Senator Gary Stevens Capitol Report for February 8, 2010

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Capitol Report for February 8, 2010
by
Senator Gary Stevens

Hello from the Capitol. We are in the fourth week of the legislative session and much is happening as we continue work on the major issues impacting the state. Among the recent developments was the Governor’s introduction of the Supplemental Budget. The Supplemental Budget includes a deposit of $1.1 billion into the Public Education Fund to forward fund K-12 education and pupil transportation in the next fiscal year, and requests $402 million to repay the Constitutional Budget Reserve.

I am especially hopeful that this year, with the support of the Governor and the House we will pay off the balance in the Constitutional Budget Reserve. Since this savings account was created twenty years ago, legislatures have withdrawn more than five and a half billion dollars to balance the state’s budgets. This year, we will finally make that account whole, and have the security of a large savings account in the event we have lean years in the future.

Passage of the Supplemental Budget will also help Senate District R by funding several projects, including:

• $2.1 million for completion of the Kodiak Jail.
• $2 million for upgrades to the Seward Airport
• $1.3 million for the Kodiak Department of Transportation and Public Facilities chemical storage facility
• $1 million for deferred maintenance at AVTEC in Seward
• $500K for flood emergency repairs in Kodiak.
• $450K for upgrades to the Kodiak Fish and Game warehouse compound

Detailed information on the budget is available on the Office of Management and Budget website at: http://omb.alaska.gov.

Senate Bill 221 on the Move

SB 221 passed the Senate Education Committee on Monday, February 1st. The bill sets up an advisory task force on higher education and career readiness to compile data and advise the legislature on matters pertaining to college and career readiness of students who graduate from public secondary schools in the state. This task force will work to identify ways to strengthen the education pipeline, improve student preparation for college, decrease the need for remediation in college, improve access to financial aid, increase retention and graduation rates in postsecondary education, provide enhanced funding and governance for our education system, address data and tracking needs, and ultimately to support economic development through a better trained, better educated citizenry.

SB 221 has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.

Constituent Teleconferences

I hope you will be able to join Representatives Paul Seaton (R-Homer) and Alan Austerman (R-Kodiak) and myself for our first monthly constituent teleconference on Thursday, February 11th from 6-7 pm. This is a great opportunity for us to hear directly from you about the issues. You can join in the conversation by stopping by the Legislative Information Offices (LIO) in Seward, Homer and Kodiak (if you do not live near an LIO, please contact my office for information on how you can participate). The teleconferences will also be broadcast on the public radio stations KMXT-Kodiak, and KBBI-Homer.

Additional teleconference dates are: Thursday March 11th, 6-7 pm, and Thursday April 1st, 6-7 pm.

Capitol Visitors

Recent visitors to the Capitol include Mayor Jim Hornaday, Liz Downing and Roark Brown of Homer; Pat Branson, Melissa Borton, Janet Buckingham, Duncan Fields, Ron Fried, Margret Hall, Marita Kaplan, Stewart McDonald, Peggy Rauwolff, Jeff Stephan, Cindy Trussell and Norm Wooten of Kodiak; and Mayor Willard Dunham, Jean Bardarsen, Lynn Hohl, Mary Tougass, Kirsten Vesel and Judy Andrijanoff of Seward.

Please give my office a call to schedule an appointment if your travel plans include Juneau during the legislative session.
Outstanding Volunteers Sought
Throughout the year I hear of people from around our Senate District who have gone above and beyond the call of duty with their volunteer efforts. To honor such individuals, First Lady Sandy Parnell is welcoming nominations for the First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Applications are due by March 1st. Award recipients will receive recognition at a banquet on May 7th at the Governor’s mansion in Juneau.
You can get more information on award categories and nomination forms on the Internet at: http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/governors-office/volunteer-awards.html

The State of Alaska Needs You

There are currently several openings on many of the state’s boards and commissions. This is a good way to lend your expertise in a particular area, while serving the state at the same time. You can find out more about these positions on the Internet at http://gov.state.ak.us/boards, or contact the governor’s office at (907) 465-3500.

Recent appointees include Kodiak’s Kennith McCarty to the Board of Marital and Family Therapy, and Dr. Darin Bell of Seward and Mary Robinson to the State Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board.

Keep in Touch

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the many issues we are working on in Juneau. You can reach me by phone at 1-800-821-4925 and in Juneau at 465-4925. My fax number is 465-3517.

My mailing address is: Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State Capitol, Juneau, AK 99801-1182.

You can E-mail me at: senator.gary.stevens@legis.state.ak.us

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