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As the New Year begins, the second session of the 23rd Alaska State Legislature will convene on January 12th. We have many challenges before us as we gather in Juneau. First and foremost, we must continue our efforts to forge a balanced fiscal plan. Governor Murkowski has recently proposed his budget and now it is up to the state legislature to examine, perhaps amend, and then pass the state budget.
In working on the state budget, we need to evaluate and properly fund our K-12 public schools as well as our University system. I believe we need to increase funding for education. But, increased funding requires finding new revenue sources. Much of the work of the legislature will be to find new state revenues.
We must also work with the governor to develop and enact prudent legislative remedies for resource development. We must maintain our roads and other infrastructure that are critical to our safety, economy, and quality of life. These are just a few of the many issues your legislators will grapple with as the session gets underway.
Salmon Industry Task Force
As chairman for the finance subcommittee of the Salmon Industry Task Force, I worked with fisheries leaders this summer and fall to find ways to help salmon fishermen and boost the floundering salmon industry. Two significant actions were born from our discussions.
After gathering input from many affected fishermen and state agents, we drafted a resolution concerning Trade Adjustment Assistance and how it could better serve the needs of Alaska's fishing fleet. This resolution will be forwarded to the full task force in January; then, it will move to the state legislature. We are hopeful that our requested revisions will be in place by next summer.
We also drafted a bill that will allow fishermen to create regional seafood marketing and development associations. These associations will allow fishermen to implement a regional seafood development tax. I believe these regional associations will be helpful in developing markets for Alaska's seafood and give these regions an incentive to work together in their marketing plans.
On the Radar
I've focused on several issues this interim. First, I have been working on a land grant bill that will create an endowment for K-12 public education and the University of Alaska system. This land grant bill, which I introduced with Reps. John Coghill and Jim Holm of Fairbanks, will ensure that 1% of the income from state lands will be placed in an endowment fund for education.
I will continue to work for state funding of the Teen Court system. The program, which permits teenager's accused of some misdemeanors to be tried and sentenced by their peers, has proven to be highly effective in reducing recidivism. It is also a valuable lesson in the criminal justice system for all the participants.
Additionally, I have been working this summer and fall on various aspects of redirecting funding toward the Kodiak Fisheries Research Campus on Near Island and enhancing the capabilities for fisheries research. Fisheries research is crucial to the survival to our fishing industry.
I am also closely monitoring the fate of the Chirikof Island cattle. The Kodiak community has made it clear that you want the cattle to remain on this remote island. Since a state land swap seems unlikely at this point, I recently wrote a letter to Senator Lisa Murkowski urging her to introduce legislation on the federal level that will allow the cattle to stay on Chirikof. I will continue to keep track of the situation.
I plan to redouble my efforts to get the state to partially fund a new jail for our community. Our current jail was established in an old construction company garage decades ago and is not sufficient to serve Kodiak's needs today.
Please share your opinions on these and other topics the legislature will be tackling this session.
Interim Visits
Throughout the fall, I have had the privilege of meeting hundreds of students during visits to 14 schools in House District 36. During those visits, I taught 19 classes about state government and answered questions about how the legislature works. During the National Education Association's "Back to School" campaign, I had the great pleasure of spending a full day in teacher Kristie Wall's classroom at Peterson Elementary. The enthusiasm of Ms. Wall and of her students was contagious - what a treat!
I am impressed with the quality of the teaching I saw in our schools. I believe one of the state's highest priorities must be properly funding our school system so that we continue to provide our children with the education they need to be successful in life.
I was able to visit several villages on the Alaska Peninsula around Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark and those villages on Kodiak Island. Unfortunately, weather kept me from getting to all the villages this interim, but I intend to stay informed by teleconferencing into city council meetings whenever possible.
I have had many productive meetings with several individual citizens and organizations. I have also met with the senior citizens, several city council members, the borough assembly, the Women's Bay Council, the school board, the state parks board, the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, the Kodiak Electric Association Board of Directors, and our police and fire departments. My job is to represent you and based on these discussions I will work hard for our community in Juneau.
Staffing
Cliff Stone remains my chief of staff and runs my Juneau office year-round. Cliff has a wealth of legislative experience and will assist me in carrying my personal legislation. His primary responsibilities include taking care of constituent concerns and tracking finance issues for the district. He will also be my lead aide for the transportation committee. I am also pleased to have two Kodiak residents joining the Juneau team this legislative session. Melissa Dover has been staffing my Kodiak office since November and will return to the Kodiak office after session ends in May. She is my chief committee aide for both fisheries and judiciary. Melissa is a former fisheries journalist and a certified secondary teacher. Jennifer Myrick will be my administrative assistant and will take on the roll of education committee aide. She has experience working for non-profit organizations and has most recently work for the Kodiak Island Borough School District.
Visitors
If you are planning a trip to Juneau, please stop by my office. We are happy to help you set up appointments with other legislators or departments as well. Several people have already let us know they will be visiting shortly after session begins - we are looking forward to seeing you!
Contact Info
As always, I am here to represent the residents of the Kodiak Island Borough and the Lake and Peninsula Borough. Never hesitate to call me with your position on issues or your concerns.
You are always welcome to contact me by phone, email, or in person. My toll-free phone number in Juneau is 1-800-865-2487. The office fax is (907) 465-4956. My mailing and physical address is Room 409, State Capitol, Juneau, AK 99801. My email address is: . My web page can be found at . Pending legislation, sponsor statements, press releases, and other relevant links will be available on my web page.
Thanks to the Mirror!
I would like to extend my appreciation to the Kodiak Daily Mirror for continuing to provide the space for this column. It is my pleasure to keep you informed on what is happening in our capitol.
As always my staff and I are available to listen to your concerns and provide assistance when needed. Please give us a call anytime at (800) 865-2487.
If you would like to receive an advance copy of this article via email, please email Cliff Stone of my staff at:
Your Representative Dan Ogg
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