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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 Juneau on this 92nd day of the legislative session. It has been a pleasure having the Juneau Folk Festival going all last week. Tina and I were able to enjoy several evenings of music including a packed hall for Nancy Griffith. We also made contact with Vicki Van Fleet and her band again, who many may remember from her days living and performing in Homer. Predictions of the number and duration of special sessions vary widely. It is almost certain we will be here for an extra 30 days until June 10, and some people are predicting July. Another scenario has a 30-day break after the first special session and then a return session. The oil tax rewrite is considered to be one of the most important subjects contemplated by the legislature in decades. The new tax may be tied to the North Slope Natural Gas Pipeline, which is considered a landmark issue on par with Statehood, Prudhoe Bay, the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, and Permanent Fund. We will commit any time and energy necessary to get this right for Alaska, but no one would call the process enjoyable. There are a number of important issues involved in the deliberation and I would urge people not to get upset at the process taking so long.
I will be carrying the Forest Practices Act Amendments on the Floor next week, which completes the development of statewide riparian protection standards for Region 2, which is essentially south-central Alaska.
There has been a rumor circulating recently that I might run for the Senate and I think it is necessary to clear things up. The rumor is 100% wrong. I truly enjoy representing the Southern and Outer Kenai Peninsula and am not considering running for any other office.
I will be returning to the district over Easter weekend and will be available for meetings. If you would like to schedule a time to talk, please get in touch with my office this week. Since I have very little time in the district, I will not be able to visit all the communities, but will be available at the Homer LIO. Please get in touch as early as possible for an appointment.
I had the pleasure last week of visiting with Gerald Scholand and Roark Brown from Homer who were in town representing the Alaska Tourism Industry Association. Valerie Connor was also in from Homer, as was Russ Maddox from Seward to discuss issues for the Alaska Conservation Voters. I have also run into several folks from the district in town for the folk festival, including Dave Stutzer, Willy Dunn and Judy Miller. There are certainly others around who I hope will stop in to chat before returning home.
Personal Legislation
HB 475 – PERS/TRS Cleanup
The PERS/TRS Cleanup bill, will be heard in the Finance Committee this Tuesday, April 11 at 1:30pm. If you are interested in testifying on the bill, please contact my office to make arrangements. A proposed CS will be available on my website by Tuesday morning.
HB 328 – Mixing Zones
Testimony was taken on the Mixing Zone on Wednesday in Resources. The most recent version of the bill can be viewed at: http://www.akrepublicans.org/seaton/24/pdfs/draft_hb328_c.pdf
Much of the testimony was in favor of the bill, though representatives of the mining industry raised some objections. The legislation before the committee works to accommodate the concerns of the placer miners. Because the Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Environmental Conservation have issued discharge permits in spawning streams under a Memorandum of Understanding without statutory or regulatory guidance, there is concern that statutory language defining a spawning area as “the physical place where fish spawn” would require the current permits to be revoked and re-issued. I have put into the most current draft an exemption for currently permitted operations until they come up for renewal. Note that the prohibition on mixing zones only applies to those permits that have been issued in a “the physical area where spawning occurs” meaning an area where salmon or resident fish nest and incubate their eggs. In response to mining industry concerns, we have added language that would allow for the re-issuance of discharge permits in physical areas where spawning occurs. Currently we have a requirement that these mixing zones will not be larger than 500’ downstream of the initial discharge, which requires permits to be changed and new regulations developed. Unfortunately, this gives the bill a fiscal note and another committee of referral.
Resources Committee
was heard and held in committee last week. The bill affects the Commercial Fishing Revolving Loan Fund by reducing the size of commercial fishing vessel and gear refinancing available from $300,000 to $200,000. It would also reduce the total amount of loans that a borrower could have outstanding at one time from $630,000 to $335,000. I will offer an amendment to raise this cap back up to $400,000 to accommodate diversification into multiple fisheries and to keep the 10 ½ percent interest cap. The bill removes the cap and sets the interest rate at prime plus 2%.
seeks to require forfeiture of antlers and horns as a civil penalty if a hunter cannot prove that he removed a minimum of edible meat from a carcass. This bill was heard and held.
extends existing Oil and Gas exploration credits from 2007 to 2010. The committee passed this legislation with the understanding that if the proposed profit production tax bill passes the legislature and is signed by the governor, the credit against property and income tax will not also apply to the PPT.
State Affairs Committee
moved from committee. As Chair of the House State Affairs Committee I requested that the committee introduce this legislation as a companion to the nearly identical Senate version. HB 496 creates a funding mechanism for charitable organizations in Alaska. This bill establishes a check-off on the electronic Permanent Fund Dividend application form that would allow an applicant to donate a portion of their PFD check to an eligible charitable organization, a community foundation, each campus of the University of Alaska, and postsecondary education and vocational training organizations.
