ALASKA LEGISLATIVE NEWS 
GOP urged to say how votes went
LONGEVITY BONUS: Who wanted a special session to override veto?
(Published: July 26, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Democrats in the Legislature are calling on Republican leaders to tell the public how lawmakers voted in an ongoing survey about a longevity bonus special session. (more...)
Democrats urge special session
LONGEVITY BONUS: Minority wants to override governor's veto.
(Published: July 11, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Democratic lawmakers have banded together to demand that GOP leaders consider a special session to restore the senior citizen longevity bonus program that will end in August. (more...)
Senators' earnings revealed
CONFLICTS? Veco pays Sen. Ben Stevens $47,500; gas firm shells out $40,000 to Sen. Scott Ogan.
(Published: July 5, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Companies that push to get bills through the Legislature have paid lawmakers tens of thousands of dollars to do work for them, according to state disclosure reports. (more...)
Democrats urge special session to help seniors
NO SUPPORT: Group wants to overturn veto of bonus funding.
(Published: June 26, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The minority Democrats in the Legislature have called on the Republican majority to agree to a special session to override Gov. Frank Murkowski's veto of the longevity bonus checks for seniors. (more...)
Voters could face smorgasbord of 2004 ballot initiatives
NO SECESSION: But citizens might change tax, hunting, hemp, ship laws.
(Published: June 25, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Alaska voters going to the polls in 2004 may get their say on taxes, bear baiting, cruise-ship fees, the draft and decriminalizing marijuana. (more...)
Governor OKs wolf hunting in planes
HOWL: Such predator control could be used soon, state says.
(Published: June 19, 2003)
Gov. Frank Murkowski signed a bill Wednesday that could let private hunters shoot wolves from airplanes. (more...)
Governor signs lobbying bill
RESERVATIONS: Measure OK'd despite worries the eased restrictions are a bit too relaxed.
(Published: June 19, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill relaxing the state's lobbying laws by lengthening the time some people could spend attempting to influence government before they must register as lobbyists was signed into law Wednesday. (more...)
Campaign giving limit is doubled
LAW: Governor OKs bill that lets individual donors give more money.
(Published: June 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski signed into law Monday a bill to double the amount of money political campaigns may receive from individual donors. (more...)
Governor signs rental-car tax bill
ALSO OK'D: Community Schools lose funding; parents more liable for kids' vandalism.
(Published: June 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- People renting cars will help pay for state government next year under a bill signed by Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
Legislation spurs talk of initiatives
PETITIONS: Unions, other forces consider drives to restore weakened laws.
(Published: June 8, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The Legislature's decision to weaken laws that came from recent citizen ballot initiatives has infuriated labor unions, campaign reformers and wolf advocates, who say they may spend their summer on the streets with new petitions to overrule the lawmakers. (more...)
Budget ax won't fall on schools
GOVERNOR: Cuts to go elsewhere; signed bill assures education funds.
(Published: June 7, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski said Friday that he will not go through with a threat to cut millions of dollars in school funding. (more...)
Politicians' per diem plummets $28 a day
JUNEAU: Reimbursement rate for living expenses is pegged to federal number.
(Published: June 5, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Lawmakers made less money the last two months of the legislative session because their daily pay rate went down. (more...)
Legislature a boon to businesses
JUNEAU: Body passed bills designed to aid development, but critics predict problems.
(Published: May 27, 2003)
JUNEAU -- It was a banner year for business in the Legislature. (more...)
Tax issue came as surprise
SESSION: Lawmakers hadn't expected to address subject, but Murkowski put it on the table.
(Published: May 25, 2003)
JUNEAU -- When lawmakers came to Juneau in January, there was scant talk of taxes. (more...)
Governor gets ready to trim budget
CUTS: Murkowski says he'll use his veto power to slice $130 million.
(Published: May 23, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski lauded the Legislature for approving a budget that will ultimately reduce state spending. (more...)
Consumer advocate weighs in on new bills
AKPIRG: Spokesman criticizes bills that shift legal responsibility.
(Published: May 23, 2003)
Some bills passed by the state Legislature this session will hurt many Alaskans by limiting their ability to sue for damages, a consumer advocate said Thursday. (more...)
RCA gets a 4-year reprieve
ELEVENTH HOUR: Urged by the governor, Senate passes 'clean' bill.
(Published: May 23, 2003)
JUNEAU -- In the end, lawmakers agreed Alaska must have an agency regulating the state's utilities, even if they don't agree with all the decisions. (more...)
GOP uses fund to close session
LEGISLATURE: Move could cut dividends by 20%, expert says.
(Published: May 22, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The 2003 legislative session ended at midnight Wednesday, leaving behind a governor promising huge budget cuts and questions about whether lawmakers have hurt next year's Permanent Fund dividends to get out of town. (more...)
Governor's budget ax will cut jobs
FUTURE: Bankers say situation is likely to get worse if lawmakers don't come up with economic plan.
(Published: May 22, 2003)
Gov. Frank Murkowski's plan to veto some $160 million in spending to balance the state's budget will cost Alaskans jobs, according to economist Scott Goldsmith, who has studied the economic impact of various ways to balance the state budget. (more...)
Sales tax dead as session ends
BUDGET: Murkowski will make deeper cuts to meet spending goal.
(Published: May 22, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Republicans in the Legislature were poised to adjourn Wednesday giving Gov. Frank Murkowski much of what he asked. (more...)
Legislature leaves RCA hanging
ONE MORE YEAR: With no extension, Alaska will be left without a utilities regulator.
(Published: May 22, 2003)
JUNEAU -- With only a few hours to go, lawmakers were running out of time Wednesday to pass a bill extending the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in another showdown over the "phone wars." (more...)
Tactic to adjourn risks dividend
STRATEGY: Moving funds from earnings would avoid the need for Democrats' votes.
(Published: May 21, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Republican leaders have crafted a strategy to ensure no Democrat votes will be needed for the 2003 legislative session to end tonight -- but the move could mean lower Permanent Fund dividend checks for Alaskans next year. (more...)
House refuses phase-out plan
LONGEVITY BONUS: The issue could come up for vote again today.
(Published: May 21, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state House on Tuesday voted down a plan to phase out the senior citizens' longevity bonus program. But the issue could come up for another vote today. (more...)
Central School has a year left
CLOSURE: Only hope correspondence school has is a willing district.
(Published: May 21, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The Senate voted Monday to give the state's only certified correspondence school just one more year of operation before being closed. (more...)
State's phone company war spills into Senate committee
(Published: May 21, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The long-running battle between the state's two major telephone companies spilled over into a Senate committee on Tuesday. (more...)
GOP tosses in towel on cuts
BUDGET: Legislators are resigned to vetoes, may try to change a few.
(Published: May 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Palmer Rep. Carl Gatto sat in his fourth-floor office in the Capitol on Monday and stared at the draft list of programs that Gov. Frank Murkowski plans to slash with a veto pen. (more...)
Cities, schools tally the pain
STATEWIDE: Officials figure out how governor's cuts will hurt.
(Published: May 20, 2003)
More than 100 Anchorage teachers would likely get pink slips. (more...)
