PreambleWe, Alaskans and Democrats all, by representing Alaska’s diverse cultural, religious, economic and social groups, and by working together for the common good pledge to protect our diversity, care for our families, improve our communities, and achieve the goals of the 1998 Platform of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Equality

Alaska cannot tolerate discrimination. Continued efforts are needed to stop discrimination based on religion, belief, race, tribe, origin, sexual orientation, lifestyle, gender, and age. Affirmative action programs must be promoted.

Privacy

Alaskans’ right to privacy must be defended. Alaskans must be guaranteed the ability to make personal decisions regarding religion, reproduction, medical decisions, marriage and life partners.

Education

Educational opportunities are a right of all Alaskans. A comprehensive, high quality public education system includes programs to prepare young children for school; an equitable public school system; an affordable, life-long post-secondary vocational training and university system; and adequately supported libraries, museums, the arts, and public broadcasting.
 
 
 
 

Jobs

Every Alaskan is entitled to dignity in the workplace. Equitable wages, Alaska hire, safe and healthy work conditions, the right to collectively organize and bargain, the right to resolve employment disputes, and an affordable retirement system empower Alaskans to support themselves and their families.

Health

A healthy Alaska benefits us all. Self-sufficiency can eliminate poverty and homelessness. Health care must be accessible, adequate, and affordable. Child abuse and neglect and domestic violence will not be tolerated.

Business

Economic development is essential for Alaska. The development of Alaska industries and Alaska-owned small businesses is the backbone of our economy. Alaska should promote new businesses, commerce, and industries.

Resources

Alaska’s wealth is in our resources. The success and diversification of Alaska’s economy is dependent on the investment and development of Alaska’s natural, living, and human resources. The wealth generated through Alaska’s resources should be reinvested in Alaska.

Environment

Alaska’s environment is our treasure. Our quality of life and economy is dependent on a clean and protected environment. Alaskans are entitled to clean air, access to recreation, safe water, and healthy sanitation systems.

Subsistence

Subsistence must be resolved. Alaska’s constitution must include an amendment to guarantee subsistence activities to rural Alaskans. Alaska must retain control of our management system to maintain public involvement, ensure sound decision making, and allow access by multiple-user groups.

Rural Life

Respect rural Alaska. Support for traditional cultures and lifestyles ensures adequate educational programs, sewer systems, and health services for all Alaskans. We support state recognition of Alaska Native tribes as historic, essential elements of our state’s culture.

Safety

Alaskans should be secure from acts of crime. Law enforcement personnel require adequate funding and training. The right to a fair trial and counsel must be guaranteed. Victims shall receive restitution. Offenders shall be given an opportunity for rehabilitation. Punishment must be fair and just and not include the death penalty.

State

Sound state fiscal policy. Development of a responsible, Fiscal long-term fiscal plan considers all tools available to provide Policy for essential government services and protects the Permanent Fund.

Unity

Government is Alaskans working together for the common good. Public participation and access to government proceedings is essential. All debates and decisions must occur in an open and public forum. Public officials—elected and appointed—must adhere to the highest ethical standards and must work together to meet the needs of the people.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes in the protection of full civil and equal rights for all people, including: The right to privacy for all people, opposing any attempts to restrict that right. An individual's right to die with dignity. The national Equal Rights Amendment. Opposition to capital punishment. Access to information on all aspects of human reproduction. A woman's right to control her reproductive life. Opposition to English only laws and regulations.

Education

The Alaska Democratic Party believes that a comprehensive, high quality public education system includes programs to prepare young children for school; an equitable public school system; an affordable, life-long post-secondary vocational training and university system; and adequately supported libraries, museums, the arts, and public broadcasting.

