|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LEAD Partners Click here to view Leaders Effecting Alaska's Development |
Legislative Updates :: Capital Notes 02/08/07 Capital Notes 02/08/07 New Beginnings Welcome back to our legislative portion of our Capital Notes from the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce. The 25th Alaska Legislature kicked off on January 16th with 13 freshmen-10 new House members and 3 new Senate members. With the Senate Republicans split on leadership, a new alliance was formed between 6 Republicans and 9 Democrats naming Lyda Green(R) Wasilla as Senate President. Committee Chairs are divided up between Democrats and Republicans creating the first bi-partisan caucus since 1990 and 1991. Shortly after opening session, both Houses heard from the newly elected Governor, Sara Palin in the State of the State speech. Governor Palin outlined her priorities of building trust through better ethics, removing needless taxes, cutting the budget, enhancing education and building a natural gas pipeline. Governor's Proposals So far the administration has introduced bills encompassing the following: legislation on ethics, change the business license fee from $100 back to $25, remove the $2 studded-tire tax, instructed the legislature to cut the budget by $150 million while depositing a billion dollars into the constitutional budget reserve, and legislation that deposits more money into the permanent fund. Legislation also was submitted to fund education and help pay for TRS liability costs totaling $671 million. The administration also budgeted for reinstatement of the longevity bonus. So far, nothing has been submitted to the legislature regarding natural gas or a natural gas pipeline. Legislature Hits the Java The legislature is attempting a test run on the 90-day session, which was passed by initiative last year and takes effect in 2008. Outside the Speaker's office, a running tally of days is listed out of a 90-day goal. But don't hold your breath, some Senate members mentioned yesterday that they would be hard pressed to exit in 90 days. Where the Rubber Meets the Road For the first two weeks, the Legislature appeared to be swooned by the new Governor; however, this week the gloves came off when Speaker John Harris noted that the Governor was asking for cuts while raising the budget $700 million for education. Something didn't quite equate. The legislature's focus may gain clarity as it begins look more closely at the other priorities put forth by the Governor. Legislators are still waiting for legislation on dealing with the stranded gas act and a contract to build a natural gas pipeline. Those companies holding the gas have implied that they have not been contacted about selling the gas or to re-negotiate a gasline contract. While the Palin Administration has mentioned putting out an RFP on building a gasline, without the gas, a pipeline might be premature altogether. Most recently, the Federal Energy & Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a report to Congress that mentioned Alaska's window of opportunity to build a natural gas pipeline may be closing. The impact of the report and comments by Senator Ted Stevens have many state legislators worried that further delays by the Palin Administration will close the door on a gasline for years. Although, many legislators support some of Palin's other priorities, legislative budget hawks question ridding ourselves of a few "user fees", cutting the budget, expanding the education budget, all while reinstating the longevity bonus for some of our wealthier Alaskans and beefing up the corpus of the Permanent Fund for bigger PFD's. "There seems to be a lack of consistency in any real direction," suggested a budget guru asking to remain anonymous. Ethics As a priority of the administration, ethical behavior also is a priority of many lawmakers, with 10 or more bills introduced by legislators covering the topic. The Speaker of the House requested a special subcommittee be assigned to the Speaker's chambers where all bills will be reviewed with recommendations of a single bill covering all ethics issue to come out of the House State Affairs Committee. Expect more on this in your local newspapers and from the State Chamber. Alaska State Chamber Takes an Active Role The legislature has also introduced a number of bills potentially affecting Alaska's business interests. Below you will find a list of bills for you to look through as you might see a bill of interest to you and your business. Again, if there is an issue that you and your business would like to bring to the attention of the State Chamber, don't hesitate to contact the staff of the State Chamber of Commerce. Alaska State Chamber has been meeting regularly with all members of the Legislature on the Chamber's top priorities. As bills move through the legislature we will continue represent the interests of Alaska's businesses. We do this by testifying in committee, meeting with lawmakers and members of the administration, working with legislative committees, organizing particular business interests for specific bills and providing written material utilized in the legislative process. Back to top Here is gander at just a few of the bills:
Back to top Following Legislation? Any person can follow the legislative process and access new bills, committee substitutes or figure which legislator is on a particular committee in the Legislature's Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS). You can see what committee a bill is in, when it will be heard, how committee members voted, and much more. You can also view all bills relating to your specific areas of interest by selecting "Subject Summary" from the menu on the right. Just click on the link below and bookmark it for later use. http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/start.asp Juneau Headquarters: 217 Second Street, Suite 201, Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907.586.2323, Fax: 907.463.5515, Email: info@alaskachamber.com Anchorage Office: 601 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 700, Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: 907.278.2722, Fax: 907.278.6643 Copyright © 2003 - Present, The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, all rights reserved. Designed by WebWeavers Technology Group LLC™ |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
