Today marks the 25th day of the first session of the 27th Alaska Legislature. We have 65 days remaining to finish this year’s work. The highlights of my days are meeting with constituents who come to talk about issues close to their hearts and homes.
80-90% of Alaska’s budget comes from oil and gas revenues. So, it’s not surprising that much of what the Legislature addresses deals with oil and gas. In this newsletter, I’ll talk a little about some of the oil and gas issues we are and could be facing this session. More detail will follow as session progresses.
Hello again from Juneau. We are well into the legislative session and there’s a lot of work to be done down here to create more opportunities for Alaskans. The first couple committee hearings were mostly overviews from appropriate experts and leaders, but the real action is starting to heat up. Please read below for more details.
Sauntering Through The Session?
Richard Foster was, in my estimation anyway, the funniest man who ever served in the Alaska Legislature. And one of his favorite sayings was: The legislative session starts slowly – and after that gets … slower.
Today, the House Fisheries Committee moved a resolution urging the federal government not to approve the sale of genetically modified salmon, often referred to in Alaska as “Frankenfish.” Sponsors of the legislation ( HJR 8 ) were pleased the committee saw it fit to allow the resolution to continue on the path to final passage. Afterward, they reiterated the importance of maintaining the purity of Alaska’s wild fish stocks.
