Randy Phillips |
1997 |
 |
While in Session: |
Autumn, 1997
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you again for returning the legislative questionnaire that was sent to you last January, and for your letters, public opinion messages and phone calls. Your input has been extremely helpful as I represent your interests in the Legislature.
This past legislative session, the Legislature addressed a number of important issues that will help keep Alaska on the road to a brighter future for ourselves and our children. Some of these issues are:
Each of these issues was acted upon during the 1997 session, but there remain many public policy issues to be resolved. Please feel free to contact me at any time regarding issues of interest to you.
Sincerely,
<Signature>
Randy Phillips
State Senator
Closing the Fiscal Gap - Protecting the Permanent Fund
Closing the fiscal gap was the number one priority. On February 12, 1996, the Republican leadership announced the Legislative Majority's Budget Strategy to close Alaska’s fiscal gap in five years. The Strategy took its lead from what Alaskans asked for -- reduce more and tax less. After two years the Legislature has achieved $130 million of the promised $250 million reduction necessary to eliminate the fiscal gap.
The Operating Budget
As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I chaired and am the member responsible for the budgets of three departments of state government and for "Welfare Reform" related budgets across departmental lines. The Senate and House Finance Committees' reductions to the operating budget keep the Legislature on target and meet its goal of a $60 million general fund reduction from fiscal year 1997 as presented in the Legislative Majority's Five Year Budget Strategy .
The Capital Budget
Meets the Republican-led Majority’s goal to bring stability and predictability to capital spending. The $100 million budget will fund important projects throughout the state. This year's capital budget has been designed to secure and optimize the matching of federal and non-state fund sources totaling $640 million.
Appropriation to Permanent Fund
The Legislature deposited $710 million into the principal of the Permanent Fund. This brings a total of $2.552 billion in deposits made by the Republican-led Majority. These deposits are protected from potential appropriation and guaranteed to be part of the income-generating fund for the future of all Alaskans.
Education
The Legislature continued its commitment to Alaska’s children's education with renewed effort to change provisions of State laws, relating to teachers, students and to educational alternatives. The educational formula and pupil transportation budgets were fully funded.
House Bill 145, Teachers: Certification and Exams, requires new applicants for teacher certification to pass a competency exam prior to initial certification.
House Bill 146, Pupil Competency Testing, requires students to take and pass a uniform statewide competency test before receiving a high school diploma.
House Bill 147, State Boarding Schools/Charter Schools, allows the State Board of Education to establish additional boarding schools and allows charter schools to be set up as boarding schools and serve students who live outside of a school district's boundary.
The Legislature again fully funded the public education foundation program under the current law. Senate Bill 36, which I sponsored, moved from the Senate Health Education and Social Services Committee to the Senate Finance Committee. Senate Bill 36 would redistribute funding for K-12 education and make it more equitable throughout the state. The Senate Finance Committee has made education funding a top priority for the 1998 Legislative Session.
The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, which I chair, is contracting for a study of school costs in Alaska to give the Legislature updated factual data on the differences in costs of education arising from school size and location. This study will be completed early in the 1998 Legislative session so that it can be used to help rewrite the statewide K-12 education formula.
Deferred Maintenance of Public Facilities
House Concurrent Resolution 8 established the Deferred Maintenance Task Force composed of House and Senate members and is responsible to recommend solutions to Alaska's deferred maintenance problems for the 1998 Legislative Session. This task force has been holding hearings throughout Alaska during the interim.
Tort Reform Initiatives
House Bill 58, Civil Actions/Attorney Fees/Insurance, the "Tort Reform Bill" provides for limits on punitive and non-economic damages in civil suits. It also streamlines the civil process and discourages frivolous lawsuits. This new law will create a more equitable distribution of the cost and risk of injury in civil lawsuits. Businesses and professionals will no longer be discouraged from doing business in Alaska because of the high cost of liability insurance.
House Bill 119, Increase Small Claims Jurisdiction, increases the jurisdiction for small claims court from $5,000 to $10,000.