House passes tire tax bills
REVENUE: Motorists would pay $2.50 levy on each new tire.
(Published: May 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state House passed bills Monday to impose taxes on new tire sales, studded tires and rental cars. (more...)
House OKs increase in campaign contributions
DOUBLE: Among other changes, people could donate $1,000 a year to a candidate.
(Published: May 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to double the amount of money people can contribute to state political campaigns was passed by the House on Monday. But it touched off a bitter fight on the House floor from both Democrats and Republicans who argued that it would derail campaign finance reforms imposed in 1996. (more...)
House extends RCA
LIFELINE: Agency receives 4-year extension; big changes in the works.
(Published: May 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House threw a lifeline to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska on Monday, giving the agency that oversees utilities a four-year extension. (more...)
Oil tax credit plan gets green light from House
(Published: May 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposal to provide tax credits for companies that explore for oil in Alaska passed in the House on Monday. (more...)
Senate weighs in on oil, gas authorization bill
(Published: May 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The Senate on Monday passed a bill that would settle a lawsuit over Cook Inlet oil drilling in favor of Forest Oil Corp. and make it harder for people to sue over such issues. (more...)
Governor draws his budget ax
$160 MILLION: Spokesman says Murkowski will make up for sales tax with line-item vetoes.
(Published: May 19, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Wide-ranging cuts to state programs are expected soon as the governor gears up to slash spending in response to the Legislature's failure to pass a sales tax. (more...)
 Murkowski's Working List of Cuts
Senate votes to aid gas industry
TWO BILLS: Agrium as well as explorers and developers would get breaks.
(Published: May 19, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Two bills aimed at helping Kenai Peninsula industries passed Sunday in the Senate. (more...)
Bill backs medical volunteers
(Published: May 19, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Retired doctors could volunteer their services without the fear of civil lawsuits under a bill approved by the House on Sunday. (more...)
Sales tax bill dies in House
PRESSURE: Push from governor's chief of staff fails to rally support.
(Published: May 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The proposed 3 percent statewide sales tax perished on the state House floor for lack of support early today. (more...)
Governor nixes 5-year phaseout
LONGEVITY BONUS: Veto-wielding Murkowski favors one year more with half the payment.
(Published: May 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski has rejected some senior citizen groups' offer of a five-year phaseout of the longevity bonus. (more...)
RCA bills advance in House
AGENCY: One bill requires it to make changes; the other doesn't.
(Published: May 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A committee forwarded two bills to the House on Saturday concerning the future of the agency that regulates state utilities in what is a repeat battle between two telephone companies. (more...)
Sales tax bill hangs in balance
LAST CHANCE: House Speaker Pete Kott says bill will die if it doesn't pass the House today.
(Published: May 17, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state sales tax proposal hangs by a thread in the Legislature, with time running out and Republican leaders still scrambling to muster enough votes to pass it. (more...)
House votes to revise wage law
ADJUSTMENTS: Bill aims to repeal automatic inflation hikes for minimum wage.
(Published: May 17, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Lawmakers in the House passed a bill Friday that would do away with inflation adjustments in Alaska's minimum wage. (more...)
House OKs boost in business license fee
BILLS: Speaker delays action on his own bill to tax rental cars.
(Published: May 17, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state House approved a boost in business license fees Friday that could raise $4.2 million but delayed action on a car rental tax. (more...)
House votes to raise jobless benefit
(Published: May 17, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House voted unanimously Friday to approve a bill increasing unemployment compensation to Alaska workers. (more...)
Coal-bed gas law trumps local rules
DRILLING: Legislation allows Department of Natural Resources to bypass local governments.
(Published: May 16, 2003)
The state is eager to encourage the new industry of coal-bed gas drilling in Alaska. So eager that the Legislature just passed a law telling local governments not to get in the way. (more...)
Sales tax future uncertain in House
SUPPORT: Measure lacked enough votes on Thursday; GOP hustles to find backers.
(Published: May 16, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House speaker said the proposed 3 percent state sales tax is expected to reach the House floor as soon as today, but as of Thursday, there were not enough votes lined up for it to pass. (more...)
Can tax breaks spur oil finds?
DEBATE: Some call such incentives a giveaway of needed state money.
(Published: May 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- While lawmakers are debating a statewide sales tax, bills moving through the Legislature would offer oil- and gas-related companies multimillion-dollar tax breaks. (more...)
Senate OKs bill forcing docs to give info before abortion
PACKET: Opponents say law is vague and intrusive.
(Published: May 16, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Doctors would have to tell women about the risks of abortion 24 hours before performing the procedure under a bill approved 12-8 Thursday by the state Senate. (more...)
Senate approves oil tax credit bill
(Published: May 16, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposal to provide tax credits for companies that explore for oil in Alaska passed the state Senate on Thursday. The bill would provide a severance tax credit of up to 40 percent of the cost of exploration wells. (more...)
Legislature Briefs
(Published: May 16, 2003)
JUNEAU (more...)
Wooing begins as end nears
CAPITAL: Republicans need approval to dip into reserve.
(Published: May 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Legislative leaders took the first tentative step toward ending the session on Wednesday as House GOP leaders met with minority Democrats to pave the way for a compromise that would eventually allow the Legislature to adjourn in a week -- on time. (more...)
Democrats fail to weaken lobbying bill
JUNEAU: Amendment sought to reduce GOP's proposed increase.
(Published: May 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House Democrats failed Wednesday to curb a bill that would relax state lobbying laws. (more...)
Housing bill helps nurses, teachers
HOUSE: No-down-payment loans aimed at attracting personnel.
(Published: May 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to provide housing loans without a down payment to Alaska teachers, school personnel and registered nurses through the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. unanimously passed the state House on Tuesday. (more...)
Senate OKs more airport money
OVERRUNS: $76 million in bonds to finish project are approved.
(Published: May 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Lawmakers have approved more bond money to complete a huge makeover of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. (more...)
Liability bill passes Senate
(Published: May 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to help shield Alaska sports and recreational companies and operators from liability lawsuits. (more...)
House measure repeals Chitina dipnet fee
DISPUTE: Most of the money now goes to Native corporations.
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Dipnetting at Chitina shouldn't mean a dip into your wallet, the state House has concluded. (more...)
Sales tax attention turns to exemptions
LOBBYISTS: Every group imaginable wants out.
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Now that the 3 percent state sales tax is picking up speed in the Legislature, the multimillion dollar question is: what goods and services ought to be taxed? (more...)
Seniors agree to phase out state bonus
LONGEVITY: Groups' plan calls for payouts to shrink, end in 2007.
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Senior citizens groups have agreed to a five-year phase-out of the longevity bonus program. The Senate Finance Committee approved a bill Tuesday incorporating that proposal. (more...)
Senate votes to keep recreation liability
RISK: One-vote margin; Sen. Robin Taylor says bill places blame on victim.
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The Senate narrowly rejected a bill Tuesday that would have shielded Alaska sports and recreational companies and operators from liability lawsuits. The measure could be reconsidered. (more...)
Senate passes bill to stop 'legal thievery' of property
SQUATTERS: Measure would stop them from gaining title to land.
