The first session of the 33rd Legislature has concluded. I am thankful that we completed our work for the year and that we were able to secure school funding that keeps our pools and theaters open, increase economic opportunity and forest management by passing the local use lumber bill, and we defeated tax measures that would have taken hard-earned money away from independent Alaskans like you.

 

During budget deliberations in the Senate, I successfully fought for spending reductions in a number of areas, fought to cut wasteful education pet projects, and voted to cut funding for the salary increase for legislators and other government officials in the FY24 budget.



Thanks to the work of my colleagues in the Senate, for the first time in several years the Legislature passed a balanced budget that stays within Alaska’s income and avoids drawing from our savings. 

 

 

The budget, which will go into effect on July 1, includes:

 

$1,304 dividend paid to every Alaskan this fall

 

$84.2 million in surplus funds

 

$0 in new sales taxes or income taxes on hard working Alaska residents

 

$179.4 million in additional funding for Alaska's schools, which will allow Kenai Peninsula schools to retain teachers, continue to provide voc-ed, and keep pools and theaters open for students and community members

 

$670,525 to relocate Hope Solid Waste Transfer Site, saving the Kenai Peninsula Borough the cost of this project

 

$5 million for statehood defense to challenge federal overreach of Alaska’s waters, lakes, and submerged lands

 

$7.5 million for childcare grants to help Kenai Peninsula residents get back to work

 

$7.5 million for increased reimbursement for home and community-based waivers so that more of our neighbors can stay in their homes and receive care

 

The damage to Funny River Road this spring is an example of what happens when we don't spend the money necessary to maintain our roads before they fail. Fortunately, there were already funds in the current budget to rebuild Funny River Road, and in FY24 there are the following appropriations for the Kenai Peninsula:

 

$909,700 - Seward/Sterling Hwy Intersection

 

$600,000 - Wildwood Drive Roadway Reconstruction

 

$61,819,400 - Sterling Highway - Sunrise Inn to Skilak Lake Road Construction Stage 1

 

$363,880 - Sterling Hwy Safety Corridor Improvements

 

 

The Senate Finance Committee also worked to ensure costs will be contained in the future by:

 

- Directing that if revenue exceeds the $73 per barrel in the spring forecast, the overage will go toward an FY25 energy rebate of up to $500 per person and to the CBR to help replenish savings

 

- Including language in the FY24 budget to get better cost estimates from the Department of Natural Resources in the fall for supplemental budget appropriations for fighting forest fires

 

- Including language to get more Medicaid

projection information so the Legislature has a better understanding of costs associated with the Medicaid program

 

- Working with the Department of Administration through one of the budget subcommittees I sat on to make changes that help them better manage procurement, human resources, and IT help desks

 

- Adding language requiring that the Department of Administration share information with Legislative Finance within 30 days of signing any Letters of Agreement that deviate from agreed upon union contracts 

 

 

I was among the most successful legislators this Session, only trailing Rep. Cronk from Tok in the number of bills passed. 

 

Senate Bill 87 successfully passed the Legislature, creating the Local Lumber Grading Program at the Department of Natural Resources to allow Alaska sawmill operators here on the Kenai and around the state to become certified to grade and sell specified grades of dimensional lumber for use in residential construction. This will create economic opportunities for small businesses, and will allow Peninsula residents to take advantage of our abundant timber supplies. It will also encourage higher value-added use of materials harvested from forest thinning and hazardous fuels reduction projects that would otherwise be piled and burned.

 

Senate Bill 126 also passed the Legislature this Session. Introduced at the request of the Board of Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors, the bill addresses their concerns regarding adequate representation of the different branches of engineering on the Board. It also puts tighter restrictions on what documents these professionals can stamp and sign to better protect public safety. 

 

Senate Bill 82 passed the Senate Resources Committee and is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance committee. This bill, which has been championed in the past by Senator Micciche, will allow for the potential buyout of hundreds of east side setnet permits with zero impact to the State’s Treasury. By lowering the number of east side setnets we’ll reduce the commercial harvest of king salmon. The setnet buyback bill is a responsible move for conservative management that puts fish first and was drafted with years of input from stakeholders.

 

Senate Bill 93 passed the Senate and the House Labor and Commerce Committee. The bill was introduced at the request of the Alaska Fisherman’s Fund Council to increase the maximum payouts to cover the medical expenses that a crewmember or vessel owner pays due to a crew member’s injury or illness. There were some questions raised as the bill headed to the House Floor for a final vote regarding a vessel owner’s liability for certain illnesses, so we will resolve those questions this interim and bring the bill back before the House next year. 

 

 

In addition to the bills I introduced, I worked on other pieces of legislation this year, including:

 

 

- Adding language to Rep. Ruffridge’s House Bill 56 to allow qualified veterinarians who trained outside of the United States to be licensed in Alaska if they pass the rigorous Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE). This certification is accepted in 45 other states. Now that the bill has passed the Legislature, the two veterinarians in Alaska who meet this qualification can be licensed and put to work to help address the state’s veterinarian shortage.

 

- Making significant improvements to Senate Bill 88, which would allow for defined benefits for current and future State of Alaska employees in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. The changes to the bill will still allow for a defined benefit plan to help address the State’s recruitment and retention problems while ensuring there isn’t an impact on the State’s finances. 

 

 

- Working with the sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 11, which relates to oil spill response, to remove language that if approved could have lead to a significant competitive disadvantage for CISPRI, the Kenai Peninsula’s lead oil spill response organization. This language also raised concerns because it would have put the waters around the Kenai Peninsula at risk for environmental harm.



- Researching and drafting other pieces of legislation, some of which will be introduced next year, including legislation relating to foster care (at the request of foster parents and to support family rights) and creating a statewide residential building code (at the request of home builders).