Senator Gary Stevens December Interim Report

Posted on: December 21, 2009 | senatorgarystevens | Comments Off | Print Article | Rate Post:

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Senator Gary Stevens Interim Report
December, 2009
by
Senator Gary Stevens

Season’s greetings. In just a few weeks, lawmakers from around the state will head back to Juneau for the second session of the Twenty-Sixth Alaska State Legislature, which convenes on Tuesday, January 19, 2010.

2010 marks my tenth year in the legislature, and my second year as Senate President. As Senate President, I am leading a sixteen member bipartisan majority comprised of senators who have set aside partisan politics in an effort to work cooperatively to find solutions to the many issues confronting our state. On a personal level, serving in this capacity has been a great experience; it has also given me the chance to continue ensuring that the needs of Senate District R’s constituents and communities are well-represented in the legislative process.
Fiscal Year 2011 Budget

On Monday, December 14th, the governor released his $10.5 billion budget for FY ’11, which includes $4.7 billion in state general funds, an $8.6% increase in state general fund spending. The governor said more than half of the budget increase is due to factors such as increased enrollment in Medicaid, statutory increases in the K-12 school funding formula, retirement system unfunded liabilities and employee contracts. The budget includes $177 million for Gas line projects, including $150 million for the AGIA reimbursement fund, and $65 million for in-state gas development.
Also included in the budget is $10 million for preliminary work on roads to the Brooks Range oil and gas reserves and Nome, a $109 million life sciences building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, $75 million for a new state crime lab in Anchorage and several million dollars for maintenance at state-owned buildings.
The budget is based on the Department of Revenue’s projection that that North Slope oil will average $76.35 a barrel during FY ’11, which begins July 1, 2010. Should the revenue forecast pan out, the state would be left with a $500 million budget surplus.
Local Projects in the Capital Budget
The proposed FY ’11 Capital Budget includes more than $82.6 in funding for infrastructure projects around Senate District R. As you may recall, low revenues and a tight budget kept legislators from adding discretionary funding for much-needed local projects to the capital budget this past year. With the improved revenue forecast, we are anticipating the ability to find funding for more of these important projects.
(Draft budget bills and more detailed information on the budget are available on the Office of Management & Budget website at http://omb.alaska.gov/)
Local Residents Serving the State

Congratulations to Lary Hill of Iliamna, who has been reappointed to the Lake Clark Subsistence Resource Commission. A military veteran and longtime educator in rural Alaska, Mr. Hill also serves as a member of the Lake and Peninsula Borough Planning Commission.

Congratulations also to Heather Strutz Norton of Homer, who has been appointed to the fifteen member Suicide Prevention Council. A registered nurse in Alaska for many years, Ms. Strutz Norton is an Alaska liaison for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is the founder of the Kenai Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition.

I hope you will consider serving on one of the 122 state boards and commissions. You can find out more about these panels on the Internet at http://gov.state.ak.us/boards, or by phone at 907-465-3500.

PFD Application Period Starting Soon

Applications for the 2010 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) will be accepted from January 1st through March 31st. According to the Permanent Fund Dividend Division, 76% of 2009’s applications were filed online, which is a quick and easy process. If you have access to a computer and the Internet, I encourage you to join the growing number of online filers (don’t forget to make a printed copy of your application for your records). You can file for the PFD online at: www.myalaska.state.ak.us/PFDOnline.

If you are planning to file an application by U.S. mail, I urge you to send it by certified mail and request a return receipt so you can ensure the application’s arrival at the Permanent Fund Division. Please double-check your application to make sure that all questions are answered accurately, and do not miss the March 31st filing deadline, as applications not received or postmarked by that date will be denied as late.

For more information on the application process or eligibility questions, please contact the Permanent Fund Division at 907-269-0370

Pick. Click. Give.

Again this year, you can donate a portion of your PFD to many of Alaska’s nonprofit organizations directly with the PFD Charitable Contributions Program, also known as “Pick. Click. Give.” This program is only available to those who file online.

You can find out more information about Pick. Click. Give. and get a list of nonprofit organizations enrolled in the program online at ¬www.pickclickgive.org.

Legislative Information Offices Ready to Serve You

The Legislative Information Offices of Senate District R are a great resource for tracking legislation, offering comments on legislation, contacting lawmakers and more. The Seward LIO can be reached at 224-5066. The Homer LIO’s phone number is 235-7878. In Kodiak, you can reach the LIO by calling 486-8116.

Returning to the Capitol

As we get ready for session, my Kodiak office will be closing at the end of the business day on Wednesday, January 13th and will reopen following the end of the 2010 session in mid-April. My Capitol office reopens Monday, January 11th. My Homer office is open throughout the year. Please give any of my offices a call if you need assistance with any issues involving state government.

Call me in Homer at 235-0690, in Kodiak at 486-4925, and in Juneau at 1-800-821-4925.

You can e-mail me at: senator_gary_stevens@legis.state.ak.us

Interim and Capitol Reports

Thanks again to the media of Senate District R for giving me the chance to keep you informed of the Legislature’s activities through the Interim Report. My session column, the Capitol Report will resume in late January.

If you would like to receive my columns and news releases via e-mail, please let me know.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Interim Report. I wish you all the best in 2010!

Comments