(Published: May 14, 2003)
KENAI -- The Alaska Senate has passed a bill that would wipe the 800-year-old common law doctrine of adverse possession from Alaska law. (more...)
House votes to reduce state's share of alcohol treatment grants
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Some alcohol and drug treatment and prevention programs would lose part of their state funding under a bill that passed the House on Tuesday. (more...)
Bill limiting rescue workers' liability passes House
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House approved a bill Tuesday that would limit the right to sue the government over its responses to fires and disasters and its searches for missing people. (more...)
Senate changes No. 1 use for state forests to timber
(Published: May 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state Senate has approved a bill that would change the primary purpose of state forests from multi-use to timber harvesting. (more...)
3% sales tax gains momentum
SUPPORT: Bill to be on House floor soon; Senate panel has hearing today.
(Published: May 13, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The 3 percent state sales tax proposal is gaining steam and could be passed before the Legislature adjourns next week. (more...)
Governor backs tax break to encourage oil exploration
(Published: May 13, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski said Monday he's backing a tax break intended to encourage new oil exploration. (more...)
Bill would redirect oil funds
RAID? Revenues would go to state rather than Permanent Fund principal.
(Published: May 13, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to redirect back into state coffers millions in oil revenues bound for the Permanent Fund was approved Monday by the Senate. (more...)
House approves resolution seeking Patriot Act fixes
PROTECTION: Lawmakers take a stand for civil rights.
(Published: May 13, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state House is asking the federal government to fix parts of the USA Patriot Act that may infringe on civil liberties. (more...)
Finance committee votes to grant RCA 4-year extension
BILL: Panel steers clear of nixing agency.
(Published: May 13, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House Finance Committee backed away from several amendments aimed at the state agency that regulates utilities Monday and instead voted to simply extend the Regulatory Commission of Alaska for another four years. (more...)
Bill revises discipline for doctors
PROPOSAL: House sponsor says it would allow for more due process.
(Published: May 12, 2003)
As the 2003 legislative session winds down, an Anchorage state representative has introduced a bill that would dramatically change how the Alaska State Medical Board investigates doctors accused of violating the law. (more...)
3% tax all year gains favor
LEGISLATURE: Constituents opposed higher summer rate.
(Published: May 11, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Lawmakers crafting a statewide sales tax now expect to dump the idea of doubling the rate in summer. (more...)
Hawker weighs in on sales tax
DEBATE: Discussion centers on definition of fairness, lawmaker says.
(Published: May 11, 2003)
Anchorage Republican Rep. Mike Hawker is a first-term lawmaker, elected by only 36 votes, but he finds himself at the fore of the high-profile effort to tackle the state's huge and recurring budget shortfall. He and Fairbanks Republican Rep. Jim Whitaker were appointed by the Republican leadership to co-chair the House Special Committee on Ways and Means and figure out how to fix the budget. They are the main architects behind the statewide sales tax proposal (more...)
Legislature in Brief
(Published: May 11, 2003)
JUNEAU (more...)
Heinze raises income tax idea
COLD SHOULDER: Senate won't pass it, Ways and Means chair says.
(Published: May 11, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The big question buried since the November election suddenly emerged Saturday morning in the Capitol: (more...)
Governor says no on wolf bill
AERIAL HUNTS: Spokesman says measure would usurp state powers.
(Published: May 11, 2003)
A bill allowing private individuals to shoot wolves from airplanes in state-sanctioned predator-control programs has strong support in the Alaska Legislature but faces opposition from an unexpected quarter: Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
Hospital stays thin Dem ranks
OUCH: Joule, Croft sidelined by surgery; Kapsner delivers baby boy.
(Published: May 9, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Three House Democrats, a quarter of the 12-member House minority caucus, were in the hospital Thursday. (more...)
Murkowski backs 2%, 4% tax plan
PROPOSAL: Higher rate would last from April 1 to Sept. 30 of each year.
(Published: May 9, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski on Thursday proclaimed his support for a new statewide sales tax plan under which the tax rate would be doubled in the warmer months. (more...)
New sales tax plan emerges amid doubts
COGHILL: Chances of passage this session are 'marginal.'
(Published: May 8, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House lawmakers are working to win the support of Gov. Frank Murkowski for a statewide sales tax plan that could have a hard time making it through the Legislature this year. (more...)
Prison on hold while issues get 2nd look
COSTS: Governor opposed to private facility, but pause gives its backers hope.
(Published: May 8, 2003)
Rival bills to build a mega-prison have been shelved in the Legislature for this year, as the Murkowski administration says it wants to take a fresh look at corrections issues -- including the relative costs of private and public prisons -- before taking up the matter again. (more...)
Panel OKs tax on rental cars, RVs
MILLIONS: House Finance Committee says tax burden will fall mainly on tourists.
(Published: May 8, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to impose a tax on rental cars and recreational vehicles passed the House Finance Committee on Wednesday. (more...)
House joins Senate plan to cut Denali KidCare
HEALTH CARE: Fewer families eligible means $7.1 million savings by '09.
(Published: May 8, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state House decided Wednesday night to go along with a Senate plan to reduce the number of people eligible for state health care through Denali KidCare. (more...)
State's bonding rating at risk
BUDGET WOES: Adviser warns state; communities oppose sales tax.
(Published: May 7, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Local government officials attacked the proposed statewide sales tax on Tuesday, arguing it could hurt local public services and damage small-town economies. (more...)
Panel passes pull-tab bill
SENATE: Measure would generate about half of what governor sought.
(Published: May 7, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday to impose a higher tax on pull-tab gambling. (more...)
State puts up roads money
$10 MILLION: Funding would pay to study Murkowski proposals.
(Published: May 6, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski campaigned on a gravel dream: new roads built in far-flung parts of Alaska to open up country to more oil, timber and mining development. (more...)
Panel rejects changes to campaign law
HOUSE: Governor's office wanted to loosen contribution restrictions.
(Published: May 6, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A House committee is not going along with a plan to increase the amount of money people can contribute to election campaigns. (more...)
Measure targets illegal cigarette sales
(Published: May 6, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to make it easier to prosecute illegal cigarette sales was approved Monday by the Senate Finance Committee. (more...)
Bill targets minimum wage hikes
STATE HOUSE: Move removes inflation-proofing requirement.
(Published: May 6, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The minimum wage would not have to keep up with inflation under a bill that passed in the House Finance Committee on Monday. (more...)
Sales tax would fall hardest on poor, experts say
BITE: Families with less income spend larger share of it on necessities.
(Published: May 5, 2003)
A proposed statewide sales tax would hit low-income Alaskans the hardest, according to economists, tax analysts and advocates for the poor. (more...)
Governor: Legislature's budgets fall short
'WORK TO DO': Murkowski praises effort, wants targets met.
(Published: May 3, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House and Senate leaders need to find $100 million more in either budget cuts or new revenues, Gov. Frank Murkowski said Friday. (more...)
Panel aims at budget shortfall
PROPOSALS: Permanent Fund millions, spending limit eyed.
