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Contact Information:
Toll Free:(800) 665-2689
In the Homer Area:(907) 235-2921
Via Mail or in Person: 345 W. Sterling Hwy., Suite 102B
Homer, Alaska 99603
Fax:(907) 235-4008
Website:
Email:
Greetings from Juneau on this 71st day of the legislative session. My office has been working feverously on a bill to revamp of the state’s public employee retirement system, which should be ready for a hearing next week. Many elements of the bill will be based on the Saturday public work session that was teleconferenced on
March 5. This issue has become more urgent since the Senate is tying the 39 million dollars of school system PERS/TRS funding to the adoption of a new defined contribution tier during this legislative session. Although I see many positive benefits to a well-constructed defined contribution program, I am opposed to rushing through the development of any program that will have such far-reaching consequences for the state. I am also opposed to holding up school funding as the House is attempting to early-fund education to prevent the teacher lay-off/rehire syndrome.
I had the pleasure of visiting this week with Amy Collman of Seward who was in Juneau competing for the Boys and Girls Club 2005 Youth of the Year award. Amy
had already won the Youth of the Year award on the Kenai Peninsula was declared runner-up for the statewide title, earning her a scholarship to the University of
Alaska. Amy was accompanied by Debbie Bond of the Boys and Girls Club in Seward.
I was also visited by several other constituents including Jan Flora of Homer and Lynn Hohl from Seward.
On Friday I came down with a bad bronchial infection. The antibiotics seem to be doing a great job, however, and I don’t expect it will affect my trip back to the
District.
District Visit
I will be visiting the district during Easter weekend, March 24th – 28th, to meet with constituents and attend the grand opening of Homer’s new animal shelter.
Charlene Ditton at the Homer LIO has offered to host an open house on Friday, March 25th from 6:00 – 8pm. If there are any issues you would like to discuss with
me, I would encourage you to stop by. We will also be having a press-availability that Friday from 3:00-5:00pm. On Saturday I will be visiting Seldovia, then on
Monday, meeting with people in Cooper Landing and Seward. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact Ian in my office.
State Affairs Committee
We passed HB 94, the elections omnibus bill out of committee on Tuesday. The committee did a lot of work on the bill. Among other amendments, we changed the
age qualification for holding elected office, the requirement that an absentee ballot be witnessed by two U.S. citizens, the notice requirements on voting precinct
boundary changes, and the definition of what constitutes a political party. HB 94 goes to the House Judiciary committee next.
At our Saturday meeting we heard a good deal of testimony on SB 87, the proposal that would allow law enforcement to pull drivers over for not wearing their
seatbelts. Many members of the committee expressed reservation for the bill, but were open to the idea of raising fines on seatbelt infractions as a possible tactic to
increase seatbelt use. This bill was held in committee.
This week we will focus entirely on bills dealing with changes to the PERS/TRS systems. On Tuesday we will hear three bills by Rep. Kelly: HB 170, HB 177, and
HB 191. These bills will be discussed in conjunction with a draft House State Affairs PERS/TRS bill. Elements of Rep. Kelly’s bills may be incorporated into the
committee bill, or vice-versa. We hope to move a final proposal forward in the near future. The meeting on Thursday will be a work session on PERS/TRS legislation
as well. All meetings will be teleconferenced.
Resources Committee
We passed HB 75 from committee on Monday. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly of Fairbanks, adds the promotion of hunting, trapping and fishing, as well as
the preservation of the heritage of these activities, to the a duties of the Fish and Game commissioner. The binding language, that the commissioner "shall" promote
hunting, seemed to raise a red flag in relation to state land currently closed to hunting. I asked for an Attorney General opinion on whether this new responsibility
would require the commissioner and the Board of Game to open hunting within McNeil River and other closed areas. The response from the AG office was that the
language in the bill about promoting hunting does not "purport to override any other statutory language". Other statutory responsibilities of the commissioner include
managing, protecting, maintaining, improving, and extending the state’s fish and game in the interest of the economy and the "general well-being of the state." This
seems to mean that the commissioner can act on the behalf of wildlife viewers despite the new responsibility to promote hunting. This bill goes to House Finance next.
HB 153, a bill turning federal Clean Water Act permitting responsibilities over to the state, passed from committee on Monday. I gave this bill a "Do Not Pass"
referral and offered three different amendments to the bill, two of which were accepted by the committee. The first amendment calls for DEC to maintain a workgroup
of permit applicants, the public, and the EPA to meet and confer as needed during the period that DEC is designing its permitting program and seeking EPA approval.
