Rep. Seaton’s March 8, 2010 Newsletter
March 8, 2010
Second Session of 26th Alaska Legislature
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
Volume 89
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 235-4008
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
Greetings from Juneau, Seward, Cooper Landing and Homer! It was great getting to connect with so many people across the district in our short break from session.
Tina and I had great weather for driving – Anchorage to Seward, Seward to Cooper Landing and then Homer, and then Homer back to Anchorage. There was sure a lot of snow in between and we were thankful we didn’t have to drive any further than the Homer LIO on Friday! With schools closing on the lower peninsula because of the big snowfall, I understand a number of people were unable to make it in to Homer for the open house. I definitely got my exercise with the snow shovel this trip!
Before leaving Juneau I was pleased to again be able to attend the Key Campaign dinner and annual meeting where I got to visit with people from around the state advocating for people with disabilities.
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Rep. Seaton’s March 01, 2010 Newsletter
March 1, 2010
Second Session of 26th Alaska Legislature
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
Volume 88
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 235-4008
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
*****Coming Home: I am looking forward to traveling back to the district on March 3rd – 7th. Please stop by the Seward Legislative Information Office (LIO), 302 Railway Street Suite 107, Thursday morning March 4th from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM for coffee and talking politics. On March 5th there will be an open house at the Homer LIO, 345 W. Sterling Hwy suite 102, from 11:00 Am – 1:00 PM.
Greetings from Juneau on this 39th day of the legislative session. It is back to wet and drizzly weather. I hope to see many of you in person this week when I am back in the District while the legislature is essentially on hold for “Energy Council” break. A large number of members are going to be in Washington DC so we will not have quorums for committee hearings.
It is a real relief that we have finalized all four of the operating budget subcommittees on which I served; Education, Law, Environmental Conservation, and Commerce and Communities and Economic Development. Scheduling all those weekly meetings on top of the regular committees had left both kinds of committees short on members multiple times. We will really need to change procedures if the legislature intends to stay with a 90 day session.
This next week we will be tackling the situation Alaska is in with the recent US Supreme Court ruling allowing corporations and unions to make direct expenditures in political elections. We had not required either disclosure of financing or disclaimers on ads because those expenditures were prohibited. We need to look at responsibility and accountability because of the court ruling. LLC’s might have less liability for knowingly providing false information, hence the title: Limited Liability Corporation, than would be the legal liability for an individual. We have no State laws prohibiting foreign national participation as we have counted on the federal law for individuals and no corporation could participate. I and others have introduced legislation to deal with these problems and the State Affairs Committee of which I am Vice-Chair will be using a committee bill to draw all these issues together.
This past week I was pleased to visit with Lydia Peterson, James Logan, John Treese, Lynn Hohl, Alan McCarty, Stanley Jones, John French all from Seward; John Velsko, Sharon Howerton-Clark, Tina Day and Jessica Eller of Homer; along with Nancy Radkey of Nanwalek.
Committees
Education
This week we continued our work on HB 297, the Governor’s Performance Scholarship. This bill establishes a scholarship for students who meet certain academic criteria to attend a qualified Alaska university or vocational-technical school. Amendments to the bill were voted on, with a number of them tabled by the committee for further consideration today. The amendments may be viewed at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_documents.asp?session=26&bill=HB297
Amendment number one establishes a need-based component for those students with high academic scores, but whose financial situation may
Representative Seaton’s February 22, 2010 Newsletter
February 22, 2010
Second Session of 26th Alaska Legislature
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
Volume 87
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 235-4008
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
*****Coming Home: I am looking forward to traveling back to the district on March 3rd – 7th. Please stop by the Seward Legislative Information Office (LIO), 302 Railway Street Suite 107, Thursday morning March 4th from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM for coffee and talking politics. On March 5th there will be an open house at the Homer LIO, 345 W. Sterling Hwy suite 102, from 11:00 Am – 1:00 PM.
