Weekly Star Editorial for February 26, 1998

From: Representative Fred Dyson
Toll Free: (800) 342-2199

New Subsistence Proposal

The Resources Committee, on which I serve, now has House Bill 406, a fresh approach to the subsistence issue. It is primarily the work of Rep. Scott Ogan (Palmer) and appears to offer a solution for all Alaskans to rally around and preclude the further takeover of our fish and game management by the Federal Government this next fall. I have just started reading through it. I have some concerns about the impact on sport and commercial fishing, but it eliminates the problem of the Governor’s proposal which establishes a privileged class of people to have access to fish and game during times of shortage. It closely follows the subsistence system that the state had previously. You can get a copy of this bill at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office at 258-8111 or by calling our office at (800) 342-2199. We would appreciate your analysis and comments.

Budget Woes

With prices of North Slope oil in the $13 a barrel range, the budget deficit will be in the five-hundred million dollar range. This results in being forced to raid our budget reserve account to make up the difference. Keeping this in mind, we certainly should not increase the State’s spending. It will be possible to reprogram funds from one program to a higher priority need, but spending more money when we are facing these deficits is not sound management. We hope to get a community survey out to the voters in our area very soon and we are eager to hear from you about where we should cut, hold the line on spending, or increase state government services.

Child Protection Legislation

We have incorporated several legislators bills (including mine) into a much larger package that contains much of the work from the Child Protection Task Force. The bill that will result could be introduced as a Committee Substitute for HB 375 in the next couple of weeks. We would also appreciate your comments on this very significant piece of legislation.

Them and Us

It is obvious to me that much of the State is paranoid about the strength of the Anchorage legislators and the dominance of the Anchorage area economy. Whenever we, as Anchorage-area legislators, make an effort to see our districts get something like a fair share of the state’s revenue, much of the rest of the state reacts vigorously. This "Them and Us" antipathy keeps the legislature reacting instead of making an honest analysis of the issues. In my opinion, we in the Anchorage area, need to be considerate of the needs and concerns of the rest of the state. Because our area is the transportation, communications, banking, health care, administrative, and, to a large degree, service center of the state, our affairs will always prosper when the rest of the state does well. The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and the Resource Development Council have understood this and have been aggressively reaching out to the rest of the state. We would all do well to follow suit.

We are eager to be of assistance to people in our area in dealing with state agencies. If you are having trouble or need help I can be reached by phone, (800) 342-2199 or (907) 465-2199; by mail, State Capitol Building, Room 428, Juneau, AK 99801; or via the Internet, Representative_Fred_Dyson@legis.state.ak.us.You can also send us information via the Public Opinion Messages (POMs) by calling the Legislative Information Office at 258-8111 (TTY 258-8173).