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March 31, 2015, 7:00 PM Contact: Kevin D. McGee, (907) 441-2137 NAACP says NO to “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” NAACP responds to reports of Alaska Family Council president Jim Minnery’s advocacy for RFRA legislation in Alaska ANCHORAGE: A recent report says that Alaska Family Council president Jim Minnery is calling for Religious Freedom Restoration Act legislation here in Alaska. There has been widespread backlash to the Indiana law, even prompting many business leaders to speak out against the legislation. The type of legislation passed in Indiana uses the guise of religious freedom to allow private businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ citizens, and use religious beliefs as a legal defense for their discrimination. “This type of legislation has no place in Alaska,” said Kevin McGee, 1st Vice President and Chairman, Political Action Committee. “Jim Minnery is doing Alaska a disservice by advocating for such hateful, bigoted, and misguided legislation. Because Alaska does not have its own standalone anti-discrimination law, we need to do everything in our power to block legislation like RFRAs. We have taken a lot of steps forward in the treatment of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, now is not the time to take a major step back.” ###
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March 21, 2015, 9:00 AM Contact: Kevin D. McGee, (907) 441-2137 The Economic Forecast for Anchorage NAACP Sponsors Mayoral Candidates Forum ANCHORAGE: The Anchorage NAACP will be sponsoring a Mayoral Candidates Forum “The Economic Forecast for Anchorage” on March 24, 2015, at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Avenue. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a “Meet & Greet” opportunity for the public with the candidates. The forum will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. The attending audience will be encouraged to provide questions. The Forum will end with a Straw Poll taken of the candidates. The moderator for the event is Mr. George Martinez of Global Block Foundation. The program is free to the public and all are welcome. The NAACP is a non-partisan, civil rights organization ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2015, 3:00 PM Contact: Kevin D. McGee, (907) 441-2137 Kentucky and Arkansas see budget savings after Medicaid expansion NAACP calls on legislators to move beyond partisan politics and do what’s right-- expand Medicaid. ANCHORAGE: On Friday, March 13, 2015, the Alaska House voted along caucus lines to reject an amendment to the Operating Budget that would have expanded Medicaid under the ACA. Despite reports from the Department of Health and Social Services showing cost reductions under expansion, most in the majority caucus have continually argued that it is unlikely that Alaska would see budget savings. However, new data now shows that when Kentucky and Arkansas expanded Medicaid to single adults making 133% of the FPL, they did indeed see cost savings and new revenues. A report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that both Kentucky and Arkansas have experienced cost savings due to accepting Federal money for Medicaid expansion under the ACA. Using the new Federal funds, Kentucky saved $9 million dollars in 2014. These savings came primarily from shifting programs that depended on state funding to the federal government. Arkansas likewise found $17.5 million in savings in 2014. These savings came about by implementing the 100% federal matching funds for the new enrollee population that included those previously in waiver programs and other target groups. Arkansas also saw $4.7 million in revenue gains during 2014. Read the full report here. “It’s time to put Alaska first and expand Medicaid,” said Kevin McGee, 1st Vice President, Chairman, Political Action Committee NAACP Anchorage. “It is costing our state both money and lives the longer this process is stalled. More and more information is coming out that shows expansion is a cost-saving, life-saving opportunity. To continually reject this federal funding for partisan reasons is fiscally irresponsible. We should be looking at the actual data, living in the world of facts from other states, and use this opportunity to help close our budget deficit.” ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2015, 9:00 AM Contact: Jeff Chen, (907) 717-8414 NAACP Calls for a Stop the Violence Candlelight Vigil Anchorage NAACP Youth Council remembers local victims of violence ANCHORAGE, AK: The Youth Council for the Anchorage Chapter of the NAACP is hosting a candlelight vigil to remember local victims of violence. The one-hour event will take place this Friday, March 13, 2015, at the Delaney Park Strip at the intersection of 9th and L Street in Downtown Anchorage. The general public is encouraged to join the Anchorage NAACP Youth Council in support and unity with victims of violence. Participants are encouraged to voice concerns and talk about community solutions. Guest speakers include George Martinez from We Are Anchorage, Lucy Hansen from the Polynesian Association of Alaska, Dr. Alonzo Patterson from the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, and Besse Odom and Xavier Mason from the Anchorage NAACP Youth Council. Community members attending are encouraged to dress warmly, bring candles, signs, and friends. Alaska is home to high rates of injustice and violence, including but not limited to domestic violence, gun violence, prison deaths, and police brutality -- which disproportionately affect communities of color. The Youth Council is dedicated to identifying root causes of injustice and working toward an Alaska without violence. To RSVP, community members can visit the Facebook event page. ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4, 2015, 8:00 AM Contact: Kevin D. McGee, (907) 441-2137 NAACP Calls for Legislators to Cancel ALEC & AFP MembershipsLegislators shouldn't support Koch Brothers' sabotage of Medicaid expansion
ANCHORAGE: After revelations about the Koch Brothers' attempts to block Medicaid expansion in Alaska, the NAACP is calling on legislators to cancel their membership in ALEC, AFP, and other Koch Brothers astroturf groups. Legislators including Cathy Munoz, Wes Keller, Mia Costello, Anna MacKinnon, Bob Lynn, Doug Isaacson, Pete Kelly, and Charisse Millett are or have been members of ALEC. Pete Kelly's aide Bill Steuer attended multiple Koch-funded junkets at which Republican legislators strategized about how to block Medicaid expansion. "If the Koch Brothers are trying to block health care and economic opportunity for Alaskans, our legislators should withdraw their membership in Koch groups like ALEC and AFP," said Kevin McGee, First Vice President, Chairman, Political Action Committee of the Anchorage NAACP. ALEC does provide a full legislative membership list. Alaska legislators have provided conflicting accounts of whether or not they are ALEC members. Wes Keller has not tried to hide his membership, while Cathy Munoz claims she is no longer a member. Since ALEC appears to be the origin of numerous Alaska legislative bills ranging from voter ID to voucher tax credits, and since current or former ALEC members have championed these "model" bills”, it appears that ALEC retains substantial influence in the legislature. To reassure the public that legislators are not making secret deals with ALEC about sabotaging Medicaid, the NAACP is calling on all legislators to withdraw their ALEC membership or, if they have withdrawn their membership already, to confirm that they are not members. AFP is a newer Koch astroturf group in Alaska, and appears to be partnering with ALEC to block Medicaid expansion. ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2015, 8:00 AM Contact: Kevin D. McGee, (907) 441-2137 NAACP Condemns Koch Assault on Alaskans' Health Morally reprehensible for billionaires to sabotage health care for working Alaskans ANCHORAGE: Following revelations that the Koch Brothers are lobbying legislators to sabotage Medicaid expansion, the NAACP is condemning the Koch Brothers for their assault on Alaskans' health care and calling on the Koch Brothers to stop their anti-health care campaign. "It is immoral for billionaires to sabotage a basic human right such as healthcare for Alaskans” said Kevin McGee, First Vice President, Chairman, Political Action Committee of the Anchorage NAACP. "We are calling on the Koch Brothers to stop their assault on Alaskans' health. The Koch Brothers' group Americans for Prosperity has been distributing a detailed lobbying packet to some state legislators urging them to block Medicaid expansion. According to non-partisan studies in Alaska, Medicaid expansion as supported by the Walker/Mallott Administration would generate 4,000 jobs, $2.5 billion of economic activity, and provide health care for some 41,500 Alaskans. "We can't afford to let the Koch Brothers' agenda of layoffs, penury, and untreated illnesses get in the way of our economic prosperity in Alaska," said McGee. ### NAACP Anchorage Installation of Officers
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