Good Afternoon:

Senator Lisa Murkowski was in the Capitol on Thursday to give her annual address to the Legislature.  Her message was clear: Alaskans need to be concerned about our economy.  I agree whole heartedly with the Senator.   Alaska is plagued by many Outside threats.   From our own Federal Government in the form of over-reaching EPA regulations that are closing down sectors of our economy to highly-funded radical environmental groups that file lawsuit after lawsuit to stop any sort of development, we are challenged.  I was encouraged by Senator Murkowski’s comments and her efforts to keep Alaskan families prosperous.

This week I had numerous operating budget meetings, as I sit on six finance subcommittees that are preparing to propose their recommendations to the full House Finance committee.  The operating budget, unlike the capital budget which fuels the economy with construction appropriations, is the recurring cost of government operations.   The growth of government concerns me greatly, so I’ve directed my staff to work on amendments to hold down government  growth and spending.  I look forward to the conversation those amendments are sure to start.  We must get back to scrutinizing each and every operating budget appropriation.

This week I met with Margaret McCloy from the Ketchikan Youth Court and the Randall Family from Ketchikan as they work to end Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  It is always good to have folks from home come and visit my office in the Capitol.

HB 311 passed the House Education Committee this week.  As I mentioned previously on the blog, HB 311 is a bill I sponsored to allow the Alaska State Council on the Arts to adopt their own regulations.  The arts are an important part of the community in District One as well as the economy, so I am happy to sponsor this bill.

I met with folks from Metlakatla this week about the Metlakatla-Ketchikan intertie and the proposed terminal out South for the Lituya.  I strongly support this project and look forward to working with our neighbors in District 5 towards its completion. 

The House Transportation Committee met with its Senate counterpart this week to hear a report on the Alaska Marine Highway System.  I’m impressed with the operations and professionalism of the ferry system.  That doesn’t mean I won’t continue to ask pointed questions and demand accountability.  We have come a long way in a couple of years and we will continue to push for replacement vessels built in our shipyard.

Judy, Sonia and Dave are always here to serve your needs.  You can be assured that when you are talking to them you are talking to me.  I have the best staff in the building.

Stay tuned for the a new post next Friday!

This week was very busy in the Capitol.  The Ketchikan Legislative Liaison Fly-In came to Juneau this week, which kept me and my staff very busy.  The Fly-In is an opportunity for city and borough officials, as well as various community representatives to speak with lawmakers and other state officials.  They had an action-packed schedule that allowed them to meet with a number of different department and administration officials.

Last week the House Energy Committee heard HB 306, which is the State Energy Policy bill.  As I have mentioned before on my blog, the State Energy Policy was created with a variety of interests from the bottom up.  HB 306 is an innovative piece of legislation because it involved a number of different stakeholder groups and agencies, most of who have experience providing energy to Alaskans.  I proposed an amendment to HB 306 to ensure that Alaskan’s energy needs are met before exporting power for profit.  It is important that we provide affordable energy to our own people first before fulfilling the energy needs of other outside interests.  I am not opposed to export projects, but I believe we can revisit that idea once the needs of our communities are met and there is an energy surplus.  This amendment was added to HB 306 and the bill was passed out of committee.  It was referred to the House Resources committee, which Alaska’s public lawmaking process will continue.

Speaking of our public lawmaking process, HB 36 was heard in the House Finance Committee on Monday.  This bill focuses on ballot initiative reform so that Alaska’s laws, whether made by the legislature or made by the people through the citizen’s initiative, are made with integrity and transparency.  Alaskan’s deserve this.  I hope that HB 36 will be heard in House Finance next week, but I will keep you posted.

Last Friday I introduced legislation to strengthen Alaska’s anti-drug laws.  HB 327 would classify “salvia divinorum” a schedule II-A drug.  Salvia is drug similar to mescaline, peyote, and LSD and can be purchased legally in Alaska – it is my feeling that this cannot continue.  This proposed legislation would also require those who buy products containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to be at least 18 years old or have a prescription from a doctor to do so.   DXM is a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough suppressants that teens take in large doses (20 to 30 times the recommended dosage) to get high.  Severe health risks occur because of other ingredients in the cough suppressants such as acetaminophen.   I was approached by constituents in Ketchikan regarding these two substances and was convinced that our anti-drug laws had to be updated to reflect today’s issues and drug abuse trends. 

Best,

Good morning,

Well, it is officially the third week of the 2010 legislative session.  I just returned home from the “Throw the Breaker” party in celebration of the Swan-Tyee hydroelectric line.  It was a great way to celebrate our long-awaited intertie.  There were quite a few lawmakers attending this event, and it was good to show off our town.

Last week I met many people, but the folks from Ketchikan always get special treatment when they stop by my office.  Patti Mackey from the Ketchikan Visitor’s Bureau stopped by to discuss Alaska Travel Industry Alliance’s (ATIA) priorities.  Taylor Gregg from the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Education, David Mitchel from OceansAlaska, and Brien Salazar from the Alaska Air Carrier Association also came by for a visit.  I enjoy having people from the District in the office, and my door is always open.

I introduced a bill earlier this week, which I mentioned in my last blog post, to allow the State Council on the Arts to adopt their own regulations.  This bill also has a Senate companion, SB 209.  I plan to have hearings on this bill within the next couple of weeks.

The House Finance budget subcommittees are beginning their work.  I am on Revenue, Commerce, Community & Economic Development (DCCED), Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Labor & Workforce Development, Governor, and Legislature committees.  These are the committees that review the operating budget and closely examine the expenses, duties, and purposes of programs.  Positions on these committees allow me to have an in-depth understanding of state department operations.  Although this work is tedious, it is an experience that I value and it is an integral part of the legislative budget process.

The House Special Committee on Energy met twice this week.  We are reviewing and amending the statewide energy policy bill, HB 306.  This bill is the product of endless hours of hard work by the Energy Committee and various stakeholders.  This innovative piece of legislation worked from bottom to top and included people on the frontlines of Alaska’s energy issues.  This group of stakeholders was diverse and comprehensive; including members from regional economic development agencies to alternative energy organizations, and electric co-op representatives to native organizations.  These groups assisted the Energy Committee in understanding and developing an energy policy for the State of Alaska that works for the best interests of our land and our people.  If you’re interested in reviewing the list of stakeholders and/or any of the committee hearings, documents, and information, please visit http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=HB%20306&session=26.  I applaud the work of the Co-Chairs of the House Special Committee on Energy, Reps. Millet (R-Anchorage) and Edgmon (D-Dillingham) and the hard-working stakeholder group.

Today marks my first constituent teleconference.  I hold these meetings with Sen. Stedman and Rep. Wilson to ensure that our constituents have an opportunity to voice their concerns, talk about the issues, and provide input.  These meetings are held once a month during session, so please attend if you are able.  The Ketchikan LIO will have the teleconference set up, so all you have to do is show up.  Again, this meeting will be held on Monday, February 1^st from 6-7pm.  If you are unable to attend in person, please call 1-877-763-5073 and the operator will connect you to the meeting. 

If you are unable to attend the teleconference this evening, feel free to contact my office at any time.  Our phone number is (907) 465-3424 or toll free (800) 303-2455, and our mailing address is:

Representative Johansen

Alaska State Capitol, Room 204

Juneau, Alaska  99801

I look forward to speaking with you and working to make our District a better place to live.

Regards,