We support:

• Adequate public funding of early childhood programs such as Head Start.
• Adequate and full funding of public education for public schools.
• A vote of the people to develop an education endowment, securing the future of our public education system.
• Stable, long-term funding for school construction and major maintenance.
• Quality education for all Alaska students, including academic standards, fair assessments, and school accountability.
• Adequate funding for innovative programs for at-risk youth, such as the Alaska National Guard Challenge Program.
• Tenure for public school teachers which provides protection for academic freedom and protection against capricious and arbitrary non-retention.
• Adequately funding our statewide university system, including rural campuses.
• Maintenance of the student loan program.
• Programs that promote Alaskans to receive post-secondary education and training in Alaska, as well as programs that encourage Alaskans to return to Alaska after university or vocational training.
• Public access to electronic and other information resources through public libraries, schools, and other publicly supported institutions.
• State funding of the arts and public broadcasting.

Jobs and Labor

We believe every Alaskan is entitled to dignity in the workplace; equitable wages; Alaska hire; safe and healthy work conditions; the right to collectively organize and bargain; the right to resolve employment disputes; and an affordable retirement system, which empowers Alaskans to support themselves and their families.

We support:

• Hiring Alaskans, making Alaska hire a requirement of doing business in Alaska to the extent possible, and ensuring sufficient funds to enforce Alaska hire.
• Implementation and enforcement of vigorous affirmative action programs in state hiring and contracting. Project Labor Agreements by all governmental bodies, ensuring economic benefits to and the promotion of Alaskan hire.

• The right of Alaskan workers to strike or withhold services of their labor without fear or threat of lockout from their workplace or replacement by workers hired to circumvent good faith bargaining.
• Contracts which have been negotiated in good faith between governmental bodies and public employee unions; those contracts are legitimate and binding, and should be honored and fully funded.
• Guaranteed finality to the bargaining process, which may include, but is not limited to, binding arbitration.
• Present Davis-Bacon laws.
• A livable minimum wage which supports a decent standard of living.
• Maintenance and full funding of a defined benefit—as opposed to a defined contribution—for all public employees.
• A retirement system's investment authority being vested in a board, with a majority of those board members belonging to the system.
• Legislation allowing local, state, and federal public employees the right to full, voluntary participation in the political process while continuing normal safeguards against coercion by management.
• Immediate union recognition when a majority of workers have requested union representation in writing
• A reasonable time to a first contract after an election
• More stringent remedies against illegal unfair labor practices inhibiting the workers' right to organize and bargain collectively

Any employment changes with the objective of circumventing payment of overtime wages.

All forms of "right-to-work" legislation.

Allowing companies to have non-union and union subsidiaries simultaneously for purposes of manipulating public contracts.

Health and Social Services

The Alaska Democratic Party believes self-sufficiency can eliminate poverty and homelessness. Health care must be accessible, adequate and affordable. Domestic violence, child abuse and neglect will not be tolerated.

We support:

• All Alaskans, including Alaskan children, having the right to comprehensive, equitable, affordable, portable, and quality health care coverage and benefits.
• Increased funding for research, education, and treatment programs to prevent the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, as well as funding for rehabilitation and enforcement of alcohol and drug laws and prosecution of violators.
• Full funding of social service and training programs which work effectively towards the elimination of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness.
• Full implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act; increased funding and efforts to meet the needs of people who experience disabilities.
• Programs and policies addressing the special needs for income, housing, and health of older Alaskans.
• Efforts to fight and prevent sexual harassment in the work place.
• Prevention of child abuse and neglect, including sensible family policies to strengthen families; tougher child protection laws; and adequate training for social workers.
• Increased funding of quality child care and full funding of the day care assistance program.
• Education and direct services aimed at preventing unplanned pregnancy, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, chemically addicted babies, and other birth defects.
• The Indian Health Service to assure local and tribal controls of health care for Alaskan Natives.

Business DevelopmentThe Alaska Democratic Party believes that the development of Alaska industries and Alaska-owned small businesses is the backbone of our economy. Alaska should promote new businesses, commerce, and industries.We support:The Science and Technology Foundation, which promotes new industry and the development of technologies for solving our unique northern problems.

