Opinion: Helping Alaska grandparents stay with their grandchildren

Thanks to Alaska’s pioneering predecessors, our state is truly a great place to live. It was important for me, as a young councilor, to talk to people who lived here during the territorial government’s transition period. They built roads, railroads, and airstrips throughout the vast state. He founded small businesses that are now the backbone of the community. Their legacy lives on today in the halls of Juneau.

Six years ago, I introduced HB236 to extend Alaska’s senior benefits program. I am proud to pass legislation that extends the senior benefits program through 2032. The current program is the successor to the Longevity Bonus, which was established in 1972. We help pioneer seniors who helped build our state but didn’t need the additional care of a Pioneer Home or assisted living. We now have existing robust structures that support the role grandparents play with their grandchildren, rather than moving them south like migratory geese.

As a member of the House Finance Committee, I participated in a statewide listening tour with seniors, caregivers, families, and legislators. We heard from hundreds of Alaskans who passionately believe that senior benefit programs are essential to protecting their way of life. I strongly believe that Alaskans who have contributed to their communities throughout their lives deserve a good quality of life without sacrificing their homes or their health. That’s the purpose of the senior benefits program, which will end this summer if no action is taken.

Currently, the Senior Benefits Program supports more than 10,000 low-income seniors in Alaska by providing small monthly cash assistance based on federal poverty guidelines. We hear from Alaskans across the state that recipients can use monthly payments of $76, $175, or $250 to pay for a healthy lifestyle, including groceries, medicine, transportation, rent, and utilities. It helps pay for the essentials you need to stay in style.

In previous testimony, senior benefit recipients and their advocates in the state said seniors and older adults are often forced to cut spending and go without services just to survive. I have outlined the situation. Hear from seniors about the stress of living on a fixed income and how the small amount of money they’re entitled to through senior benefits programs can make the difference between eating a balanced diet and being satisfied with canned food. I heard a moving testimony.

Our senior benefits program serves the pioneers who built Alaska. Thanks to their efforts, we live in the wealthiest state in the Union. We strongly believe that everyone can afford a little help purchasing household necessities. Elders and seniors in senior benefits programs have taken care of us, and now it’s our turn to take care of them. The most un-Alaska thing I can imagine would be to lapse a senior citizen benefits program because of political infighting and partisan divisions.

I am concerned that Alaska’s ongoing fiscal crisis will be used as an excuse to eliminate this program. As Alaskans struggle to fully recover from COVID-19, now is not the time for more resources from our elders.

We have a great history and heritage of protecting Alaska’s seniors. Although the Elderly Benefits Program is a small portion of the state budget, the program provides significant benefits to low-income seniors who need household assistance. I will work closely with my colleagues in Congress to protect low-income seniors. Please help us convince all members of Congress to immediately pass Senate Bill 170 and extend senior citizen benefits.

Senator Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) is a member of the Alaska State Senate. Prior to serving in the state Senate, he served in the Alaska House of Representatives and before that, on the Fairbanks City Council.

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