The Alaska State Legislative Majority Web Site works best in both internet browsers made by Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4 or higher. If your internet browser is older then version 4 the pages on this site may report quite a few errors or may not even appear at all. To download and install the latest Netscape or Internet Explorer browser for your computer click on the appropriate links below.

Download and Install Netscape Navigator's web browser version 4 to version 6 by clicking on the icon to the left. Follow the instructions on Netscape's Product Installation page.		Download and Install the latest Microsoft Internet Explorer browser version 5.5 by clicking on the icon to the left. Follow the instructions on Microsoft's Internet Exploer 5.5 Service Pack 1 and Internet Tools page.
Download and Install the Macintosh version.		Download and Install the Macintosh version.

The current versions of internet browsers today already come with most plug-ins built in, including Adobe's Acrobat PDF Reader. Try accessing a PDF file from your browser first to see if you already have the plug-in installed. If not, you will be told that you need to install the appropriate plug-in, or your browser will simply download the file to your computer not knowing what to do with it from that point on. Real Media's Audio Player and Nullsoft's Audio Player only comes built into Netscape Navigator internet browsers and will need to be downloaded and installed seperately if you only use Internet Explorer.

Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader

You will find many documents on this site that are in PDF format and end in the extention ".pdf", rather than a normal web page that ends in ".htm, .html, or .shtml". This is Adobe's Portable Document file Format used to save an abundant amount of information that can be printed from any printer. As long as you have the latest version of Adobe's Free Acrobat PDF Reader plug-in installed in your Netscape or Internet Explorer browser you can view and print PDF files. Usually these files will be marked to indicate they require Adobe Acrobat to view or they are in PDF format. When you click on these files your installed Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader plug-in will launch and allow you to view the file.

If you currently do not have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer, or you are receiving an error when you go to view or print a PDF file, because you may not have the most current version or the correct version for the current operating system you are using, then click on the Acrobat icon to the left.

For instruction on how to download and install Abobe Acrobat visit Adobe's Download Help page.

Winamp's Audio Player

Because the MP3 compression format has become prevalent over the web, the Majority Web Site has started posting audio clips in .mp3 format, in addition to Real Media's .ra format. MP3s are digital audio files that have been shrunken down while still maintaining their original digital sound quality. One of the best, free plug-ins available on the web to listen to sound files compressed in the .mp3 format is Nullsoft's Winamp Audio Player. This audio player not only lets you listen to your MP3 files in enhanced audio playback fidelity, but also organizes your files into playlists, transfers your MP3s to portable audio devices, streams audio from internet radio stations and other streaming audio web sites, and it can even convert your MP3 files to .WAV files in order to be burned to an audio CD to be played in any normal CD player.

If you currently do not have Nullsoft's free Winamp Audio Player installed on your computer, you can download and install it by clicking on the Winamp icon to the left. Even the full installation of Winamp gives you all the features and is still free to download and install. For Macintosh users click here.

For instruction on how to download and install Nullsoft Winamp visit their installation Help pages for either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

Real Media's Audio Player

All former and current audio clips of Legislators on this site have been produced using Real Media's Audio compression format, in addition to Winamp's MP3 compression format above for newer audio clips. Real Media's Audio files end in the extenstion ".ra" and require Real Media's Free Audio Player to listen to. Real Media's audio format is different from the popular MP3 format, which is a compression format that preserves the digital quality of the audio file. Real Media's audio compression format is used to save data size for the audio file.

If you currently do not have Real Media's free Audio Player installed on your computer, you can download and install it by clicking on the Real Audio icon to the left. Beware of Real Media's pop up ads when you first enter their site. The Link to Real Media's "Free" Audio Player, "RealPlayer 8," is not completely noticeable at first, but you can find it in the grey box at the bottom of the page.

For instructions and how to Download and Install Real Audio Player visit the RealPlayer 8 Basic Frequently Asked Questions page.

