Ron Irwin, Press Secretary 716 W Fourth Avenue, Suite 540 Anchorage, AK 99501-2133 Phone: (907) 269-0257 Fax: (907) 269-0255 Web: www.akrepublicans.org Actualities Send E-Mail    or    E-Mail List: subscribe

Senate Majority Restores Food Safety Inspections

(JUNEAU) - Earlier this week the Republican led Senate began taking steps to restore full funding to the "Food Safety and Sanitation Program."

The first step came in the Department of Environmental Conservation's Senate Finance subcommittee closeout, where roughly $800,000 of General Fund monies were restored to the program. The next step will be to introduce legislation allowing $600,000 currently being counted as general funds, to be shifted into "receipt supported services," restoring the full $1.4 million in funding for food safety inspections while still meeting the budget caps.

"Assuring the food we eat and serve to our children is safe is a top priority; holding the line on spending is also very important. We in the Senate Majority were glad to take the lead in finding the balance between the two," said Sen. Dave Donley (R-Anchorage).

Sen. Loren Leman (R-Anchorage), who chairs the Finance subcommittee in charge of reviewing the DEC budget, said in a press conference Thursday, the fact that the House did not fund this program does not mean they don't care about food safety, in fact their action highlighted the need for a solution and motivated us to move forward to find that solution.

"It is important to maintain inspections, especially for school and senior food programs," said Leman. "As state government continues to downsize, I would like to see larger municipalities follow the lead of Anchorage and take on food safety powers."

The issue of food inspection illustrates clearly that the checks and balance system of government we use works and that we as a state can hold the line on spending without jeopardizing programs and state services geared toward keeping Alaskan's safe.

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