Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

House Measure Depoliticizes State Publications

Measure Reduces Opportunities for Self Promotion at State Expense

For Immediate Release: April 7, 1998 Contact: Rep. Gene Therriault at (907) 465-4797.

Juneau -- On a 27 to 9 vote, the Alaska House of Representatives Monday passed House Bill 462, which curtails the increasingly prevalent practice of using state publications to further personal political agendas.

"These documents have been used in the past to disseminate legitimate official information," said the bill's sponsor, Representative Gene Therriault (R-Fairbanks). "However, they have begun to deteriorate into materials used primarily for self-promotion."

HB 462 would place a number of official state publications off-limits to elected state officials for personal purposes. It prohibits state agencies from placing an elected official's image or message on a state warrant, form, or direct deposit authorization. The bill specifically includes the Permanent Fund Dividend Program and the Longevity Bonus Program.

"Any elected official would relish the opportunity to send political and personal messages to the electorate at state expense, but this sort of message should rightfully be restricted to individual stationery or newsletters purchased through the appropriate accounts," Therriault said. "The use of official publications for political purposes has the potential of politicizing the underlying programs themselves," Therriault said.

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