On August 10th, the Alaska Legislature passed one of the most important pieces of legislation in state history. The net profits tax repaired the state's broken tax law so Alaska gets its fair share from record high oil prices.

I was a little under the weather so I had to watch the legislative action from home. I was really impressed how Sen. Ralph Seekins, Sen. Ben Stevens, Rep. Ralph Samuels, Rep. Mike Hawker and several other legislators worked with the Murkowski administration to strike a compromise that got the bill passed.

I was also a little disappointed to see how the news media, except for of the Voice of the Times, failed to give lawmakers or the governor any credit for passing a very difficult piece of legislation that triples oil revenue at today's sky high prices.

Congratulations are in order for every legislator who voted for the tax bill. Not only does it dramatically increase oil revenues it spurs new exploration on the North Slope to stem the decline in oil production.

Sen. John Cowdery
District O

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