Greetings from Juneau on this 32nd day of the legislature. Again, sunny and
Rep. Seaton’s February 15, 2010 Newsletter
February 15, 2010
Second Session of 26th Alaska Legislature
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
Volume 86
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 235-4008
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
Greetings from Juneau on the 28th day of the second session of the 26th Alaska Legislature. The weather has been amazingly warm, with no snow on the ground or on the lower slopes of the mountains. I have not really had an opportunity to enjoy the early spring as the frenetic pace of this 90 day session keeps us more than busy. There were three 7:30 am breakfast meetings this past week as people try to find some time to get together in days that are already scheduled with non-stop meetings. Even this is not very successful as I have committee meetings starting at 8 am every day. Some of that congestion relates to the four finance subcommittees I sit on. We are squeezing in departmental reviews and proposed operating budgets for those subcommittees between and during standing committee meetings. Those finance budgets need to be finalized by Feb. 27. This is the first year I have needed to routinely have staff take meetings with people who are here to discuss important issues.
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Rep. Seaton’s February 1, 2010 Newsletter
February 1, 2010
Second Session of 26th Alaska Legislature
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
Volume 84
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 235-4008
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
Greetings from Juneau on this 14th day of the legislative session. We have been again blessed by a week of very good weather – it has been almost like spring. Tina and I will be traveling to California next weekend to celebrate my father’s one hundred and first birthday on February 7. He and my sister will be driving up to the Sacramento area to join the grandkids and great grandkids for the party. A number of people from Seward, Anchor Point, and Homer may remember Ken as the hard worker who helped build our house in each community. Dad fished with me for several years and continues to contribute to our locality as a funder of the Homer Community Foundation.
This has been a very busy week with bill presentations and preparing for hearings on several school topics. Extension of a municipality’s ability to receive school construction bond debt reimbursement and forward funding of education will be major topics in the coming weeks.
We welcomed visitors Steven Schafer, Willard Dunham, Phillip Oats, and Jean Bardarson of Seward, and Roark Brown of Homer.
Committees
Education
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Representative Paul Seaton’s January 25, 2010 Newsletter
January 25, 2010
Second Session of 26th Alaska Legislature
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
Volume 83
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 235-4008
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
Greetings from Juneau after this first week of the second session of the 26th legislature! Tina and I have settled into the same apartment that we have had for the last 4 years. The weather has been warm and less wet than usual.
We are looking toward an intense session since we are still operating under the 90 day limit. The biggest issues we will be considering are: changes to oil taxes, competing gas lines, extending forward funding of education, response to changes in campaign finance, amendments to the ethics laws and of course the State budget. Any bill that does not pass this session will have to start the process anew in the next legislature.
Rep. Seaton’s April 12, 2990 Newsletter
Greetings from Juneau this 84th day of the 26th Legislative Session. Juneau is hectic. Trying to cram results into 90 days has caused tension and less opportunity for citizen input on most issues. Scheduling lunchtime informational meetings has become popular since that is the only time that another committee meeting can be squeezed in: Health Caucus, Fish Caucus, Children’s Caucus, Resources overviews, etc. This Saturday State Affairs met from 8 to 10:30 am, Floor session 11:30 to 1:45, Resources 2 to 3:30 and HSS 3 to 5. I was quite worn out after that day! We did have Easter Sunday off and most everyone enjoyed the great brunch sponsored annually by the City of Nome.
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March 30, 2009 Newsletter
March 30, 200
Greetings from Juneau this 70th day of the 26th Legislative Session. Only 20 days left –we hope! There has been a lot of heat this week about the federal stimulus money. We did develop some light during the Wednesday 8 to 9 am Education subcommittee about that portion of the money. We received confirmation that the $100 per year for three years added to the Base Student Allocation that was placed into law last year to forward fund education meets the federal requirement for not reducing state support of education. We also found that most decisions will be made only by the school districts receiving the money and we will be able to strongly advise but not require uses that don’t generate an expectation of continuation of district initiated or expanded programs from the use of the money. It is unfortunate that there has been such a breakdown in communication between the branches of government on this important issue. I think in the end we will arrive at a point of wisely using all resources available to the state.
On a lighter note, I participated in the annual NRA and Correction Officers Association Legislative Shoot this Saturday. Although I won’t brag about my shooting scores, this was the first time for my archery participation and I did get a 98 out of 100.
Some of you may have heard that Tina took a tumble down the inner Capitol stairwell, but the x-rays showed no break and she is recovering nicely.
