Greetings,

This blog post will serve as my last for the first session of the twenty-sixth Alaska State Legislature.  I will continue to post throughout the interim.  I will use my blog to update you on what I’m doing and where I’m traveling.  I have a few trips to conferences planned, as well as some committee meetings up north. My position as House Majority Leader does require more travel than the last couple of years.  Please tune in for the most recent updates. 

Not a lot of legislation was passed this year.  The Economic Stimulus package took up a lot of our time and clogged up key committees.  Though some may see this as government being unproductive, other see this as government is staying out of the way. 

When it comes to the capital budget, most of the funding coming to District One is from the Economic Stimulus Package in the form of Transportation Projects, and from Cruise Ship Head Tax money. 

Remember, the funding for these projects are not final until they survive the Governor’s veto

Here is a list of the projects for District One:

Houghtaling Elementary Outdoor Physical Education Shelter Replacement: $276,110

Valley Park Elementary Siding Replacement: $467,164

KGB: Waterline Extension from Mountain Point: $1,453,241

Ketchikan: Tongass Avenue Water and Sewer Replacement, Phase II: $1,691,261

Coffman Cove: Water Storage System: $1,068,783

Saxman: Water Treatment Plant: $266,638

Thorne Bay: Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste Study: $135,000

Southeast AK: Snow Removal and Fire Fighting: $3,300,000

Ketchikan: Tongass/Water Street Pedestrian Improvements: $1,300,000

Southeast AK: National Highway System and Non-National Highway System Pavement and Bridge Refurbishment: $7,800,000

Ketchikan: Cruise Ship Berth IV Traffic Signal: $1,300,000

Ketchikan: Port of Ketchikan Berth I and II Replacement: $4,000,000

Ketchikan: Reconstruction of Downtown Bridges and Trestles: $5,000,000

Ketchikan: Downtown Pedestrian Enhancements: $375,000

Ketchikan: North Tongass Highway – Totem Bight to Whipple Creek: $13,800,000

Ketchikan: Water Street Sidewalk Improvements: $2,500,000

Inter-Island Ferry Authority – Operational Assistance: $1,500,000

Bob Ellis Airport Ferry: $4,250,000

Ketchikan: North Tongass Landslide Repairs Mile 5: $1,700,000

As you can tell, the capital budget was bare bones this year.  Because of the unstable oil prices that we have faced in the last year, there was no other way to do it.  There were many projects that I would have liked to see in the capital budget for District One, but we will try again next year.

I would like to note that funding for a couple of urgent projects has been funded: the landslide repairs and bridge and trestle repair.  I have received many calls and concerns about both of these projects, and I am happy to see that they were both included in the budget this year.

I did sponsor a bill that passed, HB 100, which named the new extension of the trail along South Tongass Highway as the Joseph C. Williams, Sr. Coastal Trail.  Though this did not involve a policy debate, I was very honored to do this for the Williams family.  They have had generations of leaders, including former Representative Bill Williams, Saxman Mayor Dan Williams, and former Borough and Saxman Mayor Joe Williams.  The bill was signed by the Governor in Ketchikan earlier this month.

My priority legislation, HB 36, deals with initiative disclosure and public hearings of ballot measures.  As I have mentioned many times before, I think the public deserves to know more information about who sponsors initiatives and what the initiative actually does rather than endless television ads and political mailers.  HB 36 was heard and passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and was heard in the House Finance Committee.  I plan to continue to work on this legislation throughout the interim and continue hearings next session.

HB 134, Cruise Ship Water Discharge, did pass both houses this year and is awaiting the Governor’s signature.  This bill amends the well-known “Head Tax” initiative that passed in 2006 to give the Department of Environmental Conservation more time to implement to the stringent wastewater discharge standards imposed by the initiative.  Those standards are not possible with current technology, and HB 134 creates a scientific board that would review the most recent technology to see if those impossible standards could ever be reached. 

