Dear Neighbors,

I am pleased to be back in Juneau for the 2005 Legislative Session. I was out of state last week traveling with my wife for health procedures. We are optimistic with the prognosis and I am ready to focus on state issues and serve as your voice in Juneau.

I have quite a few priorities for the session; one of them is to ensure the Legislature doesn’t spend the ‘surplus’ like drunken sailors. Over the past 10 years, the Alaska Legislature has borrowed over $5 billion from the Constitutional Budget Reserve to supplement our budget. The Constitution requires that funds borrowed must be repaid.

Due to this debt, the projected $650 million increase cannot be considered a surplus. Last Session, the Senate Majority passed a spending limit bill. I am encouraging fellow senators to honor the vote they made and limit any increase in state spending to only what would have originally been allowed under that bill.

As we cannot depend on oil revenues to pay for 80% of Alaska’s budget indefinitely, we ought not increase the state’s level of spending beyond what we individually are willing to support with personal taxes. Encouraging this line of practical thought is one of my main goals for the 2005 Session.

On a personal legislative note, I will be sponsoring several bills this session. As a continuation of last year’s efforts, I will once again be introducing a primary seat belt bill. This bill allows enforcement of our current secondary seat belt law and has been proven to save lives in other states.

I am also working with the Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Police Department to require individuals to pay all unpaid parking and traffic violations before renewing vehicle registration and/or drivers’ licenses. By ensuring that these fines are paid, municipalities around the state will collect monies owed and maintain revenue without increasing local taxes.

At the request of my constituents, I am also introducing legislation requiring licenses for water well contractors. General contractors in District P requested that I carry this consumer protection legislation.

I am working closely with Senators Gretchen Guess and Fred Dyson on their vandalism legislation. Last year, the Anchorage School District weathered about $600,000 worth of damage, while only recovering $1,700 from those that caused the damage. My goal for this legislation is to ensure that adjudicated delinquents understand the effects of vandalism and contribute to paying the bill by empowering the courts to garnish their Permanent Fund Dividends.

I am also working with the Anchorage Police Department, the Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police, STAR and various organizations across the state to require and define minimum standards of investigation for sexual assault crimes. This legislation will streamline police investigations across the state and provide a tool for determining why so few of our sexual assault cases go to trial.

I am once again the Chair of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. The committee is just beginning to hear bills this week. At this point, our two main topics for the session are the possibility of creating another Tier in the state PERS/TERS, and again, addressing the growing deficit and financial burden to businesses in the workers compensation program.

I am also the Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and will be the Chair of the Fish and Game, Labor and Workforce Development and Department of Natural Resources Subcommittees.

I am looking forward to a productive session. I encourage you to stay in close communication with me and continue to send me your thoughts and suggestions on state policy. Our toll free phone number is 1-800-892-4843 and my email address is Senator_Con_Bunde 'at' legis.state.ak.us.

I look forward to hearing from you.

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All addresses are "blind" for your privacy. A strict "no spam" policy is observed. If you don’t wish to receive "Legislative Update", just let me know. If you know a friend or neighbor in District P who has not received "Legislative Update" but would like to be included, I will be glad to include them if they contact me. Your replies, comments, questions, and/or suggestions are welcome. Constituent comments on legislation and policy issues may be tabulated, shared with other legislators, or quoted in speeches. Names, however, will be kept private.