Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 67
Thank you to everyone who spoke up during public testimony on the budget in House Finance last week. I need to hear from you in order to do my job, and I was incredibly impressed with the straight-forward, intelligent, and passionate comments that the residents of Wrangell provided. There were more people in Wrangell who testified than all other District 36 communities combined! You all have been the most effective political advocates for any community. The top three issues brought to our attention were: staffing woes in the Office of Children...
Each session, the Legislature’s biggest responsibility is to pass a budget for the State of Alaska. The House Budget Subcommittees - which examine the details of each department budget - have finished their budget recommendations. I serve as Chair of three budget subcommittees, and we submitted the following budget actions to the House Finance Committee for further review. The subcommittee for the Department of Environmental Conservation restored the Ocean Ranger program and protected funding for commercial shellfish PSP testing. The s...
Let’s talk about the prospects of this year’s legislative session and budget deliberations as they relate to the AMHS. Our ferry system has been at the forefront of many legislative conversations: On the very first day of the Alaska State Legislative session, the House Transportation Committee held a hearing titled “The Importance of AMHS to Alaska & the Need for Increased Funding.” Municipalities had the opportunity to describe how our ferry system is vital for our communities, economies, and families. Thank you specifically to Mayor Prysunk...
Last year, I cosponsored and voted for House Bill 96, which reverses massive rate increases at the Pioneer Homes. This bipartisan legislation passed the House 35-4 and now is being considered by the Senate. If the Senate passes HB 96, we can reverse the devastating rate increases and provide critical financial stability both for residents and our Pioneer Home system. Lowering and stabilizing Pioneer Home rates is a win-win for residents and for the system’s fiscal stability. We heard t...
The Alaska State Legislature began its 2020 session on January 21st. Last Friday, the Legislature held a joint session to vote on overriding two of Governor Dunleavy’s vetoes of House Bill 2001 from August of 2019. The Legislature had five days once we began session to address veto overrides. HB2001 was an appropriations bill created this summer to reverse some of the items that were vetoed from the original operating budget. HB2001 included $5 million for AMHS, specifically to provide at least some service to areas like Cordova who have been -...
As the House Representative for District 36, I’m writing to update you on some of the issues currently before the Alaska State Legislature. The 2019 legislative sessions were challenging – we continued to grapple with creating the budget, implementing a long term sustainable fiscal plan, and address declining revenue. While we were able to hold fast on funding for departments like Fish & Game and Education, the Marine Highway System faced unprecedented cuts. During the interim, I have been focused on re-establishing the AMHS link to Prince Rup...
As many of you know, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) service to the port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia (B.C.) ended on October 1st. Although that ferry route is no longer running, there are ongoing developments in hopes of restoring service. When the Alaska Department of Transportation (AK DoT) announced early last month that it would end service to Prince Rupert, their reasoning was that AMHS was unable to enlist the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to provide armed protection for the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents...
Representative Ortiz visited Prince Rupert, British Columbia (B.C.) this week to meet with Canadian officials. He met with Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Blake Ward Chief Financial Officer for Prince Rupert Corinne Bomben, Member of Legislative Assembly Jennifer Rice, City Councilors, and Mayor Lee Brain. The intent of these meetings was to find a solution to the current AMHS Prince Rupert port of entry requirements. It recently became a requirement to provide armed law enforcement coverage for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection...
On Monday, August 19th, Governor Dunleavy released his full list of Special Session budget vetoes. The Alaska Legislature passed two special session budget bills in July with the primary intention of restoring the Governor’s original vetoes and protecting certain funding sources, such as the Higher Education Investment Fund and the Power Cost Equalization Fund. In the original budget passed in June (HB39), we included continued funding for the Senior Benefits Program, the University of Alaska, early learning programs, and the Alaska State Counc...
As the District 36 Representative, my primary assignment now in the Legislature is to serve as the Vice-Chair on the House Finance Committee. In that duty, I traveled to Juneau, Anchorage, Wasilla, and Fairbanks between July 15-18 in order to hear Public Testimony on HB 2001, the special session budget bill. During those three days of testimony, we heard over 600 people testify in person. During the month of July, we had over 2,300 Alaskans provide testimony to the House Finance Committee. Over 85% of the testifiers were in support of...
The Alaska State Legislature adjourned last week, but before adjourning, the most significant accomplishment was the agreement to transfer $10.5 billion from the Earnings Reserve Account (ERA) to the Corpus of the Permanent Fund. For the majority of legislators, including Senator Stedman and myself, it is a top priority to protect and enhance opportunities for the Permanent Fund to grow so that there will continue to be PFDs for Alaskans well into the future. The Permanent Fund is comprised of the Corpus (also known as the Principal) and the...
Earlier this month, the House passed House Bill 49, which is a collaborative bill between the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s administration to improve public safety. After the Conference Committee process last week, the Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, May 28th. The bill now heads to the Governor’s Office to be signed. The bill has most generally been referred to as the “SB91 Repeal” and contains the following provisions: Keeps in place the pretrial services program and the pretrial risk assessment tool, while making them subject...