To qualify for this program a charitable organization must provide a positive youth development program, workforce development, aid to the arts, or aid and services to the elderly, low-income individuals, or individuals with mental illness.
HB 496 includes further eligibility requirements for charitable organizations to ensure that the organization fits within the sideboards of the program. To qualify an organization must also:
- Apply for inclusion on the contribution list for the current dividend year before Sept. 1 of the qualifying year
- Have been exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. 501 (c) (3) for the two calendar years preceding the year the application is filed
- Be directed by a voluntary board or local advisory board whose members are all residents of the state
- Provide a qualifying service
- Receive the lesser of $100,000 or 5 percent of its total annual receipts from contributions
- Provide a financial audit for the preceding fiscal year if its annual budget exceeds $250,000
- Not make grants or contributions to an organization that is exempt from taxation under 16 U.S.C. 501 (c) (4) or (6), except this does not apply to a community foundation.
HB 496 defines a community foundation and stipulates that they may make no more than 10% of their grants to (c) (4) or (6) organizations for eligibility in the program. This provides community foundations with flexibility in grant making to such organizations as a chamber of commerce and promotes the continued growth of the local community foundations in Alaska.
The program established under HB 496 has a sunset date of 2009. The funding required to enact this pilot program will be provided through an agreement with the Rasmussen Foundation.
adds language to the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) statute. A legislator is required to declare income in excess of $5,000 received as compensation for personal services would need to provide a detailed account of the personal services and the approximate number of hours that would have been spent performing the services. While the intent of the legislation is to require public disclosure of paid consultant activities, APOC staff testified that the broad nature of “personal services” could cause any employment to fall under this category. APOC also testified that reporting the approximate number of hours could lead to skewed results as some projects are paid for in advance, while others, such as lawyers paid on a contingency basis, are paid for after the fact. HB 461 was heard and held.
was heard and held. This bill requires documentation be provided to establish that the applicant for a drivers license is either a U.S. citizen or is legally present in the U. S., for the purposes of issuing an I.D. card.
, placing additional requirements and penalties on circulators of initiative, referendum, and recall petitions was heard and held in committee. Amendments to the bill include removing a provision that circulators not be registered to vote in any other state. An opinion from the Department of Law states that being registered to vote in another state is not the criteria for losing or being denied residency in Alaska, while actually voting in another state is the criteria. A further amendment changes a provision in the bill that would have allowed circulators to receive a $15 a day per diem. Replacement language allows circulators to receive reimbursement for itemized, direct expenses incurred while circulating a petition.
extending the sunset date to 2014 of the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault was heard and held. Given the size of the domestic violence problem in Alaska, the committee will be looking closely at the missions and measures of the Council and researching whether or not it is structured in a way that delivers results on the ground.
Health Education and Social Services Committee
On Tuesday we moved , bringing Alaska statute in line with the federal Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act that was singed into law in 2003. HB 346 requires Office of Children Services (OCS) staff to receive specific training to cover the constitutional and statutory rights of children and families involved in OCS proceedings.
requires hospitals to report the employers of patients who do not provide health insurance. The sponsor argued that many low wage employers are subsidizing their businesses by allowing Medicaid to pick up their employee’s health insurance costs. By collecting this information the State will have more information from which to base any future health care policy. Opponents argue that it places an onerous reporting burden on hospitals. HB 468 was heard and held.
was also held by the committee. The bill allows a registered nurse to administer homeopathic remedies and herbal supplements in assisted living homes, if prescribed by an authorized person. Currently the Board of Nursing can revoke a nursing license if an individual administers remedies and/or supplements. A family member can still administer vitamins or remedies to seniors, but the concern is that many individuals do not have someone to help on a daily basis. Opponents of the bill have expressed concern over possible side effects of non-FDA approved supplements and remedies. Supporters, on the other hand, want all seniors to have access to any natural remedies that may improve their quality of life.
Following Bills
All bills can be accessed through 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. You can view all bills relating to your specific areas of interest by selecting "Subject Summary" from the menu on the right. Access BASIS through the link below, or by doing a search for "BASIS Alaska".
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 328
(907) 465-4963
Ian Laing
Scheduling, Ways and Means, HB 415, HB 418
(907) 465-2689
Katie Shows
Health Education and Social Services, PERS/TRS, Budget, HCR 5, HCR 28, HB 238
(907) 465-2028
Rep. Paul Seaton
House District 35
(800) 665-2689
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