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Rep. Seaton’s March 23, 2009 Newsletter
Greetings from Juneau this 63rd day of the 26th Legislative Session. Education stimulus has been the big topic the last part of this week. I have attached the following link to provide interested constituents of our best estimates of the various categories of potential funding and amounts. Go to http://housemajority.org/seaton/index.php then click on the heading called Stimulus Education Funding. There has been quite a bit of confusion about exactly what the Governor did. I listened closely to the press conference and want to clarify for everyone that I understand that she requested the DOT capital project money and has not made a final determination on whether to request and how much of operation money to request from the federal government. The strings attached to operation money are quite different from those for construction projects and I take the Governor at her word that she wants to have the conversation with the legislature and the public as to what strings are acceptable for Alaska. The House Education Committee has scheduled a full member subcommittee meeting for discussion of the stimulus and attached conditions for Wednesday at 8 am. This meeting will be teleconferenced and we will have the Department of Education experts with us for full dialog on the details. Our regular committee meeting has been delayed until 9 am to give us adequate time for this extremely important topic for education programs. I am quite confident that we will be able to structure the acceptance and use of the stimulus education money in ways that do not result in unacceptable ‘strings’ but it is much better to have this open discussion and determination now than have surprises two years from now. The meeting will be a listen only teleconference but you can submit questions or comments to me ahead of time if there is a specific detail you think we might miss. This will not be the only opportunity for discussion as I know it will be fully discussed in the Finance Committees. Again, from my conversations with the administration we are not on opposing sides but rather a full and joint understanding of all potentials needs to occur before a decision is made to request the federal funds.
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Representative Seaton’s March 16, 2009 Newsletter
Greetings from Juneau this 56th day of the 26th Legislative Session. This week we passed the operating budget with little contention. However, the three quarter vote needed to tap the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) failed. This meant that the billion dollar transfer to the Education Fund, the 60 million transfer to the Revenue Sharing fund and the use of about a 1.3 billion transfer to the general fund for the shortfall in the current budget, were not authorized by this House vote. The budget now goes to the Senate and then it will go to a conference committee before a final vote of the House. These three items are each of vital concern to the state so I am confident that all will be addressed before the end of the session.
There has been some confusion about the deposit into the Education Fund being the forward funding that we have long worked to accomplish. The Education Fund is simply a savings account for an intended purpose, but forward funding was accomplished by setting in law last year that the Base Student Allocation will increase by $100 for 2009, 2010, and 2011. Where we appropriate the money from to fund that expense is not really very important. It could be from the Education Fund, The General Fund, directly from the CBR or even the Earnings Reserve of the Permanent Fund. The important thing is that the amount has already been set in law for the coming year and that is how school districts know their basic budget ahead of time which avoids the layoff and rehire process that comes from budgetary uncertainty.
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Rep. Seaton’s March 9, 2009
Greetings from Juneau this 49th day of the 26th Legislative Session. We are having a continued streak of sunny weather this weekend although it is 23 degrees and the wind is blowing about 20mph today. It has been a good catch-up time for us in the office. Some people have just returned from DC and “Energy Council.” It sounds like numerous productive meetings occurred with the new administration and FERC commissioners and staff, in addition to the Council conference.
We are still massaging the issues of water quality standards required for the million and a quarter cruise passengers and crew that visit Southeast during the spring and summer each year. This population dwarfs the total SE Alaska population of seventy thousand. The question remains as to the appropriateness of allowing a mixing zone from a ship traveling 6 miles per hour. Some people say that allowing a cruise ship to have a mixing zone simply moves the water quality standard measurement point from the end of the discharge pipe to the edge of the seawater mixing zone. Others argue that “moving the measurement point” allows wastewater to be discharged into the water instead of treating it on board or on shore as required by the initiative. The big concern is that the high concentration of ship discharge in Southeast Alaska coincides with salmon smolt outmigration and return. The contaminants of concern are ammonia, copper and some other heavy metals. The current science is reporting that even our current standard for copper affects the homing ability and predator evasion in juvenile salmon. We continue to look for ‘win-win’ solutions supportable by science and technology.
Rep. Seaton’s March 2, 2009 Newsletter
March 2, 2009 Newsletter
Greetings from Juneau this 42nd day of the 26th Legislative Session. The hectic pace continued this last week. Now that we have finished with finance subcommittees for the operating budget it may be more manageable. The beautiful sunny weather has served to lighten everyone’s spirits. Next week is the unofficial break for “Energy Council” in Washington DC so we will be missing many legislators who are attending.
