Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 295
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday, Sept. 10, to discuss, among several topics, the recent announcement that the Alaska Marine Highway System would stop traveling to and from Prince Rupert on Oct. 1. Mayor Steve Prysunka, who called into the meeting via teleconference, said that he has been in contact with the offices of Senator Lisa Murkowski and State Representative Dan Ortiz and has tried his best to stay on top of the situation. The reason for the closure, he explained, is that...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s governor has vetoed additional funding for the state’s ferry service that was placed in the budget by the Legislature, a report said. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed $5 million Monday that was added to the Alaska Marine Highway System budget by the Legislature, CoastAlaska reported Monday. The Legislature previously cut $43 million from the ferry system’s budget. A fiscal note attached by the governor’s office called the budget item “premature’’ ahead of a $250,000 study commissioned to reshape the fer...
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...
State Representative Dan Ortiz (I) held a teleconference with constituents in Ketchikan and Wrangell Monday, July 8, to hear public opinions on the state budget, the PFD, and other items. Monday was the start of a second special session of the state legislature, one that has appeared to be just as divisive amongst legislators and Alaskan residents as the previous sessions. One of the hot topics of this session, when it was announced, was whether or not to overturn Governor Mike Dunleavy’s l...
According to a press release from the Wrangell Legislative Information Office, State Representative Dan Ortiz will be holding a teleconference on July 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. to receive feedback from the public on the state budget and the PFD. Both subjects have been the topic of much debate across Alaska recently, with the state legislature struggling to form a budget, some times coming into conflict with Governor Mike Dunleavy's desire for serious budget cuts in certain sectors. The debate has...
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...
Ever since Governor Mike Dunleavy announced his proposed budget, it has been a hot topic of debate across Southeast Alaska. The proposed budget does offer a full PFD to all Alaska residents, as well as supply “back pay” for PFDs that were smaller than usual, but it also makes some serious cuts to public education and the Alaska Marine Highway System. Many people in Wrangell have wondered how the proposed budget could affect the city. To discuss these concerns, a town hall meeting was held at the Nolan Center last Wed., March 6. “I’m confide...
State Representative Dan Ortiz made a stop in Wrangell last week to discuss the proposed budget cuts by Governor Mike Dunleavy. He was present at a town hall meeting on how the cuts could affect Wrangell last Wednesday. He also stopped at the Stikine Inn Thursday morning for an informal meet and greet....
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...
April The Department of Transportation is finally able to get started on a major Wrangell road repaving project. Perforated by potholes, the borough’s Evergreen Avenue will be resurfaced and repaired, with pedestrian improvements and other fixes. The major project has been on hold for half a decade, surviving rounds of budget cuts to capital funding elsewhere in the state along the way. Two local right of way issues which had lately been holding up the project were wrapped up in February, allowing the project to move along. Speaking at a p...
This column that each week focuses on Alaska’s seafood industry will enter into its 28th year in 2019. It began in the Anchorage Daily News in 1991 at the request of longtime former business editor Bill White and has appeared in the ADN ever since. Fish Factor also is featured in more than a dozen weekly papers across Alaska and nationally. The goal is to make all readers more aware of the economic, social and cultural importance of one of Alaska’s oldest and largest industries. Here are Fish Factor’s annual Fishing Picks and Pans for 2018...
It was a busy night for the Wrangell Borough Assembly Wednesday. State Representative Dan Ortiz came to town to be a part of a workshop with city leaders over what Wrangell’s legislative priorities for 2019 would be. A draft document was provided for the workshop, listing things at the state and federal level of government that the assembly felt were important for Wrangell. The draft of priorities included items like the adoption of a sustainable budget plan across the state, school debt reimbursement, and avoiding reductions in the shared f...
Out of 1,904 registered voters in Wrangell, according to preliminary election results for the 2018 midterms, there was a local turnout of 733. This is a percentage of 38.5 percent. Kim Lane, Wrangell city clerk, said there were 175 early ballots that were not yet counted. Statewide, Alaska had a voter turnout of 41.9 percent, or 239,604 votes cast out of 571,851 registered voters. Alaskan voters had the opportunity to vote for a new governor and U.S. Representative. The “Stand For Salmon” ballot measure one was also voted on. Wrangell, a par...
The midterms have come again, and Wrangell turned out to make their voice heard in the Nov. 6 election. Polls were open at the Nolan Center. On the ballot was the position of Alaska governor and lieutenant governor, U.S. representative, and state representative. The race for governor was hotly contested. Bill Walker, the current governor of Alaska, suspended his re-election campaign in October, though his name still appeared on ballots. The other candidates include Democratic candidate Mark...
Alaska State Representative Dan Ortiz visited Wrangell last week on the campaign trail. Ortiz is seeking re-election to the state house. He has represented District 36, which covers towns like Wrangell, Ketchikan, Hydaburg, and Metlakatla. This is the second stop in Wrangell for Ortiz during his campaign, having stopped in town previously during Bearfest. He held a meet and greet at the Stikine Inn last Wednesday afternoon. "I'm always happy to come to Wrangell, always happy to get out and look...
More Gov goings on - While he was in Kodiak Governor Walker also signed a bill (HB 56) sponsored by Ketchikan Representative Dan Ortiz that expands the state Revolving Loan Fund to create new financing options for fishing and mariculture businesses. He also re-established the Alaska Mariculture Task Force as an advisory body with a goal of growing a $100 million mariculture industry in 20 years. “The fiscal crisis is on the wane. It should never have happened in the first place and we should never be in that position again. Now we can get back...
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...
Legislative session has ended, and now that I’m back in the district, I’d like to give you a brief overview of this year’s legislative actions that will impact Wrangell. As your state representative, I sponsored and passed three bills – “Commercial Fishing Loans,” “Mari-culture Revolving Loan Fund,” and “Dive Fishery Assessments” – that will support and enhance our fishing and mari-culture industries. HB 128, “Shellfish Enhancement Projects” was a fourth mari-culture industry related bill. It passed the House 37-2 and made it through Senate Fi...