A lot has happened since our last newsletter. We’ve had a number of bill hearings in Senate and House committees and even passed a couple of our bills unanimously across the Senate floor!
To better enable the wheels of commerce, we made great progress in removing an arbitrary requirement preventing prospective truck drivers from beginning their Commercial Drivers License training with the passage of SB 123 unanimously out of the Senate.
As always, seeking more efficient operations, our bill to repeal dormant funds and accounts passed the Senate unanimously, and then saw it successfully out of the House Finance Committee. SB 25 is now headed to the floor of the House. We expect it to be well on its way to the governor.
Meanwhile, our spending cap proposal’s House companions, HJR2/HB38 have been making great progress, as they are now in House Finance. If passed out of House Finance, the next step will be a floor vote. At the rate Representative Stapp is going (he is carrying this legislation in the house) and with continued bipartisan support along the way, we might see the House version of our bill coming over to the Senate before the end of this legislative session!
Where is the budget?
The Operating Budget was passed by the House last month and is currently being heard in the Senate Finance Committee. I expect that the budget will soon move through the Senate Finance Committee towards the Senate Floor to be debated and voted on by the full Senate. Once the budget passes the Senate it will head back over to the House where they will vote to agree or disagree with the Senate changes.
It is our duty as legislators to pass a responsible state budget that does not pass on fiscal burdens to future Alaskans. We have a smaller punch bowl this year and there are many straws attempting to drink from it. As I work on the budget over the next couple weeks, I encourage you to reach out to my office to let me know your thoughts.
What’s going on in Senate Transportation?
In the final weeks of session we are focusing primarily on considering bills. This week we heard a bill that fixes a bureaucratic issue that would have prevented fuel barges from operating in Alaska beginning this summer and another that seeks to name a bike path in the Fairbanks area after an avid biker and beloved community member, Matt Glover.
In addition to our meetings, I have been doing work with the Port of Alaska modernization project and the Alaska Marine Highway System. I was happy to be invited to the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board (AMHOB) to present (start at 6:01:00) the organizational management and planning tools my office has been developing with the Board and the Department of Transportation this session. After working hard on the effort to create the AMHOB last session, I have been collaborating closely with the board to help them put their new statutory requirements into practice.
DOT, AMHS, and the AMHOB are taking big steps in the right direction and I look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Port of Alaska
Last week in the Senate Transportation Committee, we heard from a collection of municipal-owned ports and harbors: Port of Alaska in Anchorage, Port Mackenzie in the Matsu, the ports of Nome, Juneau, and Homer, and the Harbors of the Aleutians East Borough, Cordova, Saint Paul, and Yakutat.
The Port of Alaska in Anchorage is a critical port for getting food, fuel, cargo, and cement to much of the state. The Port is also a strategic port for the Department of Defense. The 62-year-old port has withstood decades of wear and tear, and major events like the 1964 and 2018 earthquakes. A serious modernization project is underway to rebuild and replace the aging port.
Last year, I was closely involved in the effort to secure $200 million in state grants distributed over two years to the Port modernization project. Since the first set of funds went out, the next phase of the project is beginning and those state funds have helped leverage further federal grants. The second set of funds is set to be distributed this year.
While the project has been through rocky times in the past, the Port managers have made huge strides over the last year to ensure that federal, state, and municipal funds will be expended efficiently, effectively, and under a solid management plan.
My Bills & Where They are in the Process
Removing a Barrier to Prospective Truck Drivers | SB 123
This bill removes unnecessary barriers to obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License to help address the over 500 trucker shortage in Alaska. I am carrying this legislation on behalf of the Senate Transportation Committee and was excited to see it pass the Senate unanimously last week! Watch my Senate speech here >>
Repeal of Unused Funds and Accounts | SB 25
This bill cleans up our books, deleting accounts that we don’t use, and then keeps our books up-to-date by scheduling the cleanup process to repeat every two years. It already passed the Senate, was moved out of House Finance this week, and hopefully will be on the House floor soon. Check out the bill documents here >>
GDP-Based Spending Cap | SJR 4 / SB 20 ; HJR 2 / HB 38
Senate Bill 20 is a functional state spending cap, which constructively links our private sector performance (measured by GDP) and government spending. An effective limit like this one creates stability and predictability in our budgeting process – in economic boom years, extra revenues are pushed forward, preventing the need for drastic cuts in economic bust years.
Senate Bill 20 was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 5th. You can watch the meeting here and can find all the documents online here.
The House Companion legislation, HJR 2 and HB 38, carried by Representative Will Stapp was heard last week in the House Finance Committee and has a hearing scheduled for next Monday (5/8) at 10:00am. Tune in live here.
Renewable Energy Grant Fund | SB 33/HB 62
The Renewable Energy Grant Fund (REF) ensures that communities facing higher-than-average energy prices can continue leveraging REF Grants to pursue cheaper renewable alternatives. Rep. Edgmon’s House version of my bill passed both legislative bodies and is now headed to the Governor’s desk!
Insurance Data Security | SB 134
Cyberattacks are an unfortunate reality in our increasingly digitized world. Senate Bill 134 is intended to address this issue by protecting the sensitive personal information that many Alaskans entrust to private insurance companies. It was introduced last week and we look forward to hearings next session.
Take a Moment to Catch Up:
SE Fisheries Court Ruling
A federal judge recently issued a ruling that would effectively close all salmon fishing in the Chinook Fishery threatening a huge swath of the Alaskan fishing industry in the southeast. This is yet another example of Lower-48 environmental groups thinking they know better than Alaskans how to manage our valuable resources. Read more here >>
Legislative Budget & Audit Court ruling
An Anchorage Superior Court made a ruling on a LB&A issue that we brought forth while I was a Representative in the House. The ruling is that the state is not required to deposit funds into the Constitutional Budget Reserve account that came from an oil pipeline tariff. Read more here >>
Denali Peak Performance Awards
The Governor’s Denali Peak Performance Awards are back for 2023! This reward provides an opportunity to recognize and honor the contributions made daily by State employees who consistently go above and beyond in their work. If you know anyone that fits this description please review the process and nominate them here. Nominations are open until the end of May.
Firewise on Hillside
This seminar is a great way to learn about fire safety. If you are in the area tomorrow, Saturday May 6th, I encourage you to attend the seminar that takes place at Hilltop Ski Area. See below flier and links for more information!
