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Greetings! After a grueling but productive legislative session in Juneau, it is great to be back home in Kodiak. I have had the pleasure of seeing many of you during the last couple of weeks and hope to catch up with many more of you in the coming month.
Please don't hesitate to call my office if you have questions or need legislative assistance. Melissa Dover, my Kodiak staffer, is happy to help you. She is available at the Legislative Information Office, 112 Mill Bay Road, or call 486-8872. If you are in Juneau, please stop by the Capitol Building and visit chief of staff Cliff Stone, or call 1-800-865-2487.
Gov. Murkowski's visit
Gov. Murkowski was in Kodiak Tuesday evening to sign three of my bills into law, all of which are important to the commercial fishing industry. HB 419 will allow regional marketing groups to form and tax themselves for marketing efforts; HJR 34 requests the federal government make Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) more readily available to Alaska salmon fishermen; and HJR 44 requests federal funding for to research the decline of the sea otter in Western Alaska. Many in the community turned out and gave the Governor a warm welcome, despite the fact that he was forced to abruptly change the date and time of the reception due to Pres. Ronald Reagan's death.
Staff member Melissa Dover and I would like to thank the people who helped pull this important event together on short notice, including Pam Foreman of the Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, Joel and Martine Chenet of Mill Bay Coffee, Kodiak Republic Party Chair Bina Boles, Peggy Dettori of the American Legion, the Kodiak Daily Mirror, KMXT radio, KVOK radio, and all the others who helped spread the word.
Special Session
After the regular legislative session ended last month, Gov. Murkowski said he may call legislators into special session to continue working on some specific issues. The Governor has now announced he will call us back to Juneau on June 22.
The most important issue at stake is whether Alaska voters will be allowed to decide on the Percent of Market Value (POMV) plan for the Alaska Permanent Fund. The House voted to allow the public to decide on both a state spending cap and the POMV plan, but the Senate failed to muster the two-thirds necessary to put the constitutional amendments before voters. The Governor has emphasized the fact that state government has spent more than it has taken in for more than a decade and has repeatedly said that Alaskans should have the opportunity to decide on the Permanent Fund plan themselves.
During the special session, the Governor also wants legislators to address workers' compensation insurance reforms, an increase in the state tobacco tax, and general obligation bonds to finance transportation and education capital improvement projects. If you have not already, please let me know how you feel on these issues.
Community Fishing Quotas
Towards the end of the session, Senate Bill 387 passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support. The legislation will allow communities to obtain state loans to purchase halibut and black cod quota shares, which will then be fished by residents of those communities. Before this legislation, only individuals were allowed to buy quota shares.
The Department of Community and Economic Development is hopeful the program will create an economic base for villages that are suffering due to the decline in salmon prices. Forty-two communities statewide are eligible for the program, including Kodiak's six villages. Since their inception, IFQs have slowly migrated out of the hands of rural residents. This legislation represents a major step in revitalizing these communities.
Pebble Beach Mine
This summer, Northern Dynasty will explore the Pebble Beach mine site in the Lake and Peninsula Borough in earnest. The mine is thought to have the largest gold deposit in North America and the third largest copper deposit. The mine has the potential to employ many Kodiak and Lake and Peninsula residents. Northern Dynasty estimates the mine will provide 3,000 jobs in the short-term and 1,000 jobs over the long-term. I will update you as work continues on this important project.
Visitors
Final Juneau visitors of the legislative session included Betty Walters, Scott Williams, Barry Still, Norm Wooten, Walter Sapp, Wayne Stevens, and Chris Jamin. It was a treat to see you all in those final hectic days! Chiniak residents Fred and Susan Patterson also visited Cliff Stone in the Capitol building recently. Thanks for dropping by.
And remember, my ears and door are always open to you.
Dan Ogg
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