (R)
Representative D. Johnson (R)
Representative Patkotak (N)
Representative Schrage (D)
Those members, along with Speaker Tilton, then structured and staffed every House Committees in what’s called the Committee on Committees Report.
The CCM Report is then ratified by a majority vote of the House. Last year’s CCM Report was approved by at 39 to 1 vote.
Every bill that was either passed, stalled, or killed in a committee is directly linked to that 39 to 1 vote January 19, 2023. Every baby’s death with taxpayer funds ultimately has the sanction of the 39 members who ratified the CCM Report that placed the House Finance Committee in the hands of Planned Parenthood’s abortion advocates.
The current composition of the House Finance Committee disproportionately favors abortion advocacy and abortion funding in our State Operating Budgets. Instead of a balanced representation of all Alaskans, the House Finance Committee resembles a skewed scale needing urgent recalibration. This isn’t just an administrative or even a legislative issue; it’s a moral imperative that echoes through every part of Alaska.
Consider for a moment that exactly one year ago, on January 19, 2023, the House voted 39 to 1 to staff the House Finance Committee as the most powerful abortion advocacy committee in the House, possibly the whole Legislature.
As you can see, the current composition of the House Finance Committee disproportionately favors abortion advocacy and abortion funding in our State Operating Budgets. Instead of a balanced representation of all Alaskans, the House Finance Committee resembles a skewed scale needing urgent recalibration. This isn’t just an administrative or even a legislative issue; it’s a moral imperative that echoes through every part of Alaska.
Remember that exactly one year ago, on January 19, 2023, the House voted 39 to 1 to staff the House Finance Committee as the most powerful abortion advocacy committee in the State of Alaska.
The battle for the House Finance Committee is critical for at least two reasons:
- The House Finance Committee essentially writes the Legislature’s budget after reviewing the Governor’s Budget Proposal.
- Approximately 70% of all legislation must pass the House Finance Committee.
This is a crucial time for protecting babies from abortion. Considering the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson opinion which rightly overturned Roe v Wade, we’re standing on the edge of a completely new era. The shadow and specter of a federal ‘right to abortion’ have been tossed on the trash heap of history – and with it goes any claim to a “right” to abortion and abortion funding in Alaska’s Constitution. This isn’t time for caution and indecision, but decisive action.
Now, more than ever, your voice is crucial. Representative Tilton once told me, “If I could save just one life, it would all be worth it.” While this sentiment resonates with each of us, influencing committee assignments and public policy has the force of saving hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of babies from being murdered by abortion.
A state budget that loudly proclaims the sanctity of human life will no longer be violated will shine as a beacon of our shared commitment to life.
Finally, we must recognize the difficulties ahead. The Senate is currently controlled by a pro-abortion bi-partisan caucus. Beyond the Senate, any budget that prohibits abortion funding must make it through the joint Conference Committee. Each of these challenges – and there are more in the courts are but hurdles in this race for righteousness.
Near the end of his life, John Quincy Adams was challenged on his abolitionist stance in Congress. He stood alone for years – decades, calling for the abolition of slavery in America. He was called a failure, ineffective, and blamed constantly for the lack of progress towards abolition. When asked if he felt like a failure, he responded that while the duty to act was his, the results – abolition – belonged to God.
We share in that duty today – and the freedom to act knowing that God is sovereign in the outcome.
This is not a time for silence or passivity. Alaska Right to Life encouraged Speaker Tilton to rise to this occasion with the courage and resolve it demands. Will you rise with her?
Send Speaker Tilton your own encouragement – click the button and send her your own encouragement to restructure the House Finance Committee so that it will produce a state budget that loudly proclaims the sanctity of human life will no longer be violated.