(Published: May 3, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Bills that could lead to spending hundreds of millions of dollars from the Permanent Fund and limit how much lawmakers can spend each year both passed Friday in a House committee working to solve the state's massive budget shortfall. (more...)
All-year sales tax now on the table
3 PERCENT: No exemptions yet, and it could pass within three weeks.
(Published: May 1, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Lawmakers introduced a 3 percent, year-round statewide sales tax bill on Wednesday that has a chance to hurtle through the Legislature in the last weeks of the session. (more...)
Need-based checks opposed by seniors
BONUS: Senate bill would save $27 million, cut 12,700 from rolls.
(Published: May 1, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Senior citizens would have to prove financial need to continue getting monthly longevity bonuses under a measure being considered by the Senate Finance Committee. Dozens of older Alaskans testified against the idea Wednesday night. (more...)
Gaming bill out of time
VIDEO GAMBLING: Kott not ready to give up; others bet on next year.
(Published: April 30, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The proposal to allow video gambling machines in bars and clubs to help balance the state budget appears dead or nearly so as the Legislature enters its final weeks. (more...)
Senate approves operating budget
$2.3 BILLION: Millions in governor's proposed education cuts are restored.
(Published: April 30, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Senate Republicans signed off on a $2.3 billion operating budget Tuesday that restores some of the cuts in education proposed by Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
Bill aims to boost auto fees
REGISTRATION: Costs could go up $10 to $15 per vehicle if passed by Senate.
(Published: April 29, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The cost of registering a car may rise. (more...)
Education funding amendment blocked
$20 MILLION: GOP unites to vote down Dems' plan to tap science endowment.
(Published: April 29, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Senate Democrats unsuccessfully tried to use more than $20 million from the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation endowment to prop up next year's education funding. (more...)
House mulls tax bill
BUDGET CRUNCH: Spending limit, Permanent Fund also on the table.
(Published: April 29, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A statewide sales tax and hundreds of millions of dollars from the Permanent Fund look to be the foundation of plans emerging in the House of Representatives to balance the state budget. (more...)
Senate committee adds millions to budget for education
'I'm very concerned that we have probably burst the bank tonight,' senator says
(Published: April 25, 2003)
Juneau - The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday approved changes in next year's operating budget that would give $9.5 million more to the University of Alaska. (more...)
Senate KOs ethics panelist
REVENGE? GOP member McCoy says removal was payback for a past vote.
(Published: April 25, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A longtime Republican member of the state ethics committee said the Senate has dumped her from the panel out of revenge for her vote that the Senate Republican majority press secretary committed an ethics violation. (more...)
Getting initiatives on ballot could get tougher
BILL: Signatures would have to come from 30 of the state's election districts.
(Published: April 24, 2003)
JUNEAU -- While legislators are working to roll back laws that came from citizens' ballot initiatives, a bill moving through the House would make it harder for Alaskans to get their ideas on the ballot in the first place. (more...)
Kott's tax bill would target rental cars
STATE: Proposal would add levy of 15 percent; affected firms protest.
(Published: April 24, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House Speaker Pete Kott wants to make travelers help pay for Alaska government by putting a 15 percent state tax on car rentals. (more...)
Senate ponders controversial cuts
BUDGET: Longevity bonus, education issues may benefit from public outcry.
(Published: April 23, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Senate Republicans may preserve the longevity bonus for seniors in next year's operating budget, GOP leaders say. (more...)
Gaming foes join fight in Juneau
VIDEO GAMBLING: Religious leaders in state and Outside take up fight against House proposal.
(Published: April 23, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Religious figures are marching into the conflict over whether Alaska should start a lottery and video gambling. (more...)
Measure would grant Game Board authority for predator control
PROPOSAL: Airborne efforts could be allowed without governor's nod.
(Published: April 20, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A state senator is advocating a measure that would allow the state Board of Game to authorize airborne predator control programs without backing of the governor. (more...)
Bill could affect cash in salmon price trial
HOUSE: Defendant processors' lawyers would recoup fees in win.
(Published: April 17, 2003)
Some state lawmakers on Wednesday criticized a fast-moving bill that would make it easier for attorneys representing fish processors to recoup legal fees and costs in the event their clients win the Bristol Bay salmon antitrust trial. (more...)
House passes bill to aid Agrium
FERTILIZER PLANT: Measure would cost state millions in coming years.
(Published: April 17, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to help the Agrium fertilizer plant on the Kenai Peninsula at a cost to the state of $11.5 million over the next six years passed the House on Wednesday. (more...)
Gambling's benefits, ills to be debated
GAMING: Panel will meet Tuesday to weigh potential consequences.
(Published: April 17, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The Capitol is in the grip of gambling fever. (more...)
Heinze attacks gaming proposal
KILL THE BILL: Committee chair says she can't support video gaming.
(Published: April 16, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Anchorage Rep. Cheryll Heinze, whose committee is behind a bill to help balance the state budget with video gambling machines in bars and clubs, scrambled Tuesday to try to kill that plan. (more...)
Bill spares APOC, ups money limits
COMPROMISE: Senate proposal alters contribution caps and expedites hearings.
(Published: April 16, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski's administration has dropped a plan to do away with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Instead, it's backing a bill that would double the amount of money people can give candidates and have APOC hold quicker hearings on election complaints. (more...)
House bill gambles that gaming will save budget
POPULAR: But lottery, video poker might create social ills.
(Published: April 15, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Deal 'em, say some legislators. The state needs money and gamblers are willing to spend theirs, so how about a lottery and video card games to help balance the budget? (more...)
Lower oil revenues predicted
FORECAST: Expected cut in prices boosts projected budget shortfall.
(Published: April 11, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Alaska's state money troubles appear worse with the release of the state's latest revenue forecast Thursday. (more...)
Senate trims health care program
BILL: Income limit of Denali KidCare too generous, GOP says.
(Published: April 11, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state Senate approved legislation Thursday to save about $2.1 million next year by providing health care to fewer pregnant women and children. (more...)
Bill affects treatment program funds
SERVICES: Support for some drug, alcohol programs would be cut.
(Published: April 11, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state Senate passed legislation Thursday that would cut state support for drug and alcohol treatment. (more...)
House GOP won't spare education
BUDGET: Democrats try to reduce cuts, use budget reserve in vain.
(Published: April 10, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Majority Republicans in the House considering a fiscal 2004 spending plan turned back efforts to spare the state's correspondence school and restore millions in education funding during budget debates on Wednesday. (more...)
Dems tilt at windmills on floor
HOUSE: Minority tries to amend budget after majority sealed its fate.
(Published: April 10, 2003)
JUNEAU -- One after another, Democrats rose on the floor of the House this week and offered budget amendments to give money to school programs, the university and social services. (more...)
Governor's spending plan grows in House
BUDGET: Legislators want more for secondary schools, less for university, than Murkowski.
(Published: April 9, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House is poised to approve a fiscal 2004 spending plan that restores more than $50 million in cuts proposed by Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
Panel lops off KidCare families
$2 MILLION: Senators put tighter limits on income eligibility.
(Published: April 8, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A Senate committee proposed Monday to save about $2 million next year by providing health care to fewer pregnant women and children. (more...)