Once your download of RealPlayer 8 Basic is complete you will either be asked to open the newly downloaded file or you will need to double click on the Real Audio Player installation file that is now on your desktop. You will then be asked several questions about accepting Real Media's End User License Agreement, which directory you would like to install Real Audio Player, how many icons and links would you like to have placed all over your computer, and whether you would like Real Media's web site as your new home page that will appear everytime you open your browser from your computer. After answering these questions appropriately this should finish the installation process and Real Media's Audio Player will be installed onto your computer.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about this site, and the Legislature in general, are interactive and exist in the Help section of our Discussion Forums. Each question is a discussion in and of itself, which means, you can add more to it, ask a more specific questions about that topic, or read through what others have asked or added the topic. If you don't find the answer you are looking for here you can post your new question to the ongoing list of Frequently Asked Questions. We will answer your question and add it to the current list of questions for others to read, in case they may have the same question in the future. Our On-Line Help Discussion Forum is humanly moderated on a daily basis during session and you can expect an answer to your post within the following day. Allow a few extra days during the interim for a reply.

The current Frequently Asked Questions on our online Help Discussion Forum:

Webmaster's Note: Because of a really bad comment spam problem we've had to turn off the FAQ's. They'll be back in a spamless mode shortly. In the meantime if you have questions you may directly e-mail the webmasters. You can find links at the very bottom of the page.

 •  What is BASIS?

• How do I find a Bill in BASIS?
• How do I find a bill in BASIS if I don't know the bill number?
• How do I find information in BASIS on the progress of a bill?
• How do I read the Full Text of a bill on BASIS?
• What is a Sponsor Statement and where can I find them on BASIS?
• How do I automatically track a bill in BASIS?
• How often is BASIS updated?
• What do all those abbreviations and acronyms mean in BASIS?
• How do I access bills and information from previous Legislatures?
• How do I find the daily journal of what was said on the floor of the House or Senate?
• How do I find the committee minutes for a particular committee meeting in BASIS?

 •  What is FOLIO?

• How do I search for information in FOLIO?
• How often is FOLIO updated?
• How do I find a Bill in FOLIO?
• How do I find an Alaska Statute in FOLIO?
• How do I search the Alaska Constitution in FOLIO?
• How do I find the daily journal for a particular day during session?
• How do I find the committee minutes for a particular committee meeting?
• What is an Executive Order?
• What is the Administrative Journal?
• What is the Administrative Code?
• What is a Uniform Rule?
• What is a Statute, Session Law, or Legislative Resolve?

 •  Legislature Information

• Who are my Legislators?
• How do I contact my Legislator?
• What is the Legislative Process?
• How does a Legislator get elected?
• What qualifies someone to be a Legislator?
• When does the Legislature convene and adjourn?
• What is a Special Session?
• What is a Legislative Information Office?
• What is the Legislative Affairs Agency?
• What is the Legislative Council?
• Can I listen to or watch the Legislature or Committee meeting?
• How do I understand what Legislators are talking about?

 •  Government Information

• What is the Legislative Branch?
• What is the Executive Branch?
• What is the Judicial Branch?
• What is the Alaska State Constitution?
• How do I find information about an Agency or Department?
• How do I find information on state employment?
• How do I find information on state business services?
• How do I find information about other services provided by the state?
• How do I find information on local Alaska municipalities and communities?
• How do I find information on elections and candidates?
• Where can I find information about the Federal Government?

 •  Government Information

• How can I use the Majority Web Site?
• How do I navigate through the Majority Web Site?
• How do I find information from previous years on the Majority Web Site?
• How do I search for information on the Majority Web Site?
• What is E-News and why should I get it?
• How do I find a specific sponsor statement for a bill?
• How do I print a page from this site?
• What browser plug-ins should I have to use this site?
• Why is it that some functions of the site don't work right or appear inncorrect?
• How do I put streaming Legislative headlines on my own web site?
• What if I need to talk with a real human for Help?

We always love to receive feedback on how we are doing here at the Majority Press Office, whether good or bad. In fact, we encourage people to let us know how we can make this site better, or to report a problem with the site, such as a broken link or information that has been posted incorrectly. The web staff is a team of only two people that maintain this entire site. We are human and occasionally we do make mistakes. It is better to be told about a problem we missed, so we can have it fixed immediately, rather than to let it continue to exist. If you have feedback on this site that you would like posted on our Feedback Forum for others to read, then please visit our Discussion Forums's Feedback section.

Webmaster Note: We reserve the right to post, or not to post, your feedback comments on our Feedback Forum, that are emailed to us directly. Thanks for your support.