I have been immersed in trying to develop a solution to the cruise ship discharge requirements imposed by the 2006 cruise ship voter initiative. Those requirements are scheduled to go into effect in 2010, but everyone agrees that the deadline for modification of all the ships to meet high water quality standards (tertiary treatment) is unattainable. These modifications would be necessary to meet the “end of pipe” measurement standard –allowing no dilution through use of a mixing zone. The issue has been complicated by the far different standard applied to municipalities using a mixing zone for their wastewater treatment plants. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sponsored a “technology conference” a week ago and it was quite interesting. The technology exists and is used for on-shore plants but incorporating it into the confined space of vessels is challenging. I am uncomfortable just eliminating the requirements as HB134 does, because I think that will mean we never progress toward the tertiary standard. The logical solution would be to upgrade the port-of-call municipal systems and require the ships to discharge into the upgraded facilities which means all wastewater from the ports and ships will meet the same new ‘end of pipe’ standard. This would result in a greatly reduced pollution load in the marine waters – a goal that should be appreciated by cruisers and year round residents alike. If we allocate up to half the cruise ship head tax to sequentially upgrade the port-of-call facilities we will have a revenue stream to accomplish the goal over time. There are many more details to the amendment I will be offering at the Monday House Resources Committee hearing.
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Rep. Seaton’s February 23, 2009 Newsletter
February 23, 2009 Newsletter
26th Legislative Session
From the desk of Rep. Paul Seaton V. 72
Greetings from Juneau this 35th day of the 26th
Legislative Session. We have been blessed with an unusual amount of sunshine and moderate temperatures for this time of year. I have a committee starting at 8 in the morning each day of the week so the days start fast and have been filled with the finance subcommittees. I am “batching” it this week as Tina is back in Homer for an important family gathering and it gives me great appreciation for not having to endure the split family situation as many legislators do for the session.
We had a nice visit from US Senator Lisa Murkowski who gave a joint session speech. Our biggest question was about the stimulus bill but operational details are just being finalized and were not yet available.
It was a pleasure having Kikki Abrahamson from Homer make a presentation to us this week on Charter schools. Other constituents to visit were Wendy Lefton, Michele Miller, and Bernie Person from Homer; Jo Blevins, Randy Knopik, and John French of Seward; and Don Kashevaroff of Seldovia.
Committees
Education
This week we will hear three overviews and two bills. On Monday we will hear from Department of Education & Early Development (EED) on the Governor’s $2 million budget proposal for a pre-kindergarten pilot project. We will also hear HB 23. This bill establishes an $8,000 grant applied to the base student allocation in the education funding formula for those schools that can reduce the class size of their kindergarten through 3rd grade to a ratio of 15 students per teacher. Wednesday we will hear an overview on the University of Alaska system from University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton. The committee will also hold a hearing on HB 126, legislation that overhauls certain elements of the foster care system pertinent to education. On Friday the committee will hear from a number of home school and correspondence school associations and providers regarding their programs and their funding. EED will also be at this hearing to present and answer questions.
Rep. Seaton’s February 16, 2009 Newsletter
Greetings from Juneau this 28th day of the 26th Legislative Session. This week has been hectic with numerous meetings of the House finance committees, meeting on top of regular committee meetings, and so many groups coming to town to lobby for their issues. We have had the school boards, firefighters, seafood processors, and mining industry, in addition to many municipalities to name a few. Everyone is a bit frazzled with the pressure of the first time we have operated the beginning session (after elections, with new legislative members) under the 90 day short session.
The budget committees are complicated by awaiting the Governor’s budget amendments which are due by the 18th. The amendments are anticipated to be big cuts from her proposed budget since oil has been averaging only about half the previously projected $74/barrel. This is further complicated because the Federal Stimulus package may offset some of those cuts, so they may now appear as just a fund source switch. However, no one has known what will be in the bill and what strings may be attached.
This week we welcomed constituents Doug and Sandy Stark, Lynn, Ramona, and Juls Stowe of Homer along with Dana Paperman, Lynn Hohl, and David Squires of Seward. Tim and Mary Anderson were here representing Cooper Landing Senior Citizens.
