Dear Neighbors,

I apologize if you are receiving this message for the second time. I sent this email out yesterday, but I am not sure it went through to all recipients.

At the end of this Legislative session, it might be easy to be discouraged by what has not been accomplished. Bills that have been worked on for almost two years can be lost for reasons having nothing to do with their merit. Major issues may remain unresolved. At this time it is important to remember that the whole system of democracy is based on a deliberative process that is anything but streamlined. The system was designed to force us to go slowly and carefully. Every public hearing is the equivalent of a speed bump on a street through a neighborhood filled with children.

The reason for slowing down the traffic is to provide for the safety of the population. In the case of the Petroleum Production Tax, we are concerned with the financial security of our children, and their children as well, because this bill will affect Alaskans for many years to come.

The Petroleum Production Tax bill failed to pass through both the House and Senate. The Governor stated yesterday in a press conference that he has not decided if he is going to add it to the Special Session agenda. Meanwhile, we've passed the largest capital budget in the history of the State of Alaska. Many of the projects, including generous funding for education, were necessary and important, but funding for the Knik and Gravina bridges and the Juneau road access was also included, despite significant opposition. These and many other "pork" projects leave many of us shaking our heads.

Meanwhile, I'm pleased to be able to say that several of my personal bills have passed into law, including the Seatbelt bill, the Sex Offender Sentencing bill, and the expansion of the Office of Victims' Rights Office to deal with sexual abuse investigations. Unfortunately, my Property Tax Deferral bill became entangled with the controversial church property exemption amendment. Despite the amendment, I believe the positive benefits of this bill far outweigh the negative aspects of the church tax exemptions; exemptions that I believe will be addressed by the Municipality of Anchorage.

This year, I sponsored several Labor and Commerce bills, two that were passed by both bodies: Senate Bill 306, federal compliance legislation that allows the Department of Labor to impose fines and track unscrupulous businesses who purchase or merge with other businesses solely to obtain a lower unemployment insurance rate; and Senate Bill 289, an insurance omnibus bill that we sponsored for the Division of Insurance.

Governor Murkowski has called for an extended session for the Senate and House to work on the Stranded Gas Act and the Alaska Gas Pipeline. For about two weeks the House and Senate will meet in Joint Session for day-long presentations by the administration. More information on the Special Session can be found at: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/SpecialSession.htm.

It looks as if we may be here in Juneau for the month of May, but I can assure you, we are all hoping to take care of business as quickly as possible, and get home as soon as we can.

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