• Promotion of domestic and international tourism.
• Full utilization of programs such as AIDEA to assist in bringing new capital to small business for expansion and development.
• Tax incentives for businesses to hire and train welfare recipients.
• Streamlining the state’s administrative process, which includes creating an on-line application system, for starting a new business.

We support:

• The development, transportation, and exportation of natural gas.
• A gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez along the existing corridor with the participation of the affected communities in the decision-making process.
• Value-added, in-state processing of Alaska's natural resources.
• Federal legislation allowing the state to set guidelines for value-added processing of natural resources before export.
• An Alaska-based fishing industry in state and federal waters in the North Pacific and Bering Sea.
• Protection and sustainable harvest of Alaska's abundant wild stock fisheries and the development of new value-added seafood products.
• Opening both the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to environmentally and culturally responsible oil and gas exploration.
• Protection of the habitat necessary for maintaining healthy populations of renewable resources.
• Multiple use of state forests.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes our quality of life and economy is dependent on a clean and protected environment. Alaskans are entitled to clean air, access to recreation, safe water and healthy sanitation systems.

We support:

• All Alaskans, urban and rural, having clean air and water and environmentally sound sewage and waste disposal.
• Environmentally responsible development of Alaska's resources, ensuring the minimization of impact to the environment.
• Protection of the critical portion of our old growth forests.
• Open space, trails, and recreational opportunities for all Alaskans.
• Prevention of pollution through waste reduction and recycling, and through the proper management and clean-up of our hazardous and solid waste.
• State and local policies which encourage the growth and development of recycling in Alaska.
• Maintenance and strengthening of our existing public notice and placarding laws for buildings and installations for using, storing, transporting, and procuring hazardous and poisonous materials both liquid and solid.
• Research and development of low cost, efficient energy sources including weatherization programs and appropriate, affordable design and technology of buildings to ensure energy conservation.
• Access to reasonably priced energy for all Alaskans.
• Development of a long-term, comprehensive state energy policy which promotes conservation, the development of sound renewable energy technology, alternative sources of energy, alternative fuels, and public transit.

Improper disposal or transport of any hazardous waste in Alaska, or the importation of hazardous or radioactive wastes into Alaska.

Use of Alaska as a testing ground for nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare activities.

Criminal Justice

The Alaska Democratic Party believes it is the right of all Alaskans to live in safe and healthy communities, free from all acts of violence against persons and their property.

We support:

• Fair and just prosecution of criminal perpetrators.
• Counsel for those juveniles and adults with financial needs.
• A safe and secure regional correctional system that protects the public and provides for the constitutionally mandated rehabilitation of offenders.
• Policies and procedures to implement and support community policing and youth court programs.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes in every Alaskan’s right and responsibility to fair and equitable participation in the electoral process.

We support:

• An adequately funded Alaska Public Offices Commission.
• Strong ethics laws for state and federal government.
• A strong, clear, understandable and enforceable open meetings law, which guarantees Alaskans access to the decision-making process of their government.
• A voter education program to increase registration and participation in local, state and national elections.
• Counting people at their permanent residences for the purposes of
• reapportionment.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes in an adequately funded and aggressive consumer protection office.

National Policy

The Alaska Democratic party believes in and supports:

• Alaska’s nuclear weapons freeze policy as enacted by the voters on August 23, 1986.
• Making U.S. aid and trade benefits to other nations conditional on their respect for democratic rights, including the rights of workers to organize and equal rights for women.
• A long-term national strategy to aid communities severely impacted by cuts in defense expenditures.
• A national child care policy, including individual and corporate tax incentives.
• The aspirations of the residents of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories in determining self governance.
• A strong national policy that encourages corporate investment to remain in the United States.
• A strong national defense policy, which recognizes Alaska’s geo-strategic position as the air crossroads of the world.

With the obligation for responsible gun ownership, the right to bear arms.