Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin
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March-April 2009
As the 26th Alaska State Legislature has adjourned its first session and will now be transmitting the state’s budget, my administration will make a final evaluation and take action. With passage of several bills and resolutions before it adjourned, the legislature acted to accept the federal economic stimulus dollars that were slated for Alaska. I have been clear and consistent about my concerns with accepting these funds as our nation incurs tremendous debt. As I am required to certify that these funds will create new jobs and stimulate the economy, I acknowledge the legislature’s action via passage of House Bills 81, 113, 199, Senate Bill 75, House Joint Resolution 11 and House Concurrent Resolution 13. The House and Senate finance committees held End of session press conference. nearly 20 public hearings and worked closely with my administration to research aspects of the stimulus bill. The public had the opportunity to both weigh in and also learn more about the complicated and evolving requirements in this package. The legislature agreed with me that these funds should be used to generate new private sector jobs and not to create new services or programs and included intent language to that effect in HB 199. Now, I must make sure that, by applying for the funds that they’ve resolved to accept, we do not grow government but instead put people to work and grow Alaska’s private sector economy. Looking back, this session was dominated by the tremendous fiscal change we have experienced since last summer, with the dramatic drop in the price of oil. Fortunately, we prepared for this by saving prudently during our time of plenty, and that preparation spared Alaskans from draconian measures that could have disrupted public services. While other states currently experience crippling budget deficits, our savings have kept us relatively stable.
As we worked with legislators on the state’s budgets, we followed a responsible course by proposing significant reductions in the spending plan for the next fiscal year. This was necessary, since the general fund revenues for Fiscal Year 2010 were projected to decline from $5.3 billion estimated in the fall of 2008, to $3.2 billion in the spring of 2009. We must, of course, make the necessary improvements to programs, but we need to avoid major, new spending commitments that would create budget shortfalls in the future.
Governor meeting with legislative leadership.
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Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin
I introduced legislation this session to bring affordable, reliable energy to homes and businesses along the Railbelt. By consolidating utilities and coordinating their efforts for new energy generation, we’re going to realize $40 million in annual savings to ratepayers. I am pleased to report that progress is being made as the utilities are, for the first time, working together. We look forward to passage of the Greater Railbelt Energy & Transmission Corporation, or GRETC, when the legislature returns in January. And while we are continuing to move forward with our major gas line to the Lower 48 through the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, or AGIA, we are also committed to securing a stable gas supply for Alaskans through an in-state line. I submitted legislation and funding requests to facilitate an in-state gasline, and lawmakers approved $7.1 million for this effort.
More than 140 projects estimated at more than $1.2 billion are in the capital budget for highways, aviation and transit infrastructure. These projects will mean jobs for Alaskans – an estimated 12,000 direct and indirect jobs. My administration is working hard to ensure that as many of these jobs as possible will go to Alaskans.
Alaska’s children are our state’s future, and that’s why my administration has worked together with the legislature to make sure our state’s education funding is at the appropriate levels. One exciting new development is that the legislature approved my administration’s funding request of $2 million for a pilot preschool program. School districts – often partnering with the private sector or nonprofits – will now be able to apply for state grants to operate preschools and provide educational resources to parents. The state’s education budget includes $1.1 billion for Alaska’s 53 K-12 school districts and 129,000 students. It also funds $57 million in year two of a three-year increase for education, including: $23 million for a $100 increase in the base student allocation from $5,480 to $5,580 $22 million for an increase in funding for intensive-needs students from $49,320 to $61,380 per student $12.4 million for an increase in the district cost factors that provide adjustments for the differences in the cost of providing education services across the state The legislature also approved my administration’s request for $600,000 to assist school districts needing improvement particularly in the areas of reading and math. The funding allows the Department of Education & Early Development to hire a director of rural education to work with communities, organizations and schools to improve the academic success of rural and Alaska Native students.
Although many important bills remained stuck in committee when the legislature adjourned, a number of bills did pass that will make a difference in the lives of many Alaskans. These include: Medicaid for Adult Dental Services – Once, adults enrolled in Medicaid were only eligible for dental care that addressed immediate relief of pain and acute infection, which often resulted in tooth extractions. In 2006, the legislature authorized an enhanced program that provided preventative and restorative services to needy eligible adults under the Medicaid program with a sunset provision. This legislation, House Bill 26, very similar to a bill introduced by my administration, passed extending this valuable program and deleting the sunset provision. State Investment in Education Fund – House Bill 172 ensures that Alaskans will have access to low-cost loans to finance their postsecondary education and training through the Alaska Student Loan Corporation, continuing a 40-plus-year Alaskan tradition of investing in their future. Child Support/Cash Medical Support – Senate Bill 96, introduced by the Senate Health and Social Services Committee with the full support of the governor, brings the state of Alaska into federal compliance with a new federal medicalsupport regulation that requires states to have guidelines addressing how parents will provide for a child’s health care needs through insurance, cash, or both. The legislation prevents the loss of nearly $85 million in federal funds that support children and families. I am disappointed that several pieces of important legislation that were held in committee this year, but I’m hopeful that lawmakers will pass these bills in January:
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Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin
A parental notification bill which would have required a 48-hour prior notification to parents, legal guardians or custodians of a girl younger than 17 before she has an abortion Increased eligibility for pregnant women and children under the Denali KidCare health insurance program I sponsored House Bill 172, which would restrict certain investments of the Alaska Permanent Fund, the state's retirement systems, the State of Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan, and the state’s deferred compensation program in companies that do business in Sudan. This bill would send a strong message that Alaskans do not want to contribute to the widespread genocide that has been taking place in Sudan.
