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The first session of the 23rd Alaska State Legislature has now reached beyond the midway point. As many of you know, Governor Frank Murkowski appointed me to the House District 36 seat that had been vacant for some time. I am truly honored to have been chosen and to represent all of you in Kodiak and on the Alaska Peninsula. I am here to listen to you and represent your views. I would appreciate hearing from you on any topic that may come to mind.
Thanks Alan!
Alan Austerman, our former senator and representative and now Fish Czar, is in his second month working for the new administration as the governor's senior fisheries policy advisor. My office has been and will remain in close contact with Alan regarding the myriad of fish issues that face this state. I want to express my appreciation to Alan for everything he has done for Kodiak.
Kodiak is fortunate to have representation in both the house and senate and in the governor's office. I have worked on many projects with Alan and Senator Gary Stevens and now we will be working together in Juneau on projects for our communities.
Contact Info
I have retained Senator Austerman's old phone numbers to make it easy for everyone in House District 36. My toll free number is 1-800-865-2487. The office fax is (907) 465-4956. My address is Room 409 State Capitol, Juneau AK 99801. My email address is: {rep.dan.ogg@legis.state.ak.us}. My web page can be accessed with the following web address: {www.akrepublicans.org/ogg}. Pending legislation, sponsor statements, press releases and other pertinent "links" and information will be available on my web page.
Staffing
I am pleased to announce that I have retained Alan's seasoned staff for the remainder of this session. Cliff Stone is lead staff. His primary missions are managing constituent relations and tracking finance related issues for the district. Ian Fisk is also on board. He is my chief committee aide for fisheries, judiciary and transportation. Melanie Lesh is my administrative assistant and education committee aide. She worked in Alan's office for fours years in the past, two of those as the finance aide.
Committee Assignments
Since I have joined my colleagues late in the session, I feel very fortunate to have garnered a seat on the following committees: Fisheries, Education, Transportation and Judiciary. I also served on the finance sub-committees of Health & Social Services, Resources and the Administration budget. We have now closed out these budgets and have passed our recommendations on to the full House Finance Committee.
Legislation
Coming into this arena midway through the session, I am inclined to proceed cautiously in sponsoring any bills, although I am considering an amendment to existing statutes relating to youth courts and the use of criminal fines to fund them.
My first speech on the House floor was on HB90. It was an honor to argue in support of our salmon industry. I have co-sponsored this bill, which gives a tax credit for fisherman and processors who choose to invest in new equipment to transform salmon products and markets.
Other legislation I've co-sponsored this session so far is as follows:
- HB93-Repeal Boating Safety Sunset
- HB127-Roadside Memorials
- HJR18-Supporting U.S. Armed Forces
- SB77-William Ransom Wood Centennial Bridge
- SB83-Sven Haakanson Airport At Old Harbor
- SCR1-Support Roads
I have also co-sponsored HB 25, the so-called "5 Wishes Bill." This bill is designed to give patients and their families more control over the decisions that must be made when someone is terminally ill. It will allow patients to name a person to make decisions on their behalf; to decide what kind of treatment they want or don't want, and to determine what they want their family to know, and how they want to be treated.
I encourage you to pull these bills up online. If you have thoughts on these or other legislation, I would appreciate hearing from you.
Education Priorities
Our K-12 schools and the University system deserve full funding. This includes not just static funding, but enough financial support to cover fixed cost increases. One example of this is the fuel costs for the Kodiak School District have jumped 76% since July 15th, 2002.
Fisheries
The governor has proposed a total cut to state spending to the Division of Commercial Fisheries of $1.25 million. This cut will be absorbed among the various regions of the state. The good news for Kodiak and the westward region, federal grant money will be able to offset the cut for this year so that Fish & Game programs affecting our waters will not be adversely affected. However, I am concerned that we are relying more and more on federal dollars and programs. Alaska needs to invest in its basic resource management so we can make good decisions based on solid data that will support our commercial fishing industry.
Alaska Coastal Management Program
My staff and I are working with the governor's office on HB 191, a bill that will make changes to the Alaska Coastal Management Program. Although I support the governor's intent to streamline government and improve the permitting process, I want to be sure that in doing so, community and borough input to the ACMP is not reduced. We will be closely following this bill to be sure the outcome is positive to the Kodiak Island Borough and the Lake and Peninsula Borough.
On the Radar
The link below is to a quick survey addressing the issues being discussed in committees and caucuses. Please let me know how you feel about them.
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Visitors
If you are planning a trip to Juneau, please stop by my office. If you ever need help setting up appointments with legislators or departments, please let us help. So far I have had pleasant visits with: Katie Ballenger, Mike Brechan, Bob Hatcher, former Kodiak Representative Cliff Davidson, Betty Walters, Darren Scott, Stosh Anderson, Walter Sapp, Tish Raub, Cecil Ranney, Gordon Gould and Dave Jones.
Thanks to the Mirror!
I certainly appreciate the Kodiak Daily Mirror providing me the space in the newspaper to keep everybody informed.
And remember, my ears and door are always open to you.
Your Representative Dan Ogg
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