The first session of the 22nd Alaska State Legislature began Monday, January 8. After six years in the House of Representatives, I was sworn in as the Senator for District C and now represent both the Kodiak Archipelago (House District 6) and the Southeast Islands (House District 5).

After two years with the House Finance Committee, I will take that experience to the Senate Finance Committee. My other committee appointments have application to rural areas. I will serve on Community & Regional Affairs and Labor & Commerce. I am also on the Joint Armed Services Committee, which will be beneficial because of the strong Coast Guard presence in Kodiak.

Staff

Cliff Stone is Chief of Staff in the Juneau office year-round. He will focus on being the finance aide and still be involved in constituent issues. Suzanne Hancock is new to the staff and will primarily deal with constituents and will be in the Kodiak office June through December. Suzanne has lived in Kodiak for many years and is familiar with Kodiak's people and issues. The other legislative aide is Ian Fisk who will man the front desk. A southeast resident, Ian is familiar with the system and was formerly the Sargent-At-Arms in the Senate. In the summers, Ian is a commercial fisherman. Sean Reilly is a legislative intern who has also fished commercially in Petersburg. I feel this is a good team with strong fisheries backgrounds that will benefit this both Kodiak and Southeast Districts.

Thanks KDM

Thanks again to the Kodiak Daily Mirror for providing space for this column. I will provide updates to the Mirror on legislation and areas of interest to Kodiak and the State. Budget, long-range financial planning, and education are among the many challenges ahead for this legislature and I will endeavor to keep you informed on the activities and direction of the legislature.

Contacts

If you would like to talk to me, schedule an appointment or leave me a message, please call toll free at 1-800-865-2487. The fax number is: (907) 465-4956. The address is Senator Alan Austerman, Room 417, State Capitol, Juneau, Alaska 99801. My e-mail address is senator_alan_austerman@legis.state.ak.us. My web page along with other legislator's can be accessed with the following web address: www.akrepublicans.org. This "update" along with my pending legislation, sponsor statements, press releases and other pertinent "links" and information will be available on my web page. All branches of government, employees and data bases for current or past legislation may be accessed on the web with the following address: http://www.legis.state.ak.us.

Kodiak LIO

Lorna Steelman and Jeanne Miller at the legislative office are available to answer questions, provide information about legislation, budget items and ongoing committee hearings. Public Opinion Messages (POM's) may also be sent to one or all 60 legislators on any subject of interest. The LIO is located at 112 Mill Bay Road and the phone number is 486-8116. The office is open 8:30 to 4:30, Monday through Friday. The LIO is also opened in the evenings and on weekends for specific teleconferences. If the committee meetings are scheduled early enough to get a notice in the Kodiak Daily Mirror it will be noticed there. Also announcements will be on the radio and on bulletin boards at Safeway and A.C. The LIO will provide people with copies of bills in the latest version, and access to the Statutes. Bills can also be faxed or e-mailed on request.

Gavel-to-Gavel and other coverage

Live coverage of the floor sessions, committee hearings, and press conferences are courtesy of GCI. The cable channel in town is Channel 12 and in the Bells Flats area it is Channel 18. The basic schedule can be found at www.ktoo.org/gavel/. KMXT will air a program with both Representative Gary Stevens and myself on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. KVOK will also have a legislative update every few weeks during the session.

Constituent Teleconference

Constituent teleconferencing helped me as a Kodiak representative to link with the six village sites. In the advent of the Internet and instant accessibility, the teleconference participation is waning. Please watch for the date of the first teleconference, which will be facilitated through the LIO office in Kodiak. It will be on the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m.

Change

The House is considered the workhorse and the Senate enjoys the role at times of oversight. I am adjusting in my new role to many procedural differences from the House. It is my goal to work with Representative Gary Steven's office and Representative Albert Kookesh's office in order to better represent the District as a whole.

Visitors

If you are planning a trip to Juneau, please stop by my office. If you ever need help setting up appointments with legislators or Departments, please let us help.

Remember-my door is always open.