Dear friends and neighbors, The Senate Resources Committee made changes.eliminated sales tax and all references to itmoved oil tax structure from tax on net profits to tax on gross value of oilaccepted Governor’s idea of 15 cent surcharge on TAPS oil, goes to General Fund and intend use to maintain the Dalton Highway
Governor’s tax bill, Voter Rolls, Fiscal Issues and lots more! Read More »
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The legislative session has been especially busy this year. Because this is the last year of the current Governor Dunleavy administration and there are at least 18 candidates running for Governor, the temperature seems to have risen quickly here. The Governor of the State of Alaska has more powers than any other executive in the country because of the drafting of the Constitution. However, the ‘peoples chamber’ is one of the most important because it is the closest to the people in a republic. We write laws, amend the budget and also hold the administration accountable through a system of checks and balances. The third branch of government is the judiciary and this week we heard from the Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Carney who is from Fairbanks via Boston. The three branches work cooperatively to make it a safer, stronger and more prosperous state for all Alaskans.
Fairbanks Deserves Accountability & Transparency Read More »
Currently the state is faced with a more than $1 billion supplemental budget request from the Governor including $374 million in State General Funds. This request adds stress to an already frayed fiscal situation. $70 million of that supplemental budget request is to cover match funds for road projects.
On the Kenai: Weekly Legislative Update for February 17 Read More »
Senator Tobin welcomes two health care professionals to the podcast to discuss the intersection of health care and politics.
The Empty Office Podcast – Season 4, Episode 5 Read More »
Dear Friends and Neighbors, This week, Alaska’s Chief Justice Susan Carney delivered her second State of the Judiciary Address to the Legislature. She is the second female Chief Justice in Alaska.
Education Funding and the State of the Judiciary Read More »
On Saturday, members of the Education Funding Task Force met with Legislators and health‑insurance experts to examine the rising cost of healthcare in Alaska. High premiums and high utilization rates are straining school district budgets, as well as the budgets of businesses, families, and anyone else who pays for care in our state.
On the Kenai: Weekly Legislative Update for February 12 Read More »
Dear friends and neighbors, We have a Saw Whet Owl in our neighborhood! I first heard the little guy at the end of January, when walking my dogs at 6 AM. I thought the sound was a truck backing up. He was heard in the dark of 7 PM also. We’ve heard him every day
Nonresident Workers, Voter Rolls, RHTP, and lots more! Read More »
Juneau, AK — Today, Senator Löki Gale Tobin, D-Anchorage, and Representative Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, introduced Senate Bill 236 and House Bill 299, known as the Veterans Justice Act, which creates a statewide veteran sentencing program to reduce recidivism and support veterans’ reintegration into society who face certain criminal charges, while upholding public safety in Alaska.
Veteran Alaska journalist Larry Persily returns to The Empty Office Podcast for a deep-dive into the Alaska LNG project and the proposal to import LNG into Alaska.
The Empty Office Podcast – Season 4, Episode 4 Read More »
Dear friends and neighbors, The University of Alaska has an Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) that Alaskans can be very proud of.ISER was established 60 years ago.The research covers a wide range of topics. You can see more at ISER website.The economists who have worked there over the decades have been George Rogers,
Economic Analysis of Tax Impacts on Alaskans and lots more! Read More »