Republicans turn back Habitat resolution
(Published: April 7, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House Republicans lined up behind Gov. Frank Murkowski on Friday over his decision to strip the state's Habitat Division of its permitting authority. (more...)
State budget keeps bonus for seniors, cuts UA funds
BIGGER: Version is about $57 million more than governor's.
(Published: April 6, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The University of Alaska and the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation were big losers Saturday as House budget leaders crafted the state spending plan for next year. (more...)
Governor's plans for alcohol tax funds disappoint some
BUDGET: The governor's proposal doesn't create many new services.
(Published: April 6, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Sporting a "dime-a-drink" button, Matt Felix was among a handful of activists who sat through meeting after meeting of the Legislature for two years, pushing a boost in the state's alcohol tax. (more...)
Pull-tab funds might rescue state grants
GOVERNOR: Plan would aid nonprofits, cut players' payouts.
(Published: April 5, 2003)
Bean's Cafe, the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, Catholic Social Services and a slew of other nonprofit agencies would keep state matching grants under a new proposal by Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
House creates Ways and Means Committee to eye budget
BIPARTISAN: Nine-member state panel includes two Democrats.
(Published: April 3, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A state-run lottery. State involvement in electronic gambling. A tax on cruise ship tourists. Tapping a portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund to help pay for state services. (more...)
House may reject cuts in education funding
BUDGET: Republicans look to curb UA increase to give money to K-12.
(Published: April 2, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House Republicans are poised to reject $20 million in cuts to local school districts proposed by Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
Congress turns eye on Kaktovik
DRILLING: Committee plans hearings Saturday on competing bills.
(Published: April 2, 2003)
FAIRBANKS -- Congress will hold a hearing in the village of Kaktovik this week on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil drilling issues. (more...)
Lobbying bill open to amendment
SEEKINS: Sponsor says he will consider recommendations.
(Published: April 2, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The sponsor of a bill to relax the state's lobbying law says he will consider the recommendations of the agency that oversees lobbying. (more...)
House passes bill to cover cancers
BREAST, CERVICAL: Program for Medicaid coverage was to end.
(Published: March 29, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill extending Medicaid coverage to eligible women for breast and cervical cancer treatment passed unanimously Friday in the House. (more...)
House committee overhauls tax measures
HEARING: Panel seeks smaller fee on all tires, 2004 vote on increasing gas tax.
(Published: March 28, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House Transportation Committee, during a hearing Thursday, overhauled two proposals by Gov. Frank Murkowski to raise taxes on Alaska motorists. (more...)
Permanent Fund measure receives House panel nod
(Published: March 28, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to return more than $50 million to state coffers that would otherwise go to the Alaska Permanent Fund passed in the House Finance Committee on Thursday. (more...)
Seniors oppose Murkowski plan to cut longevity bonus
(Published: March 28, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Dozens of older Alaskans sounded off Thursday on a proposal to end the state longevity bonus program, saying they need the money for everything from prescription drugs to water bills. (more...)
State's loss is Agrium's gain in bill
$11 MILLION: Aid to Kenai fertilizer plant could cost state.
(Published: March 26, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill pushed by a Kenai lawmaker could cost the state more than $11 million in lost revenue to help the Agrium fertilizer plant on the Kenai Peninsula. (more...)
Committee delays action on studded-tire bill
HOUSE: $10 fee would raise $2 million, Murkowski says; critics dispute effect on roads.
(Published: March 26, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill to impose a $10 fee for new studded tires stalled in the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday amid opposition from some lawmakers and those affected by it. (more...)
House bill would kill fee to dipnet at Chitina
COPPER RIVER: Coghill says state right of way exists.
(Published: March 26, 2003)
FAIRBANKS -- The majority leader in the House has introduced a bill that would do away with the $25 fee to dipnet salmon in the Copper River at Chitina. (more...)
Bill 'a tool' to manage wolves
(Published: March 25, 2003)
Sen. Ralph Seekins has introduced a bill to make it easier for the state to use aircraft while conducting wolf-kill programs. (more...)
Proposed cuts in education run into House opposition
MILLIONS: Schools priority, but what is the alternative?
(Published: March 25, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski's plan to cut funding for schools is running into trouble in the state House. (more...)
Gas tax increase proposed
COMMUTERS: Mat-Su-to-Anchorage drivers would be hit the hardest.
(Published: March 24, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Andy Einwiller commutes more than 40 miles each way to his job at Alaska Pacific University, driving past Pioneer Peak and the Palmer Hay Flats into the bustle of Anchorage. (more...)
Governor asked to share flak from tax proposals
HOUSE: Republican leadership wants Murkowski to take lead.
(Published: March 22, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House Republicans -- far from giving Gov. Frank Murkowski's $113 million in tax proposals a rubber stamp -- are telling him to take his case to the people. (more...)
Tapping the fund in focus again
OMB REPORT: A portion of the money might be used to finance state services.
(Published: March 21, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A Murkowski administration report suggests that, despite proposed budget cuts, taxes and fees, officials are looking closest at the Permanent Fund for a long-term budget fix. (more...)
House panel OKs bill requiring clergy to report child abuse
(Published: March 19, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Members of the clergy would be required to report child abuse under a measure that passed the House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday. (more...)
Senate OKs measure to spend less on trails
ROADS: State is spending more on trails than called for under federal guidelines.
(Published: March 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- A bill requiring state transportation officials to spend more on roads and less on trails, waysides and other "enhancements" passed in the Alaska Senate on Monday. (more...)
Dems, GOP at odds over lobbying
DIVISIVE: House panel split over who should register.
(Published: March 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- House Republicans and Democrats fought Monday over whether business people who try to influence lawmakers should be required to register as lobbyists. (more...)
Travel industry appeals to state for more money
TOURISM: Sept. 11 blamed for need to get increased funding.
(Published: March 17, 2003)
Fairbanks -- The Alaska travel industry is asking the Legislature for $14 million in state money to lure visitors, a request that marks a dramatic change from the millennium plan" set up three years ago. (more...)
Proposed cuts met by mass hostility
TESTIMONY: Lawmakers get an earful from people who would be affected by trims.
(Published: March 16, 2003)
Anchorage legislators, in a four-hour session Saturday at Loussac Library that seldom strayed from a single theme, heard a swarm of complaints about Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposed budget trims. (more...)
Nonprofits could collect restitution
BILL: Vote is good news for nonprofits
(Published: March 15, 2003)
Juneau -- If volunteers for a nonprofit have to spend hours of their own time investigating a crime, the group could get restitution under a bill passed in the House on Friday. (more...)
Bill would remove early-retirement penalty
EDUCATION: Commissioners would not have to repay benefits.
(Published: March 15, 2003)
Juneau -- The House passed a bill Friday that would let Gov. Frank Murkowski hire a retiree to head the Department of Education and Early Development without that person's having to repay benefits. (more...)
Tour operators protest governor's visitor fee
REVENUE: $15 would be too much of a price increase for low-cost trips.
