News from the Senate Majority

Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

For Immediate Release: April 21, 1997 Contact: Senator Lyda Green at 907/465-6600

Legislature Overrides Sign Bill Veto

Knowles Put Politics Over Good Public Policy

Juneau -- In a joint Senate and House session Monday, the Legislature voted 43 to 16 override Governor Knowles veto of Senate Bill 56 that would provide for a well planned and regulated system of directional roadsigns along Alaska’s roadways.

Senator Lyda Green (R-Mat-Su), sponsor of Senate Bill 56, said she introduced nearly identical legislation in 1995 and again this year for two reasons.

• The legislation would take a current experimental program in Alaska -- modeled after Federal Highway Administration guidelines -- and give it statutory authority so that the Department of Transportation (DOT) could implement a uniform, controlled program to assist businesses make their presence known.
• Many Alaska "mom and pop" business operators deserve a regulated system for attaining road signs to notify travelers of their business locations.

"In 1995, DOT literally helped me write this legislation in a spirit of cooperation so current experimental policies regarding Tourist Oriented Directional Signage (TODS) could be set into regulation through legislation," said Senator Green.

"Currently, the small blue directional signs you now see on Alaska’s main thoroughfares, have been placed without statutory authority by DOT and without public input on the regulations being used. With legislation, DOT will ask for public comment to assist in developing regulations for the most appropriate process for TODS," Green said.

"Last year’s bill passed both the Senate and House by wide margins with little opposition," said Green. "That’s why it came as a complete surprise when the Governor vetoed the legislation. He then restricted DOT's ability to work with the Legislature on this year’s version and launched an all out public relations campaign to mislead the public into thinking this bill would lead to billboards."

The road signs in question are 18 inches high by 90 inches wide, blue and white, direction only, and may contain only the name of the business or attraction, an appropriate icon, directional arrow and distance information and under complete oversight by DOT. These signs are the type travelers are accustomed to seeing when they try to locate a turn-off, roadside stop or off-road attraction.

Green noted that the Legislature endorsed the TODS bill this year by 16 to 3 in the Senate and 28 to 11 in the House.

"Members in both bodies have studied the issue diligently with much consideration. They felt SB 56 was a sensible approach to providing for the needs of our Alaska businesses and attractions without jeopardizing our beautiful scenic views or leading to roadside clutter," Green said.

SB 56 contains built in protection to guard against signage abuse. First, the bill includes specific language that mandates DOT to: "....retain control over the location of directional signs. In scenic areas, the department shall control the location of directional signs in a manner that maintains the quality of scenic areas."

Second, the bill provides for a financial deterrent to signage violations. People who violate sign regulations will be fined up to $1,000 per incident and will lose their sign worth $1,200 or more. The Governor says he wants to be able to put people in prison for putting up illegal signs...that's wrong.

"A lot of work and careful consideration has gone into Senate Bill 56. I thank the members of the Legislature who supported the legislation and feel confident the public has nothing to fear and everything to gain by giving our current TODS program statutory oversight. My only regret is that this effort to provide good public policy has been tarnished by the Governor's desire to draw some line in the sand," Green said.

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