As the State of Alaska grapples with our current fiscal situation, legislators are considering ways to balance the budget while protecting our savings and preserving the PFD. I urge my colleagues to focus on an important part of the discussion: oil taxes. Alaska is the only state in the US that taxes oil based on net profits, yet we are also the state that relies the most on oil revenues for government services. Unique among states, Alaska is also the owner of the resource: most of our oil has been produced from state owned lands. This also mea...
Last week, the Alaska House of Representatives passed a budget for the State of Alaska. As a member of the Finance Committee and the Chair of the Education & Early Development, Fish & Game, and Environmental Conservation Department Finance Subcommittees, I am a part of the budget process from the beginning until the end. For the past month, we have dug into each department budget, asking critical questions, and analyzing impacts of potential cuts. The budget was an intense collaborative effort;...
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to host three Community Meetings in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan to hear input on the governor's proposed budget for the next fiscal year. First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to attend, especially those who had the courage to speak. In Ketchikan, almost 130 people attended, and 51 people spoke during the 2.5 hours allowed for public comment. In Sitka, over 200 people attended and 61 people spoke. I'd like to share some...
Last week, Governor Dunleavy unveiled his amended budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020. As expected, there were substantial cuts to government agencies, all of which will affect Southern Southeast. Some of the cuts that will be most noticeable here in District 36 are the Marine Highway, services to our seniors, education, Fish & Game, public safety, and access to information. Governor Dunleavy proposed 68.3% cut to our ferry system, including an 80% decrease in funding for fuel. The intent of such a steep cut is to eliminate the ferry system...
During session, the Alaska State Legislature passed multiple bills that affect our senior citizens. It is the duty of the legislature to protect and serve all citizens. In my time in office, I have made it a priority to try to protect the interests of our elders – those that helped to establish this great state. The Senior Benefits Payment Program (formerly known as the Longevity Bonus created in 1972) passed during session and was signed into law by the governor earlier this summer. The Senior Benefits Program provides a modest monthly cash pa...
Recently, China announced that it will add an additional 25% tariff on seafood imports. China is Alaska’s top seafood customer, spending $1.3 billion on exports last year. This tariff increase will directly impact tens of thousands of fishermen, other fish-industry employees, and Southeast Alaska’s economy. According to the McDowell Group, the fishing industry produces $2 billion in labor income alone, and a total economic output of $5.2 billion per year. Although I am not in a position to cha...
Funding for Alaska’s schools is one of the most important pieces of our state budget. Yet, each year, school funding gets caught in the crossfire of budget debates and ends up being one of the last measures passed by the Alaska Legislature. The delay wreaks havoc on schools and communities who are forced to play a guessing game on what their bottom line will be. It forces School Districts to draft multiple budgets and contingency plans. It creates a climate of uncertainty, especially given the State’s fiscal situation and the possibility of...
Governor Walker submitted a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed budget includes a direct increase of $34 million in Public Safety Investments, funding for Medicaid, health care reform strategies, and deferred maintenance projects within the state. Unrestricted General Fund (UGF) revenue is projected to be about $2.1 billion while spending is nearly $4.6 billion, leaving a deficit of approximately $2.5 billion. This is troubling because the state has nearly exhausted its savings account, the Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund...
The Alaska Marine Highway System needs forward funding. I don’t think I need to say it twice. If money is allocated to the AMHS for its future expenses, the AMHS can properly plan sailings which would: capture revenue from tourists (including those considering traveling with their RVs or vehicles), allow businesses to send employees to neighboring islands, and provide more advance planning options for Alaskans. Of course, the ferry system would also benefit from being more insulated from political influence. Currently, support for the marine h...
Last week, I wrote a letter to the editor outlining specific funds in the capital budget allocated to southern Southeast Alaska. District 36 fortunately received millions of dollars for local infrastructure projects. That being said, the state’s overall capital budget is still miniscule in comparison to previous years. Since 2013, it has been cut by over 55%. You may be wondering, how is it possible to cut the capital budget by more than half? Many of these cuts are not long-term budget reductions, but are instead deferred maintenance costs t...
If legislators do not pass a budget within the regular legislative session, they should not receive legislative per diem during the subsequent special session. Alaskans for Integrity – a group founded by one independent lawmaker, one Democratic lawmaker and one Republican citizen –proposed a ballot initiative for 2018 that will raise legislative standards of financial transparency and accountability to the public. I support this initiative, known as the “Alaska Government Accountability Act.” If approved by voters, this ballot initiat...
Later this week, the Legislature will convene for its third (and hopefully very brief) special session to pass a capital budget. Negotiations with the Senate have been completed and I’m confident that a compromised version of the capital budget will pass out of both bodies. It will meet the minimum needs of the state and it’s residents in terms of infrastructure investment. Most generally, the capital budget is how we fund investment in Alaska’s infrastructure for transportation (including the AMHS) and our natural resource development. Over...
As the fisheries industry continues to expand and Wrangell’s Marine Service Center’s services demand increases, I believe Wrangell’s economy has nowhere to go but up. However, to accommodate this growth, the state must maintain their services in Wrangell. I am particularly concerned about the conservation of state jobs in Wrangell. Several years ago, Wrangell lost its social worker and its fisheries biologist. Now, the loss of the Wrangell trooper and the potential of reduced funding to the city jail weigh heavily, as Wrangell’s state jobs sl...