Some of the trips that will take me out of Ketchikan for a bit are field hearings of the House Energy Committee.  We have already traveled to Nome, Kotzebue and Dillingham to hold public hearings, and we plan on a few other trips throughout the state.  This includes a trip to Ketchikan, which will probably be in the fall.  I will post the dates when I know.  The Energy Committees proposed legislation (HB 218, SB 185) to create a State Energy Department.  This would combine the staff, resources, and missions of the many energy-focused agencies and departments to form one streamlined Statewide Energy Plan.  I will continue to work closely with the members of the Energy Committees to form the best Energy Plan possible, and ensure that hydro projects are at the forefront of power generation for Southeast Alaska.

I will leave Wednesday, April 22^nd to Washington, D.C. for the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) Spring Forum.  This conference gathers lawmakers from around the nation to share their experiences with public policy, crafting new laws, and managing the legislative institution.  I have attended a couple of these forums in the past and I find them very helpful to gain a wider perspective of public policy, to gain insight into how other states are dealing with their specific issues, and to help share Alaska’s message with other lawmakers.  Tune in for a blog post when I return.

This session was different than any other I have been a part of.  We were presented a spending package that reached unprecedented levels, but we are doing our best to ensure that federal money is well spent within out state.  We want to ensure that those funds coming from the Economic Stimulus Package are used to – key word – stimulate our economy and not drag us down in the long run.

Thanks for reading my blog, and feel free to contact me anytime.

Best,

Greetings,

This week marks the second to last week until the adjournment of the first session of the 26^th Alaska State Legislature.  Our last day of business is Sunday, April 19^th.  It is officially crunch time.

Today I had a hearing on House Bill 36, which is my main piece of personal legislation.  HB 36 tries to shed some light on the initiative process here in Alaska.  There are many loopholes in our initiative process that allow groups to hide money and contributors.  This is unacceptable to me because I believe that Alaskan voters have the right to have all of the information – up front, uncensored, and prior to the election.  This is essential to enable Alaskans to make informed choices in the voting booth.  Another element of HB 36 is to require initiative sponsors to hold public hearings in 30 house districts.  I think it is important to open the line of communication with the sponsors and the voters so more information can be obtained first hand.  It seems that all we get is the flashy television commercials or colorful mailers, which don’t provide an avenue to ask questions, clarify issues, or give any sort of input.  It is important that issues be debated in an open and transparent manner in a public forum.  Just as the legislature is required to hold public, televised committee meetings because they are responsible for making law, initiative committees should be held to the same standard because they are also making law.  I look forward to further debate on HB 36, in a clear and transparent fashion, of course.

Energy has been at the top of everyone’s priority list this session, and as I mentioned before, I sit on the House Special Committee on Energy.  We have held field hearings in Western Alaska during this Legislative Session and plan on a few more during the interim.  The Energy Committee is tasked with crafting a Statewide Energy Policy, and I feel that it is essential to visit different areas of the state to understand the needs of those regions.  It looks like the Energy Committee will visit Ketchikan sometime in the fall of this year to hold a public hearing and take a few tours.  We met on Saturday for four hours with a slew of different entities in the power generation, utility, policy, and research fields to discuss the development of our Statewide Energy Plan.  It was a very productive meeting that provided insight from a variety of different interests.

Patty Mackey and Katie Montgomery came to Juneau last week to talk about tourism issues.  Mayor Weinstein also visited earlier this week to discuss capital projects.  I always enjoy seeing folks from District One in the Capitol. 

Two bills that I co-sponsored passed the House on Thursday – HB 35 (parental consent) and HB 134 (wastewater discharge).  They are now headed to the Senate for deliberation, and I hope to see them pass both bodies.

Also, tonight is the last of the monthly constituent teleconferences from 6-7 pm.  This is an opportunity for you to call in and give me your input, opinion, and feedback.  If you get the chance, please dial in at 1-888-295-4546 and ask for the Ketchikan Constituent Teleconference or visit the Ketchikan Legislative Information Office.

Best,