Fight Against Crime
The Legislature funded additional state troopers, village public safety officers and prosecutors, and provided funding for expansion and new construction of juvenile facilities in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, and Palmer.
House Bill 6, Release of information about minors, allows the public to be informed of a minor's name when a minor is arrested for a serious crime.
House Bill 45, Runaway and Missing Minors increases the parents' right to decide where a runaway minor is being taken into custody by a peace officer.
Senate Bill 1, "No Frills" Prison Act, restricts prisoners' access to such things as cable TV and recreational equipment.
Welfare Reform
In 1996, the Alaska Legislature and the U.S. Congress passed sweeping legislative changes to welfare programs. The new program emphasizes temporary assistance with a "work first" emphasis rather than a culture of dependency as under the former program.
In the 1997 session, I was appointed to chair a Senate Finance Subcommittee to coordinate budgets across departmental lines to help insure a proper implementation of the new programs. The budget as passed calls for quarterly reporting on the progress of "welfare reform" to the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, which I chair, so that the Legislature can act even before the Governor's budget submission in January.
Community Contacts
Emergency-911
Fire Anchorage 267-4960
Eagle River 694-2675
Ft. Richardson 384-0774
Police Anchorage 786-8500
Eagle River 694-2715
Ft. Richardson 384-0823
Hospitals Alaska Native Med. 279-6661
Columbia Alaska 276-1131
Elmendorf AF 552-2748
Providence 562-2211
Poison Control 261-3193
Federal
U.S. Senator Murkowski 271-3735
U.S. Senator Stevens 271-5915
U.S. Representative Young 271-5978
Ft. Richardson Information 384-1110
Veterans' Assistance 257-4700
State
Governor's Office 269-7450
Senator Randy Phillips 694-4949
Rep. Pete Kott 694-8944
Rep. Eldon Mulder 258-8193
Legislative Information Office 258-8111
Consumer Complaints 562-0704
Motor Vehicles (DMV) 269-5551
Ombudsman 269-5290
Permanent Fund Dividend 273-2600
Alaska Student Loan Program 269-7990
Voter Information 522-8683
Muni. of Anchorage
Mayor's Office Hotline 343-4431
Assembly - Mark Begich 337-6748
Assembly - Ted Carlson 343-4114
Assembly - Cheryl Clementson 333-0738
Assembly - Dan Kendall 343-4113
Anchorage School District 333-9561
Crime Stoppers 561-7867
Ombudsman 343-4461
People Mover 343-6543
Sreet & Road Maint.-Anch. 343-8277
E. R. 694-3487
Senior Citizens
Anchorage Senior Center 258-7823
Chugiak Senior Center 688-2677
Cook Inlet Elderly Housing 333-8821
Cook Inlet Housing Complex 338-2211
Mary Conrad Center 333-8100
Schools
Chugiak 696-9600
Clark 277-4581
Gruening 694-5554
Wendler 277-3591
Chester Valley 337-9502
Creekside Park 337-9504
Eagle River 694-2225
Homestead 694-2121
Kennedy 428-1355
Muldoon 337-9591
Ptarmigan 337-9589
Ravenwood 694-7358
Susitna 337-1583
Ursa Major 428-1383
Ursa Minor 428-1311
Utilities
Anchorage Telephone 561-1221
Anchorage Water and Wastewater 564-2700
Chugach Electric 563-7494
Enstar Anchorage 277-5551
Eagle River 694-9292
Matanuka Electric 694-2161
Matanuska Telephone 694-3211
Municipal Light and Power 279-7671
Chamber of Commerce
Anchorage 272-7588
Chugiak/Eagle River 694-4702
Newspapers
Alaska Post 384-1538
Anchorage Daily News 257-4200
Chugiak/E. R. - Alaska STAR 694-2727
Community Council Meeting Dates
Eagle River Valley: 7:00 PM - second Wednesday every month at
Ravenwood Elementary School
Northeast Anchorage:7:00 PM - third Thursday every month at
Muldoon Mall
South Fork: 7:30 PM - first Thursday every month at Mile 4.2
Hiland Road Fire Station