This was adopted. The second amendment allows the public to comment on draft permit proposals to DEC. An amendment offered by Rep. Samuels requires DEC
to submit a report to the legislature detailing the time and cost associated with the issuance of permits under state National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
primacy as compared to the time and cost under the old system.
My office is currently researching the issue of "time-saving" which seems to be at the heart of the administration's goal to steer and streamline the permitting process.
As with the Alaska Coastal Management Program revision process, the assumption of state primacy over permitting programs could actually lead to the slowing of the
permitting process. In the case of the ACMP, this program was designed to bring all permitting entities together at one table. Currently, because the state cannot agree
to federal ACMP requirements, the program is on the brink of termination. If the program goes away, not only does the state lose millions in federal match money, but
permit applicants will have to go to all the different applicable permitting entities (state, federal, borough) instead of through the ACMP. This would not save a
developer time or money.
This week we will hear two resolutions and one bill. HJR 5 opposes the imposition of a milk tax on Alaska dairy farmers. HJR 15 is a resolution about Open Ocean
Aquaculture. We will be amending the resolution to make it a stronger statement of opposition. HB 197 exempts natural gas facilities at no risk of an oil spill from
being required to have oil spill contingency plans. It also exempts these facilities from providing a financially backed oil spill response plan, providing that the Alaska
Oil and Gas Conservation Commission determines that oil is not present at the site. This bill changes the unintended consequences of , which passed last
session.
HESS
The Family Rights Act, HB 53, is an omnibus bill that does many things. The bill provides for greater transparency in the Children In Need of Aid system by allowing
certain parties access to confidential information, opening court proceedings to the public and giving parents the right to a jury trial when in proceedings to terminate
their custodial rights. HB 53 also strengthens guardianship rights of family members, in particular grandparents. HB 53 is a very comprehensive bill, which we will
review further in the future. There will be many more opportunities to comment on the bill.
Three bills passed out of committee. HB 9 changes requirements for a position on the Alaska Commission of Aging, and HB 185, requires postsecondary education
institutions to obtain written consent from students stating they are aware of the risks of meningococcal diseases. HB 151 requires ophthalmologists to stay in the city
in which they perform surgery for 5 days after the operation in order to perform follow-up care. Currently, many ophthalmologists release patients to the care of an
optometrist after surgery. Although we passed HB 151 out of committee amending the length of stay to 2 days, I still have reservations about the bill. The Alaska
State Medical Board has the authority to regulate co-management practices, and I do not believe that it is the position of the Legislature, nor do they have the expertise
to usurp that authority.
HB 193 was put forward by the Department of Health and Social Services in an attempt to streamline the medical licensing process. Because of some ongoing
changes to this bill, the department will probably work on it more during the interim and pick it up again next session.
PFD Deadline
Just a reminder, all Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) applications are due at the end of this month. Your application must be postmarked by March 31st or your
application will be denied. If you need assistance with your application or have questions regarding your eligibility, please contact the Permanent Fund Division at
1-800-733-8813. You can find additional information and apply online at:
Immunizations
The Department of Health and Social Services has issued their 2005 Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule. A link to the schedule can
be found on the Departments' Epidemiology website at:
Following Bills
All bills can be found on the State's Bill Action and Status Inquiry System (BASIS). You can see what committee a bill is in, when it will be heard, how committee members voted, and much more. Don't forget that you can view all bills relating to your areas of interest by selecting "Subject Summary" from the menu on the right. You can access BASIS through the link below.
Live on the Web
Most committee hearings can be seen and heard on Gavel to Gavel, which is broadcast on both local access TV and on the internet. You can also access online archives from their website. .
Contact Us
If you would like to speak to me regarding a specific issue, it is helpful to first get in touch with the member of my staff handling related issues. You can click on their email addresses to send them a note, or just give us a call at the office. Please provide your full name, address and phone number on any correspondence with the office. Your time and effort are much appreciated.
Louie Flora
State Affairs, Resources, Fisheries, HB 25
(907) 465-4963
louie_flora ''@'' legis.state.ak.us
Katie Shows
Health Education and Social Services, HB 20, HB 24
(907) 465-2028
katie_shows ''@'' legis.state.ak.us
Ian Laing
Ways and Means, HB 50
(907) 465-2689
ian_laing ''@'' legis.state.ak.us
Rep. Paul Seaton
House District 35
(800) 665-2689
representative_paul_seaton ''@'' legis.state.ak.us # # # |
