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HISTORIC CONFERENCE COMES TO A CLOSE…
The Conference of Alaskans fulfilled its mandate by answering the 4 questions posed to them by the Governor regarding the Permanent Fund, and crafted them into resolutions. They also wrote a letter to fellow Alaskans summarizing their findings. To view these documents and to get more information, please check The Conference of Alaskans’ website at . The Legislature will begin deliberations on the resolutions put forth by the conferees on March 15.
SENATOR STEVENS ADDRESSES LEGISLATURE…
Senator Ted Stevens gave his 35th annual address to a joint session of the Legislature on Monday. He spoke of his and Senator Lisa Murkowski’s close work with Senator Pete Domenici, the Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, to help secure the passage of a comprehensive energy bill. He also assured us that they are working hard to make sure Congress passes a bill to not only authorize an Alaska gas pipeline but also assist in its construction.
Senator Stevens praised the recent Medicare reforms that Congress approved which will help Alaskan seniors. He explained the two-year test provision that Murkowski, Young, and he worked on to increase Medicare payments to Alaskan doctors by 50 percent. The hope is that more Alaskan doctors will start accepting senior citizen patients. He also mentioned that under the change to Medicare, Alaska’s seniors will soon gain significant prescription drug benefits that will allow them to have prescription drug coverage either through a private plan of their choice or
enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug plan.
Education, timber, fisheries, and transportation were some of the other topics he discussed… far too much for me to cover in my update. If you would like to read the transcript of Senator Stevens’ speech, please visit his website at .
LEARNING ABOUT PERS/TRS…
Ms. Melanie Millhorn, Director of the Division of Retirement & Benefits, gave a presentation about the current situation with PERS/TRS (Public Employees’ Retirement System/Teachers’ Retirement System) to the Senate Finance Committee this week. This is a complicated issue with many problems that need to be addressed. I am working hard to learn all I can about the issue and how it can be resolved both in the short term and over the long haul. Basically, due to the rising cost of medical care, exacerbated by increased longevity for retirees, and investment losses caused by a poor market performance over the past few years, PERS and TRS are insufficiently funded to cover the cost of benefits for retirees in these systems. The employer (i.e. State of Alaska, Municipalities, school districts, etc.) has to cover these additional costs because employees currently in the system are constitutionally protected from increases in their contribution and the retirees can’t contribute because they are no longer working.
GETTING EDUCATED ON EDUCATION FUNDING…
Sheila Peterson, my Chief of Staff, recently traveled to New Mexico to attend a conference about education funding. The conference, sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, addressed the obstacles and opportunities that various states face in funding their education programs, and what their current policies are. Sheila is extremely well versed in education issues and is my “right hand person” and advisor in these matters. It’s helpful in my planning to know what other states are doing…what works and what doesn’t.
PRESIDENT GIVES STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS…
President Hamilton gave his State of the University address at a joint Finance Committee Meeting on Wednesday. He reported that UA’s system wide enrollment is at an all time high this fall, with 54% of college bound Alaska high school graduates attending UA. I have always been, and will continue to be, a big supporter of UA. It’s a university we can all be proud of.
YOUR PRIVACY…
All addresses are “blind” for your privacy. A strict “no spam” policy is observed. If you don’t wish to receive these e-mail newsletters, please let me know. If you have a friend or neighbor in District E or Fairbanks who does not receive my e-mail but would like to be included, I will be glad to add them to my list if they contact me.
CONTACT ME…
If you would like to contact me during session, I can be reached at my office in Juneau at 451-5501 (that’s a local call from Fairbanks), or if you would like to send me an e-mail, my address is . The address where I receive my U.S. mail is: State Capitol Building, Room 518, Juneau, AK 99801. You can visit my website at http://www.akrepublicans.org/wilken/index.php.
“The time is always right to do what’s right” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
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