Committees
Education
Last week we heard a number of overviews including “Bring the Kids Home”, and the Department of Education and Early Development (EED) Special Education and Intensive Needs programs. The Committee held confirmation hearings and moved two University of Alaska Board of Regents appointments to the joint session of the House and Senate for confirmation votes later in the session. We heard two bills, HB 69 EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: RATING & HOME VISITS and HB 109 EDUCATION LOANS: SUPPLEMENTAL & FAMILY, and moved HB 109 on to the House Finance Committee.
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Representative Seaton’s February 9, 2009 Newsletter
February 9, 2009 Newsletter
26th Legislative Session
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
V. 70
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 465-3472
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
Greetings from Juneau, California, and Mexico, this 21st day of the 26th Legislative Session. Tina and I have had a wonderful celebration with my father for his 100th birthday, which was Saturday the 7th. Our family participated in a Long Beach – Catalina Island – Mexico cruise and it included every child, grandchild and great grandchild from around the country. Walking around Avalon which Dad had visited in 1928, playing miniature golf on the ship and visiting was a great reconnection for us all. We had a party with 100 friends and family members to celebrate his centennial on Saturday, and another with his church on Sunday. He really enjoyed listening to the archived January 30th Floor Session of the Alaska House singing Happy Birthday to him.
It has been wonderful to have such a great staff that has been able to carry the load with only intermittent cell phone contact. I will be back in Juneau Monday the 9th.
I have been following the ups and downs of the federal ’stimulus package’ and the on and off inclusions of state, medical, and education components. I don’t think we will know until it is signed what it will mean to Alaskans and Alaskan communities.
This week the office was visited by Steve Gillion from Homer.
Committees
Education
Last week hearings were held on specific agencies and subjects, including the federal No Child Left Behind Act, early childhood programs, regional boarding schools, and the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. The committee was chaired by Representative Cathy Muñoz, who has done an outstanding job in my absence.
Representative Paul Seaton’s February 1, 2009 Newsletter
February 1, 2009
26th Legislative Session
From the desk of
Rep. Paul Seaton
V. 69
Contact Information – (907) 465-2689
Toll Free: (800) 665-2689
Fax: (907) 465-3472
Website: http://www.RepPaulSeaton.com
Email: Rep.Paul.Seaton@Legis.state.ak.us
Greetings from Juneau on this 14th day of the 26th Legislature. The past week has been very hectic as we conducted multiple overviews in committees. Finishing touches are being made on introduced bills and sponsor statements as we prepare for hearings.
I will be outside for the coming week as my family gets together for a celebration of my father’s 100th birthday. It is so great to be having the whole extended family together. My Dad is feeling especially great that he was able to get a 5 year extension on his driver’s license. I hope that if I reach that age I will also be able to live independently and do all the yard work as he does.
I will be participating in some committees via teleconference and my great staff will be on the job manning the office and in contact with me.
This last week we were visited by Jeff Hedrick of Moose Pass, William Dunham, Phillip Oates and Arthur Walters of Seward along with Roark Brown, Millie Martin and Bill Smith of Homer. Ian Dutton from Seward visited us the previous week and didn’t get mentioned in last week’s newsletter, sorry Ian.
Committees
House Education Committee
This week the committee will be chaired by Representative Cathy Muñoz of Juneau. The committee will hear overviews of the Department of Education and Early Development Professional Teaching Practices Commission and Postsecondary Education Commission on Monday, Early Childhood programs (including a discussion of the Governor’s budget proposal to allocate $2 million to a pre-school pilot program) Head Start, and the Regional Boarding Schools on Wednesday. The committee will review the impact of the federal No Child Left Behind Act on Friday.
The Education committee is sponsoring HB 109 at the request of the Alaska Student Loan Corporation (ASLC). HB 109 makes changes to the credit standard in the Alaska Supplemental Education Loan statute in order to maintain the ASLC ability to use this loan to back bonds in today’s market. HB 109 also changes the interest rate structure on the Alaska Family Education Loan by switching it from a fixed rate in statute to a rate that can be set by the ASLC based on program cost up to an 8.25% cap. The following bullet points provided by the ASLC further explain this proposal. HB 109 will be heard in committee on Monday, February 9th. Please feel free to contact my office if you wish to comment on this proposal prior to your opportunity to testify at the hearing on the 9th.
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