00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 17                                                                    
01 Urging the United States Congress to extend the deadline for the state to obligate                                      
02 American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief - Homeless                                        
03 Children and Youth funds.                                                                                               
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS child and youth homelessness is a growing problem throughout the state,                                 
06 increasing 14 percent since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic began; and                                      
07       WHEREAS child and youth homelessness affects over 3,500 students in pre-                                        
08 kindergarten through grade 12 in the state; and                                                                         
09       WHEREAS homelessness among children and youth often occurs concurrently with                                    
10 deep poverty, low parental educational achievement, unemployment, substance use disorders,                              
11 mental health disorders, lack of affordable housing, and family conflict; and                                           
12       WHEREAS homelessness creates unique barriers in attending and succeeding in                                     
13 school, leading to significantly higher rates of absenteeism and students who drop out of                               
14 school; and                                                                                                             
15       WHEREAS lack of a high school diploma or a general educational development                                      

01 diploma is the single greatest risk factor for homelessness in adulthood, making education a                            
02 critical intervention in preventing future homelessness; and                                                            
03       WHEREAS, led by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, the United States                                     
04 Congress passed a bipartisan amendment to the American Rescue Plan Act; and                                             
05       WHEREAS that amendment made specific funding available to help schools identify,                                
06 and to support the identification, enrollment, and school participation of, children and youth                          
07 experiencing homelessness, including through wraparound services; and                                                   
08       WHEREAS that specific funding is known as the American Rescue Plan Homeless                                     
09 Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) funds; and                                                                                 
10 WHEREAS the state later received $2,300,000 in ARP-HCY funds, which can be                                            
11 used flexibly to meet a wide range of needs and remove barriers to enrollment, attendance,                              
12 and success; and                                                                                                        
13 WHEREAS 40 percent of the $2,300,000 ARP-HCY funds remain available to the                                            
14 state, according to publicly available federal data; and                                                                
15 WHEREAS ARP-HCY funds must be obligated by September 30, 2024, requiring                                              
16 schools to spend rapidly rather than effectively and preventing schools from meeting needs as                           
17 they arise; and                                                                                                         
18 WHEREAS a one-year extension of the deadline for the state to obligate ARP-HCY                                        
19 funds would allow schools and the state Department of Education and Early Development to                                
20 use ARP-HCY funds more impactfully and equitably;                                                                       
21 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on the United States                                           
22 Congress to extend, through at least September 2025, the deadline for the state to obligate                             
23 ARP-HCY funds; and be it                                                                                                
24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on Senators Lisa                                             
25 Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Representative Mary Peltola to lead efforts to extend that                               
26 deadline and continue to be champions for homeless children and youth in the state.                                     
27 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the                                       
28 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Mary Peltola, U.S. Representative,                             
29 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.