(Published: March 15, 2003)
Juneau -- Bob Janes, who sells guided hikes in Juneau, says he is scared to death by Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposal to make commercial tour operators like him charge tourists $15 for what the governor calls a wildlife conservation pass. (more...)
Plan would cut payouts on pull-tabs
GAMING: Governor also asks Senate committee for 5 percent tax on operators.
(Published: March 15, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski's plan to raise taxes on charitable gaming would result in fewer winners at pull-tab parlors. (more...)
Nonprofits fear chopping of block grants
FAIRBANKS: Some groups depend on the funds to cover more than half their budgets.
(Published: March 15, 2003)
Fairbanks -- Executives with nonprofit groups in the Fairbanks area are concerned about Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposal to cut aid to nonprofits. (more...)
Community schools, some kindergartners targeted
COMMITTEE: Bill would kill after-hours programs, limit enrollment of 4-year-olds.
(Published: March 15, 2003)
Juneau -- A bill eliminating state funding for community school programs passed in its first legislative committee Thursday. (more...)
Lawmakers rumble over prison cost
DEBATE: House panel wrestles with which financial figures to believe.
(Published: March 14, 2003)
Juneau -- Backers of a proposed 1,200-bed private prison in Whittier are attacking the Corrections Department argument that a state-run prison in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley would be cheaper. (more...)
Senate funds disaster relief, ANWR in spending bill
$71.8 MILLION: Governor wants money soon to aid ANWR lobbying.
(Published: March 14, 2003)
Juneau -- A $71.8 million supplemental spending bill to fund natural disaster relief and pay for lobbying Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration, was approved Thursday by the Senate. (more...)
Remote fish workers could see less pay
PROPOSAL: Regulation change would allow room and board deductions.
(Published: March 14, 2003)
Juneau -- Fish plant workers in remote parts of the state could get smaller paychecks under a rule change proposed by the Murkowski administration. (more...)
Panel eases Murkowski plan to hike license fees
HOUSE: Committee prefers gradual increase for Alaska businesses.
(Published: March 14, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The House Labor and Commerce Committee set aside a plan Wednesday by Gov. Frank Murkowski to increase business license fees to $200, favoring instead a graduated fee increase. (more...)
Murkowski plan a blow to intertie
$27 MILLION: Utilities to work to restore interest earned.
(Published: March 11, 2003)
Gov. Frank Murkowski's budget would pull out a major financial underpinning of the proposed Anchorage-Kenai Southern Intertie by taking back $27 million in interest built up on a decade-old legislative grant for the project. (more...)
Bill would cut treatment aid
BUDGET: Measure targets alcohol, drug prevention programs.
(Published: March 11, 2003)
Juneau -- The state would pick up a smaller share of the cost of drug and alcohol treatment and prevention programs under a bill that cleared a Senate committee Monday. (more...)
Educators call governor's budget cuts 'a major hit'
FUNDING: Community schools, transportation, grants would be affected.
(Published: March 11, 2003)
Local school officials say Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposed school funding cuts contradict his promise to fully fund Alaska education and would suck millions of dollars from Anchorage and nearby districts. (more...)
Commission report identifies 7 potential boroughs
ORGANIZED: Residents of these new units would be taxed for education costs.
(Published: March 10, 2003)
Fairbanks -- The state Local Boundary Commission has concluded that seven different unorganized areas of the state meet the criteria for potential organization into boroughs. (more...)
Taxes: Broken pledge?
MURKOWSKI: Governor says his plan relies more on user fees.
(Published: March 8, 2003)
Juneau -- Last October, in a debate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, gubernatorial candidate Frank Murkowski said, "I'm not going to impose new taxes." (more...)
What Murkowski said about taxes, spending during campaign
House OKs funds for disasters
SUPPLEMENTAL: Spending bill now moves on to state Senate.
(Published: March 8, 2003)
Juneau -- A $69 million supplemental spending bill to cover the costs of firefighting, natural disasters and other unanticipated expenses that sprang up this fiscal year was approved by the state House on Friday. (more...)
Murkowski's budget ripples through state
LONGEVITY: Seniors say loss of bonus hurts oldest, infirm.
(Published: March 7, 2003)
A plan to cut off longevity bonuses overnight instead of phasing them out drew strong reactions from senior citizens and their advocates Thursday as Alaskans pondered a long list of budget cuts proposed by Gov. Frank Murkowski. (more...)
Proposal to ax APOC sparks critics' howls
Cuts to schools find no favor
Fee plan surprises tourism leaders
Proposal takes aim at foundation
Alaska budget links and information
Murkowski proposes taxes, cuts
BUDGET PLAN: Governor calls on Alaskans to sacrifice together.
(Published: March 6, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski on Wednesday night introduced an aggressive plan to cut state programs and impose a wide range of taxes and fees on Alaskans and tourists. (more...)
BUDGET GLANCE
Bill aims at explicit e-mails
FILTER: Subject line would have to begin with 'ADV:ADLT.'
(Published: March 4, 2003)
Juneau -- Some e-mails containing sexually explicit materials could be more easily blocked or deleted under a measure approved in the House on Monday. House Bill 82 requires some unsolicited commercial e-mails containing explicit materials to include the letters "ADV:ADLT" as the first eight characters in the subject line. (more...)
House mulls roadside memorial bill
HB 27: Measure would allow Alaskans to keep building homemade shrines.
(Published: March 2, 2003)
Fairbanks -- A bill to let Alaskans continue to erect roadside memorials for those killed on particular stretches of the state's highways was introduced in the House. (more...)
House bill aims to slow schools' soda pop sales
HEALTH: Measure would ban purchases by students between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
(Published: March 2, 2003)
Just seconds to go before lunch ends, and Dimond High School students beeline for the vending machines, clutching dollar bills. (more...)
Lobby change pushed
BILLS: Legislators propose easing registration requirement.
(Published: March 2, 2003)
Juneau -- The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, with allies in the Legislature, is working to dramatically loosen the requirement that people seeking to influence lawmakers must register as lobbyists. (more...)
Legislators look at eliminating learning grants
SCHOOLS: Funds would be shifted to funding formula, top Republicans say.
(Published: February 27, 2003)
Fairbanks -- Republican lawmakers are considering shifting one-time grants to schools into an increase in the school funding formula. (more...)
House OKs Arctic Power funds
$1.1 MILLION: Lawmakers add spending report requirement.
(Published: February 27, 2003)
Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously on Wednesday to spend $1.1 million on Arctic Power's campaign in Washington, D.C., to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development. (more...)
Federal education law poses problems for Alaska
SOLUTIONS: State suggests some adjustments, but so far Bush administration is silent.
(Published: February 26, 2003)
Juneau -- State officials may turn to Congress for help if the Bush administration doesn't give them the leeway they seek to make a sweeping federal education initiative work in Alaska. (more...)
Measure requiring fishermen to chill catch hits snag
SALMON: Opponents say bill doesn't adequately address costs to industry.
(Published: February 25, 2003)
Juneau -- A bill requiring fishermen to chill their catch between harvest and delivery as a way to boost quality has run into obstacles in its first committee. (more...)
Lawmakers criticize education cost study
SCHOOLS: Report urges changes in how districts are funded.
