Before I get "to the point," I want to thank the Eagle River community for once again allowing me the privilege of representing you in Juneau. It has been a great honor to serve Eagle River and East Anchorage for 10 years in the House of Representatives. I look forward to representing you now as Speaker of the House.

There are great possibilities on the horizon for our state. Governor Murkowski has promised to thoroughly review all state agencies and departments for ways to streamline the cost of government, increase resource development, and create new revenue sources for the state while bolstering our traditional industries. The House Majority fully supports him in these efforts.

The legislature is already hard at work developing solutions for the challenges that Alaska is facing right now. I believe that the key to resolving our most pressing issues is Information and Instructional Technologies. While we need to reduce spending, the Majority is not just about cutting costs: Our top priority is to deliver better services to the people of Alaska, utilizing proven technologies for a more efficient use of resources.

Information Technology is our bridge to a better tomorrow. The increased use of emerging and existing technologies can help us deliver more cost-effective governmental services; bring new jobs to the state; allow existing industries to compete on a global scale; shorten our emergency services response times; and help our teachers and schools become better qualified and equipped to educate our students in both urban and rural parts of Alaska. Communication technology eliminates the vast geographical and cultural distances that exist both within Alaska and between Alaska and the rest of the world.

At this time, the computer systems of our various agencies around the state do not communicate with each other. This causes redundancies and inefficiencies in the processing of paperwork, information, permits and much more. A project to update the state's computer systems is being developed so that the government can save your money through the more accurate and timely sharing of information. Through improvements in our state's Information Technology base, our state and our country will become safer. Hospitals can be networked, making emergency services more accurate, inexpensive, and timely; and GPS systems can help locate those in danger in remote areas of the state, making their survival more likely and the search less costly. In addition, Governor Murkowski's plan to outsource many of the government's technology needs will reduce government spending while providing more jobs in the private sector.

The Majority is also working to bring our traditional industries - fishing, logging, and mining -- into the 21st Century through the application of technologies. The creation of geospatial mapping partnerships around the state can save time, money, and, most importantly, lives. Technology can also help these industries bring their goods to the global marketplace more quickly and less expensively than they are now.

Information and Instructional Technologies will also be the key to overcoming some of our most difficult educational challenges. Using technology may be the only way our state will be able to meet the requirements of the federal government's new educational program, "No Child Left Behind". Teachers can become trained and better qualified via computers in even the most remote village With the right technological infrastructure, students from Kindergarten through university can complete their coursework long distance; software programs can help kids who are behind to catch up; paraprofessionals can be trained remotely for relevant jobs in local communities; and both students and businesses can communicate with each other across the state and around the globe -- making the rest of the world a little less far away than it seems to be now.

This is where Alaska is going. It is not enough to hope that increased oil and gas production will save us. We must save ourselves from the roller coaster ride of boom and bust economic cycles. Information and Instructional Technologies can help stabilize and improve Alaska's economy, increase educational opportunities for all children, and make our state safer and better connected to the world. This is a challenge we must undertake.

I want to hear your opinions and ideas on these and other issues that interest you. I would also like to keep you updated with what is being done in Juneau on your behalf in a new way through an e-newsletter. To receive these updates, please send an email to the House Majority's Communications Director, T. Jordan, at

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