By: Senator Jerry Mackie

I want to take this opportunity to introduce my staff, now that KDM has the most recent pictures. Dave Gray, Jeannie Smith, and Debbie Baxter man the Juneau office and Lacey Berns handles the Kodiak office. Dave and Jeannie divide up the responsibilities for legislation and budget work. Debbie is the office manager who brings order to the office work and to my schedule. The latter duty is particularly essential when there is a chaos of appointments, heavy telephone traffic, overlapping committee meetings, and floor sessions of indeterminate length. Lacey is directly involved in all work that pertains to Kodiak. All staff members share in helping resolve constituents’ individual problems.

The Juneau staff have over 50 years of combined experience working legislative sessions in the Capitol. While Lacey is the newest member on my team, she is much valued for her knowledge and experience in Kodiak education, local government affairs, and fishery issues.

The economic summit that was held here in Juneau last week helped put into perspective some of the considerations we face in dealing with the state’s budget problems. Program cuts, new taxes, increased regulatory and user fees can adversely effect the state’s private sector economy and stimulate a general recession. Such an event happened in 1986-1987. Hearing an economic status and prognosis report from leaders in the various industries and discussing their concerns enabled us to realize our mutual interest in finding the most appropriate solution to the budget gap.

I am pleased that one my legislative proposals is receiving quick and favorable attention in this early part of the session. I introduced SB 12 to strengthen the protections in the Forest Practices Act that ensure the water quality and fish habitat of our coastal anadromous streams. This bill is the result of a cooperative effort by timber, commercial fishing, and environmental interests to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of the act. Initially, a science and technical committee, comprised of scientists from the three forest user groups reviewed and assessed concerns about timber harvest practices in or near the riparian areas adjacent to streams. The committee’s two-year study recommended several improvements which were subsequently endorsed by the represented groups and the state’s Board of Forestry. SB 12 incorporates these recommendations into law.

In the last two weeks, SB 12 has been heard and voted out of the Senate Resources Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. It is scheduled for debate and action by the full Senate in today’s session.

The assignments of the Senate Finance Subcommittees for the budget have been made. I am please with my selection to serve on the Department of Fish and Game budget and the Department of Transportation budget. Both of these areas are important to Kodiak.

Also, there has been a change in my standing committee assignments. I will now be serving on the Community and Regional Affairs Committee in place of the State Affairs Committee. This exchange was to better facilitate the time schedules of another Senator and myself.

In closing, I invite the readers to please contact me, or my office, on any issues of concern. The Juneau toll free phone number is 800-821-4925 and the fax number is 907-465-3517. The Kodiak office number is 486-4925. My Juneau address is Senator Jerry Mackie, State Capitol, Juneau, AK 99801 and the E-mail address is Senator_Jerry_Mackie@legis.state.ak.us.