(Published: February 24, 2003)
Juneau -- Lawmakers who hail from the streets of Anchorage to the tundra of Bethel to the rain forests of Southeast share doubt about a cost study designed to change how the Legislature divides education dollars around the state. (more...)
UA asks for smaller budget hike
$13.6 MILLION: Legislature allowed university to be more self-sufficient, president says.
(Published: February 20, 2003)
Fairbanks -- The University of Alaska Board of Regents has submitted its annual budget request, asking for a $13.6 million increase in general state appropriations and $42.4 million more for capital projects. (more...)
Spending request drafted
'LOW-CAL': Gov. Murkowski's supplemental plan doesn't cover lost federal Medicaid funds.
(Published: February 19, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski is proposing a $63.3 million supplemental spending plan to make up for shortfalls and unanticipated expenses that arose in the last fiscal year. (more...)
Murkowski plan to get legal review
AT ODDS: Fish habitat permitting move sparks two lawmakers to act.
(Published: February 19, 2003)
Two state lawmakers are ordering a legal review of Gov. Frank Murkowski's controversial plans to take fish habitat-permitting authority away from the Department of Fish and Game. Murkowski has said the move is needed to make government more efficient and to aid the state economy. (more...)
State or private prison?
RIVALS: Plans also pit Whittier vs. Sutton.
(Published: February 18, 2003)
Efforts to win state funding for a 1,200-bed private prison in Whittier are under way once again. But this year the prison has a new rival: a 1,200-bed state-run prison proposed for Sutton in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. (more...)
House bill allows for full restitution
NONPROFIT: Festival board not paid for time spent proving a crime.
(Published: February 18, 2003)
Juneau -- A legislator is seeking to change a law he says prevented the Alaska Folk Festival from collecting full restitution from an accountant who embezzled thousands of dollars from the organization in the 1990s. (more...)
Bill aims to boost drilling in ANWR
STATE HOUSE: Campaign to open refuge would receive $3.1 million.
(Published: February 15, 2003)
Juneau -- The state's ongoing campaign to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling would get a $3.1 million boost under a bill introduced Friday. (more...)
House bill clarifies advocate's jurisdiction
(Published: February 13, 2003)
A bill making clear that a state victims' rights advocate can get involved in municipal cases passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. (more...)
Governor issues 'streamlining' executive orders
INACTION: If Legislature sits still, Natural Resources gains two key functions.
(Published: February 13, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski introduced an executive order Wednesday setting in motion a controversial plan to strip permitting duties from the state habitat division and hand them to the state Department of Natural Resources. (more...)
Bill would expand law on abuse
MINORS: Religious leaders would have to report incidents.
(Published: February 13, 2003)
Juneau -- A bill filed by a lawmaker would hold priests, ministers, rabbis and other religious leaders accountable for failing to report incidents of abuse or neglect of a minor. (more...)
Legislators seek gas incentive act revival
BILL: Idea is to offer the 'fiscal certainty' that firms need.
(Published: February 12, 2003)
JUNEAU -- Lawmakers have started work on legislation to provide the "fiscal certainty" that major oil and gas companies operating in Alaska say they need to pursue a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. (more...)
Union takes on governor
PERMITS: Proposed switch guts Habitat Division, violates labor contracts, employee rep says.
(Published: February 9, 2003)
Gov. Frank Murkowski will have a union fight on his hands if he follows through with plans to gut the state Habitat Division, said Mike Robbins, business agent for ASEA/AFSCME Local 52. (more...)
Holloway endorses federal school act
TEST: Rural schools will have some options, commissioner says.
(Published: February 9, 2003)
Juneau -- The federal No Child Left Behind Act will put teeth into Alaska's own school reform efforts, Education Commissioner Shirley Holloway told a House committee Friday. (more...)
Legislators seek redesign of state seal
INCLUSIVE: No Natives depicted on current design, but task force could fix that.
(Published: February 5, 2003)
Fairbanks -- A group of state representatives has proposed redesigning the seal of Alaska to better reflect the state's cultures and to recognize the contributions of Natives. (more...)
Governor rebuts protest from ex-commissioners
AGENCY: Permits shifted 'to get the economy moving.'
(Published: February 4, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski on Monday defended his controversial plan to strip project permit power from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Habitat Division. (more...)
Democrats push bill on filling Senate vacancies
REPLACEMENT: Voters, not governor, would make selection.
(Published: February 3, 2003)
Juneau -- Democrats want Alaska's next vacancy in the U.S. Senate to be filled by voters instead of by the governor. (more...)
Rural schools decry federal act
EDUCATION: The No Child Left Behind Act is too tough in the Bush, state lawmakers say.
(Published: January 31, 2003)
Juneau -- Demands in the federal No Child Left Behind Act are unreasonable for Bush Alaska, state lawmakers told a visiting federal education official Thursday. (more...)
Bills would clarify jurisdiction
AUTHORITY: Reach of state victims' rights advocate would extend into municipality.
(Published: January 30, 2003)
Juneau -- Several lawmakers want to make clear that a state victims' rights advocate can get involved in municipal as well as state cases. (more...)
Bill bars licensing illegals
LYNN: Lawmaker doesn't want illegal aliens to get driver's licenses -- or UA resident tuition.
(Published: January 30, 2003)
Juneau -- Freshman Anchorage lawmaker Bob Lynn, reacting to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, aims to keep illegal aliens from getting an Alaska driver's license. (more...)
Revenue chief offers no new budget insight
CORBUS: Commissioner tells House fiscal leaders it's too early for specifics.
(Published: January 30, 2003)
The fiscal leaders of the Alaska House of Representatives tried in vain Wednesday to get Gov. Murkowski's newly appointed revenue commissioner to offer details on how to fix the state's massive budget shortfall. (more...)
Plan to move Legislature not dead
BALLOT: Group says voters didn't have enough information to make informed decision.
(Published: January 29, 2003)
Juneau -- Advocates for moving the Legislature are contesting results of a failed ballot initiative and calling for a new election in 2004. (more...)
State picks up Irwin's legal tab
SENATE: Money was for his defense in an ethics complaint.
(Published: January 29, 2003)
Juneau -- The Legislature will pay nearly $7,000 for legal fees incurred by Senate Republican majority press secretary Ron Irwin as a result of an ethics complaint. (more...)
Less for fund, more to state if bills pass
HOUSE: Rokeberg leads effort to raise $240 million for government.
(Published: January 28, 2003)
Juneau - State Rep. Norm Rokeberg wants to increase the state government's share of oil revenues that normally flow to the Alaska Permanent Fund. (more...)
Legislators revive bills on insurance
EMPLOYERS: Some lawmakers hope to broaden coverage.
(Published: January 28, 2003)
State legislators already have filed several bills to improve Alaskans' access to health insurance. All are copies of initiatives proposed in past years that failed to become law. (more...)
Fund could lure business, governor says
JOBS: Murkowski wants to use account to entice companies.
(Published: January 25, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski wants to use the muscle of the Alaska Permanent Fund's $23 billion investment portfolio to open corporate doors for Alaska. (more...)