As we are hearing more about the spread of the swine flu in various parts of the nation and other countries, I want to assure Alaskans that our state’s Department of Health and Social Services is monitoring the situation. At this time, no cases of swine flu have been reported in Alaska, but state officials are taking all necessary precautions here. Any Alaskans who have recently returned from the Southwest or Mexico and are experiencing flu-like symptoms should seek medical treatment. For more information about what the state is doing to prepare for a possible outbreak here, please visit www.hss.state.ak.us/prepared/pandemic.htm. For updates on the swine flu nationally and globally, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at: www.cdc.gov/flu/swine..
I am proud to report that under the leadership of Commissioner Joe Masters, Alaska’s Department of Public Safety has seen major improvements in many areas. With passage of the FY 2010 operating budget for DPS, there is full funding for trooper positions and additional Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs). All of the 43 trooper vacancies that existed in August 2008 have been filled – and half of these positions were in rural areas. The VPSO program is now fully funded to support 15 positions from FY2009 and 15 new positions for FY2010. We also can report an increase in funding to help fight sexual assault, with a $1.3 million increase in FY2010 funding for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. These funds will help programs that protect and advocate for victims and also go toward community-based prevention efforts. DPS has created a new Bureau of Highway Patrol to help make Alaska’s roads safer by partnering with five municipalities, with two teams out of Fairbanks and the Mat-Su. The bureau will target impaired and aggressive driving, and speeding, and will investigate collisions and offer driver education for young drivers.
Alaska now has the first graduates from a groundbreaking new mining program that is setting the standard not only for the state, but for the nation. Sixteen individuals recently graduated from the Alaska Technical Center in Kotzebue in the first-of-itskind apprenticeship program for core drilling. This program will help rural residents to get training and then high-paying jobs in their own towns and villages. It’s a win-win for our state because it will encourage companies to hire Alaskans, it will keep dollars in Alaska and it will help our rural communities. It is a collaborative effort of our state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Office of Apprenticeship, the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship, the University of Alaska’s Mining and Petroleum Training Service and the mining industry. This is one more way that the state’s labor department is helping to develop a trained and ready workforce here in Alaska. Registered apprenticeship helps participants earn while they learn, with on-the-job training, classroom instruction and a progressive pay scale as they complete their program. It also allows employers to establish the standards
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Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin
of proficiency they need while developing a local and trained workforce. Participants in the core driller program go through a three-year apprenticeship, and at its completion, they will become journey-level core drillers. Session two of the program is currently underway in Bethel at the Yuut Elitnaurviat training center and the third class, for entry-level apprentices, will begin on May 6 back at the Alaska Technical Center in Kotzebue.
New mining program in Alaska.
More than 300 Alaskans participated in the 2009 Governor’s Safety and Health Conference in mid-March at the Anchorage Sheraton. More than 50 speakers from across Alaska and a few from outside Alaska provided crucial safety and health training in categories including electrical arc flash safety, employer resources, youth safety, and industry-related training for the oil and gas, hospitality and transportation industries. I am proud to announce that four companies received the Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence for their tremendous commitment toward keeping their workers safe on the job. These companies are Alaska Tanker Company, Horizon Lines – Kodiak Terminal, Shaw Infrastructure, Inc., and Dunkin & Bush, Inc. The Governor’s Special Achievement Award for producing a significant and measurable impact on the community was presented to the Alaska Injury Prevention Center, the Municipality of Anchorage – Solid Waste Services, and to an individual Alaskan, Nathan Menah.
Municipality of Anchorage receives 2009 Governor's Special Achievement Award.
We salute all of our wonderful volunteers in Alaska, who are helping to meet local needs, improving lives and strengthening communities. Our state’s volunteers have made a tremendous difference in the lives of many, and the statistics tell it all. Alaska’s average number of volunteers between 2005 and 2007 gave us a ranking of fourth in the nation. For this same time period, Alaska also ranked third for volunteer hours per capita. During FY08, Serve Alaska-funded National Service programs attracted 6,669 volunteers in our state. AmeriCorps members, for example, served 275,400 hours in meeting critical community needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. Based on an hourly wage of $17.50, this would equate to more than $4.1 million. AmeriCorps members helped 373 individuals receive their GED. They also assisted 476 exVolunteering is a great way to help your offenders with service for re-entry and were successful at helping 32 find full-time community. jobs. AmeriCorps volunteers also coordinated backhaul and recycling for 20 rural areas and helped to remove 1,113,402 pounds of solid waste from those communities.
I’m pleased to share with Alaskans that the Society of American Travel Writers recently named the Alaska Marine Highway System as one of the top 10 best ferry rides available anywhere in the world. Alaskans are using the state ferry more than ever, according to all counts. Last year, the system’s traffic report indicated that passenger embarkation exceeded
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Putting Alaska First Newsletter - Governor Sarah Palin
339,000, almost 20,000 more than in 2007. Vehicle embarkation aboard AMHS vessels surpassed the 109,000 mark, an almost 5,000 vehicle difference above the 2007 totals. During the past 10 years, AMHS has carried an average of 320,000 passengers and 97,000 vehicles per year along 3,500 miles, one of the most expansive marine highway systems in the world. There may be one slightly longer in Europe. Here I would write “longest in North America” just to be on the safe side.
Malaspina at sea.
Our ferry system has been operating year-round since 1963, with regularly scheduled passenger and vehicle service to 30 communities in Alaska, plus Bellingham, Washington, and Prince Rupert, British Columbia. There are currently 11 vessels in the AMHS fleet. The report is available online at http://www.satw.org/admin/detail_news.asp?Sid=26&Id=694&parent=15.
Until next time,
Governor Sarah Palin
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