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Contact Information:
Toll Free:(800) 665-2689
In the Homer Area:(907) 235-2921
Via Mail or in Person: 345 W. Sterling Hwy., Suite 102B
Homer, Alaska 99603
Fax:(907) 235-4008
Website:
Email:
Greetings from the Capitol and happy President’s Day. This week has been mainly devoted to election procedure reform and the retirement system crisis. We held a
State Affairs subcommittee work session on Saturday to develop the elements of a plan, which will be incorporated into a bill. It was great to get ideas from
teleconferenced citizens across the state as well as the large bipartisan attendance here in Juneau. I really appreciated so many people giving up 2 ½ hours of their
3-day weekend to participate.
This week I was given the opportunity to meet with representatives from school districts throughout the state. Most school board members echoed similar concerns
regarding the inadequacy of education funding. Although the recent funding increases have been large – about 12 % in the last two years alone – much has gone toward
covering the state’s PERS/TRS retirement liability.
I will be returning to the district over the Easter holiday March 24-28 and attend the opening of the new Homer Animal Shelter. If you are interested in scheduling a
time to meet, please get in touch with Ian in my office.
Sterling Highway Curve
Sen. Gary Stevens and myself have co-written a letter to DOT Commissioner Mike Barton asking for prompt attention to the safety problems that exist between MP
168 and MP 169 of the Sterling Highway. The upgrade of the Sterling between Anchor Point and Homer was on the 2001-2003 Statewide Transportation
Improvement Program (STIP) list, but it fell from the 2004-2006 STIP. Amendment #8 to the current STIP has slated $900,000 for preliminary design work on the
upgrade of the Sterling, but construction is still a few years off. We are requesting that DOT isolate this stretch and nominate it for a federal Highway Safety
Improvement Program (HSIP) grant. We are also requesting that DOT designate a no-passing lane from Diamond Ridge road (MP 167) to the beginning of the
four-lane (MP 169). A good way to alert drivers to the danger of the corner is the installation of flashing lights similar to those at the corner near Ninilchik. My office
will be working with DOT to secure funding for this.
University Lands Bill
The bill to convey 260,000 acres of state land to the University of Alaska for revenue generation has been held in House Resources until at least March 2nd. In
response to the written and oral testimony in opposition to specific conveyances under this bill, the administration and University will consider changes before the
committee takes action. Controversial conveyances in HB 130 include residential parcels in Warm Springs Bay, Port Alexander, Tenakee Springs, and Neets Creek in
Southeast, and Narrow Cape in Kodiak. I was also concerned that adequate easements across the land were not fully identified. For more information follow the link
below.
House State Affairs Committee
Elections Bill –HB 94
The original bill can be read on BASIS through the link below, and a copy of the sectional analysis may be obtained at your local Legislative Information Office. We
adopted numerous technical amendments, which can be obtained from my office. One amendment that passed the committee deletes the requirement that absentee
ballots be witnessed and signed by a United States citizen, and changes the wording to "an individual". This could allow U.S. nationals traveling or living abroad to vote
absentee with less hassle. Another amendment would require that a candidate for a state legislative seat be at least 21 years old by the first scheduled day of the first
regular session convened after the election.
We will start up again after the Presidents Day weekend by hearing four bills: SB 21 Municipal Elections, HB 100 State Virology Laboratory, HB 48 Expenditure for
Capitol Construction, and HB 62 Automated Political Telephone Calls. On Thursday, February 24th we will hear testimony from the Department of Natural Resources
and from representatives of six different Alaska Coastal Management Plan (ACMP) coastal districts, regarding the state-mandated revision of local plans. This
overview will be dealing with implementation of HB191, not a re-visitation of the attributes of passing HB191 in 2003.
HB 107 allows for the collection of full attorney’s fees if a party prevails in a lawsuit against another that has intentionally hindered their ability to view, hunt, trap or fish.
Early on I saw problems with this bill when applied to commercial fishing, especially in highly competitive gillnet fisheries like Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet. I offered an
amendment to exclude commercial fishing from the purview of the bill, which passed. However, I disagree with setting apart certain classes of civil cases for award of
full attorney fees and so I recommended, "do not pass." HB 107 passed out of House Resources Committee last Wednesday with individual recommendations.
HESS Committee
HB 1 increases funding through the foundation formula to $4,919 per student.
HB 30 was the companion appropriation bill, to fund all aspects of K-12 education, including pupil transportation, special schools, boarding home grants, youth in
detention, and school debt reimbursement. The total amount proposed in HB 30 is $826,037,800. It is important to note that there will be more discussion on the
base student allocation once the geographic cost differential study comes out - hopefully this week - and each school district’s specific funding levels can be reviewed.
HB 85 would allow children to self-administer medication, such as epinephrine auto-injectors and asthma inhalers, with the written consent of their health care providers
and legal guardian. This bill mirrors federal legislation and would give Alaska preferential treatment for receiving federal asthma related grants. HB 85 would exempt
schools, employers and their agents from liability, which is a reason many districts currently prohibit children from carrying and self-administering medication.
A third important piece of legislation to pass out of committee this week, HB 109, requires newborns to be screened for hearing loss no later than 30 days after birth.
Early detection of hearing loss along with treatment can be highly effective in facilitating healthy childhood development. This simple measure should help many children
lead better lives, in addition to saving the state money in special educational services. The bill also establishes a comprehensive program for follow up care for children
that are identified with hearing loss.
Ways and Means Committee
HB 52 would require the state to adopt a long-range fiscal plan for the current year, as well as the following four years. There is good intent behind this bill, but a lot of
needed dialogue remains to determine the practical elements of implementation, considering the state’s current revenue structure. If our Permanent Fund earnings were
counted as revenues as the bill envisions, we have rarely ever had a fiscal gap.
HB 143 attempts to address future budget shortfalls by requiring the state to draw equally from the constitutional budget reserve (CBR) and the earnings reserve
account. The CBR is consistently drawn from to cover shortfalls, but is projected to be depleted during the next decade if other fiscal measures are not implemented.
Another element of the bill is that no new tax measures could be enacted until the CBR was depleted – a provision that I will oppose.
K2 Caucus Teleconference
Our next constituent teleconference will be held on Thursday, March 3rd at 6PM. The Senators and Representatives from both the Kenai and Kodiak (K2) areas will
be available to answer questions and talk about our activities in the legislature. If you would like to participate, please contact your local LIO or get in touch with my
office.
Following Bills
All bills can be found on the State's Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS). You can see what committee a bill is in, when it will be heard, how committee members voted, and much more. Don't forget that you can view all bills relating to your areas of interest by selecting "Subject Summary" from the menu on the right. You can access BASIS through the link below.
Live on the Web
Most committee hearings can be seen and heard on Gavel to Gavel, which is broadcast on both local access TV and on the internet. You can also access online archives from their website. .
Contact Us
If you would like to speak to me regarding a specific issue, it is helpful to first get in touch with the member of my staff handling related issues. You can click on their email addresses to send them a note, or just give us a call at the office. Please provide your full name, address and phone number on any correspondence with the office. Your time and effort are much appreciated.
Louie Flora
State Affairs, Resources, Fisheries, HB 25
(907) 465-4963
louie_flora ''@'' legis.state.ak.us
Katie Shows
Health Education and Social Services, HB 20, HB 24
(907) 465-2028
katie_shows ''@'' legis.state.ak.us
Ian Laing
Ways and Means, HB 50
(907) 465-2689
ian_laing ''@'' legis.state.ak.us
Rep. Paul Seaton
House District 35
(800) 665-2689
rep_paul_seaton ''@'' legis.state.ak.us # # # |