Murkowski habitat proposal draws fire
NIX: Former Fish and Game leader advises against agency switch.
(Published: January 25, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposal to have Fish and Game Department habitat permits issued by the Department of Natural Resources is not new. (more...)
Murkowski pushes cuts, growth
Development advocates praise plan to ease permitting; others howl
(Published: January 24, 2003)
Juneau -- Gov. Frank Murkowski, in his first State of the State address, on Thursday unveiled controversial plans designed to boost development projects and warned that Alaskans will need to make sacrifices as he works to rein in state spending. (more...)
Juneau awaits State of State
SPEECH: Legislature looks to Murkowski to set its 2003 agenda.
(Published: January 23, 2003)
Juneau -- The course of the brand-new 23rd Alaska Legislature could be set tonight when Gov. Frank Murkowski delivers his first State of the State speech. (more...)
Leaders new, problems aren't
23rd LEGISLATURE: New legislators ready to take their turn at state's issues.
(Published: January 22, 2003)
Juneau -- The 23rd Alaska Legislature began Tuesday with a lot of new faces facing the same old problems. (more...)
Dems hope for more leverage
SENATE: Republicans lost 2 seats but say it won't make a difference.
(Published: January 22, 2003)
Juneau -- Senate Democrats hope the two seats they picked up last fall will give them more influence this year in a Republican-controlled Legislature. (more...)
Alaska faces Medicaid migraine
COST: Current year's bills may require additional $50 million.
(Published: January 21, 2003)
Juneau -- Just mention of the word was enough to make state Rep. John Coghill bury his face in his hands. (more...)
Bills offer veto on trail proposal
COASTAL: Measures would ensure extension skirts wildlife area.
(Published: January 20, 2003)
Two legislators have already filed bills that would give the Legislature veto power over any attempt to extend Anchorage's coastal trail through a state wildlife refuge. (more...)
Coghill to lead majority
HOUSE: Republicans select three-term lawmaker from North Pole.
(Published: January 20, 2003)
Juneau -- House Republicans chose Rep. John Coghill, a fiery conservative who once stormed out of the GOP camp over subsistence, as their majority leader Sunday. (more...)
Legislators dismiss taxes as a priority
SESSION: 'I think we will be in a wait-and-see mode for at least one year,' speaker says.
(Published: January 19, 2003)
Juneau -- In the opening hours of the Legislature last year the blue and gold hallways of the Capitol buzzed with a revolutionary notion: that the time had come to tax Alaskans. (more...)
New lawmakers settle in
ORIENTATION: Veteran legislators give rookies the rundown on lots of topics.
(Published: January 19, 2003)
Juneau -- Freshman orientation in the Alaska Legislature, a biennial event aimed at quickly educating new lawmakers, was a little crowded this year. (more...)
Bills include one for Whittier prison
FILED: More than 90 measures await legislators' return on Tuesday.
(Published: January 19, 2003)
Juneau -- Among more than 90 bills and resolutions filed in advance of the legislative session that opens Tuesday is one that resurrects the idea of private prisons in Alaska. (more...)
Court upholds Wagoner election
RULING: Justices dismiss suit challenging omissions on financial disclosure form.
(Published: January 18, 2003)
In a brief decision issued Friday, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the election of Tom Wagoner to the state Senate, quashing any hopes outgoing Sen. Jerry Ward may have harbored about getting back the Kenai seat he lost in November. (more...)
Study could reshuffle school funds
DISTRIBUTION: New formula may result in some rural districts falling short on state allocations.
(Published: January 17, 2003)
A new study for the Legislature says the cost of education in many rural school districts is not as high as previously thought. If adopted by the Legislature, the new formula would reduce state funding to many rural districts while increasing funding for other regions of the state. (more...)
Republican found in violation of state ethics code
RON IRWIN: Party official had planned to blast Ulmer speech.
(Published: January 16, 2003)
Juneau -- The state Senate Republican majority's press secretary violated the state ethics code last fall by calling a news conference to blast a speech by then-gubernatorial candidate Fran Ulmer. (more...)
Credit scoring issue may drive into Legislature
RECORD: Opponents charge discrimination while insurance companies call it a valuable tool.
(Published: January 14, 2003)
Juneau -- When state Sen. John Cowdery's daughter's insurance rates skyrocketed after she got a new truck last year, he was outraged. (more...)
Host of bills filed before session start
LEGISLATION: Issues addressed include dividend, education, fish farming.
(Published: January 13, 2003)
Juneau -- It would be more difficult to get an initiative on the ballot, easier for some people to get a Permanent Fund dividend check and illegal to send anonymous spam e-mail under bills filed by lawmakers Friday. (more...)
Utilities target rural subsidy
HARD LOOK: Group calls for cuts in administrative expenses, consumer costs.
(Published: January 12, 2003)
The electric-power subsidy for rural Alaskans that has thrown off sparks in the Alaska Legislature for nearly 20 years has come under attack again, this time from an unexpected quarter. (more...)
Wagoner omissions ruled trivial
ELECTION: Decision clears way for Kenai senator to take his seat.
(Published: January 7, 2003)
An Anchorage judge ruled Monday that Tom Wagoner's election paperwork omissions were relatively trivial and that the newly elected state senator from Kenai can take his seat in the Capitol Jan. 21. (more...)
Dahlstrom tapped for House seat
APPOINTMENT: Governor picks his daughter's chief opponent to replace her.
(Published: January 3, 2003)
Gov. Frank Murkowski has selected Eagle River Republican Nancy Dahlstrom to take the state House seat vacated when he appointed his daughter to the U.S Senate. (more...)
Berkowitz to lead Democrats
(Published: December 17, 2002)
The Democratic minority in the state House on Monday picked its leaders for the 2003 legislative session. (more...)
Senate gets set for session
REORGANIZATION: Republicans tap freshmen for top committee positions.
(Published: December 6, 2002)
Juneau The Republican Legislature has begun to gear up for the first session in nine years under a GOP governor. (more...)
BP bowing out of ANWR lobbying group
HURT: Oil giant's pullout will take $50,000 yearly from Arctic Power's pocketbook.
(Published: November 26, 2002)
Washington -- As the lobbying group Arctic Power gears up for yet another year of trying to persuade Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, Alaska's second-largest oil producer has dropped out of the effort. (more...)
Kott head of the House
SUPPORT: Eagle River lawmaker tops Valdez' Harris in secret ballot
(Published: November 11, 2002)
Rep. Pete Kott of Eagle River will ascend to the powerful position of House speaker when the Legislature convenes in January, the majority Republicans announced Friday. (more...)
Sorting Out The Senate
New Leaders: Therriault Will Be Body's President; Green, Wilken Get Finance
(Published: November 10, 2002)
Republican state senators announced Thursday they have chosen Gene Therriault of North Pole as Senate president, two days after Alaska's voters guaranteed continued GOP control of the body. (more...)
New faces will be in powerful places
LEGISLATURE: GOP still in control, but some leadership positions will change.
(Published: November 7, 2002)
When the first gavel of the new Alaska Legislature falls in January, there will be a far different group in the Capitol than the lawmakers who guided the state in recent years. (more...)
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