Juneau -- Good morning. This is Speaker of the House Brian Porter. You might remember that we told you, during last week's program, that the Russians were coming. Well, they came. At least some of them did.

International politics, in the person of the NATO involvement in Yugoslavia, intruded. The members of the Russian National Duma were called back to Moscow. This left the eight-member delegation from the Sakhalin Duma to complete the trip. This they did.

Many of us in the Alaska Legislature are quite familiar with several of the members of the Sakhalin Duma. We have been to their state and they have been to ours. Each visit draws us closer. I think Mrs. (Lyubov Fedorovna) Shubina, head of the Sakhalin delegation put it best; to paraphrase her remarks: "it is the responsibility of national legislatures to be involved in conflicts; it is the privilege of state legislators to forge new friendships. Daz veh-dahn'-yah & paka.

Turning to what's coming-up in the house, three items come to mind: the budget; the budget; and the budget. Last week someone in a newscast described Alaska's current budget situation as "a political problem." I assure you that, while there is certainly a political dimension, the problem itself is much more. We've got to come up with a billion bucks, folks! Either by cutting the government, increasing revenues, or some combination of the two. This cannot happen overnight. Since we have no desire to repeat the economic disaster of 1986. It will take a short-term and a long-term plan. Something that, as we speak, men and women of the majority, the minority, the administration, and the private sector are all actively engaged-in developing.

While we have the constitutional budget reserve to tide us over in the short term, the majority remains committed to the goals of our five-year plan, which calls for a $40-million dollar reduction next year, on top of the over $190-million in reductions we have made over the past three years. Taking into account mandated increases and inflation, this equates to an actual reduction of over $80 million this year. This will be difficult.

Some have come forward with proposals. There is active consideration being given in both the house and senate to streamlining the government by combining departments. There have been proposals to cut back on the state's longevity bonus, to fund education with permanent fund earnings, and to eliminate or drastically reduce public broadcasting's reliance on public money. Whether you agree or disagree with these proposals, either separately or as a group, remember that any proposal will have its own constituency which, quite rightly, must be heard and whose opinion must be considered. As additional policy discussions are held and relevant votes are taken, I'll try to keep you updated.

This is House Speaker Brian Porter. Thanks for listening.