 May 22, 2003
"The people of Alaska have been well-served by this Legislature and by the cooperative, working relationship developed between legislators, their leadership, and this administration," Murkowski said. "Much of our legislative agenda was delivered to the Legislature on March 5, at the time of our budget address, so a tremendous amount of productive work has been done between then and now. "In our State of the State address, we laid out our goals, especially for natural resource development and growing Alaska's economy. A significant number of those goals have been advanced and we are well on our way toward repairing the economy. For example, I was pleased to be able to sign HB 191 and SB 142 yesterday. These bills revised the state's coastal management program and made DNR the lead agency for permitting. These bills, coupled with the move of habitat permitting and the division of governmental coordination to DNR, will streamline and speed up the permitting process without diminishing environmental protections." Murkowski pointed to other bills passed by the Legislature that will enhance and advance resource development. First among these is the oil and gas exploration severance tax credit provisions included in SB 185, which will provide significant incentives for exploration by producers. Second, HB 160 will make the state's emission control permit program more predictable, reliable and rational. Others include: HB 246, which increases the amount of leased acreage a producer can hold; and SB 74, which allows spill contingency plans to be updated every five years instead of every three. Another economic development bill is HB 112, extending the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority for four years. Out of 47 bills introduced by Murkowski, 38 were passed into law. In addition, seven executive orders were introduced and accepted by the Legislature, which made organizational changes among the departments of state government. These changes were designed to better align the functions of government and remove duplication. Murkowski also noted that the Legislature passed an operating budget that spends less in FY04 than it did in FY03. "The Legislature worked hard to meet our budget targets," Murkowski said. "I was pleased that they came very close in hitting our general fund spending target of $55 million less than last year, however, the target of a CBR draw of no more than $400 million was exceeded by approximately $133 million. The Legislature's budget was not the budget that this administration proposed. We proposed a balanced budget, net of the $393 million CBR draw. "The budget we proposed made significant spending reductions, and while we have successfully held those reductions in many areas with the Legislature, further reductions will be necessary to achieve our CBR targets. We will conduct a due diligence review over the coming weeks to make sure that such reductions are fair and in the best interest of Alaskans." In the area of transportation improvements, Murkowski was particularly pleased by passage of SB 213, creating the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, an independent entity that will design, finance, construct and operate a toll bridge between Anchorage and Pt. MacKenzie. "This authority will serve as a model for other major transportation links we need and will be working toward building, such as the Gravina access project in Ketchikan, the Bradfield Canal access to BC, and the road out of Juneau" Murkowski said. "Transportation links and access to resources are crucial to the growth of Alaska's economy, so they are a high priority for this administration. I am proud that they are also a high priority with the Legislature." Murkowski also noted passage of SB 216, which authorizes the issuance of $79 million in revenue bonds for the completion of the expansion and remodeling of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. According to information provided by the Office of the Governor, Murkowski was also pleased that the Legislature passed the public interest litigants reform bill, HB 145, which will have the effect of bringing accountability to those who bring lawsuits to try to stop resource development from taking place. "We have also worked hard to bring better accountability to state government," Murkowski said. "The most important bill passed in this regard is the extension of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, HB 111, without special interest riders. The regulation of utilities is one of the most fundamental protections a government can provide to its citizens, and I applaud the Legislature for coming to grips with a difficult, thorny issue, and doing the right thing." In the interest of improving government, Murkowski pointed to HB 157, a bill that enacts reforms at the Alaska Public Offices Commission, many of which the APOC has sought for many years. Murkowski said he was very pleased that the legislative session ended on a harmonious note, which signals the beginning of a new way of doing business between the Legislature and the administration. "Cordiality and working together for the best interests of Alaskans prevailed for the most part in this session," Murkowski said. "The partisan bickering was set aside in the interest of passing responsible legislation. This Legislature is interested in going the same general direction as the administration, so I have been optimistic throughout about what we would be able to achieve. Again, the people of Alaska have been well-served by the first session of this Legislature, and I look forward to working constructively with them through the interim and into next year's session."
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