Senate Minority Newsletter From the Legislature

Senator Gene Therriault
R- North Pole

Federal Commission Commends Gasoline Progress

In a statement accompanying its fourth semi-annual report to Congress on the status of the proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher commended recent progress under the leadership of Gov. Sarah Palin. We were especially pleased that the FERC report noted the deadline for submitting proposals under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act has been extended to Nov. 30, 2007, and, despite that, still concludes that a project sponsor could begin working in the summer of 2008.



Senator Con Bunde
R- Anchorage


Eye on Education

Task Force Wraps Up

The Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force met for a final time Thursday, August 30 to finalize the report it is mandated to submit to the Governor by Sept. 1. The Task Force made several recommendations for policies to be implemented during the second regular session of the Twenty-fifth Legislature, including the creation of a standing Education Committee that would be separate from the current Health, Education and Social Services Committee. The Task Force referred many of the more contentious items to this Committee. Sen. Gary Wilken, who represented the Senate Minority on the Task Force, authored a dissenting opinion that is included in the final report. Among his concerns is a recommendation to phase in funding over four years to cover district cost factors as outlined in a report by the University of Alaska’s Institute of Social and Economic Research. Sen. Wilken believes that the artificial deadline of Sept. 1 established by the resolution creating the Task Force resulted in the dismissal of all long-term options that would have included reviewing the entire K-12 education funding formula in total, rather than recommending a substantial adjustment to a single component. Sen. Wilken hopes that the entire Legislature, in cooperation with the Governor, will take the time necessary to thoroughly review the ISER study and question some of its basic assumptions.

Senator Fred Dyson
R- Eagle River

Incentives Awarded

An idea originally championed by Sen. Con Bunde came to fruition this month with the distribution of more than $1.8 million to educators and support staff in the first year of the Alaska Public School Performance Incentive Program. The three-year pilot program provides incentive payments to eligible staff members at schools whose students show significant improvement from the year before—or whose students continue to achieve at high levels—in state assessments of reading, writing and math.

Sentator Tom Wagoner
R- Kenai

Meeting with U.S. Dept. of Ed. Secretary Margaret Spellings

Sen. Con Bunde was one of several legislators to meet Aug. 30th with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Sen. Ted Stevens to discuss the No Child Left Behind Act and other federal education issues. Sen. Bunde said he was honored Secretary Spellings took the time and initiative to tour schools across Alaska to get firsthand knowledge of the obstacles and successes of the NCLB.

“Secretary Spellings commended our notable improvements in AYP and our team approach for improving education in Alaska. She acknowledged that Alaska is on the cutting edge nationwide, and that other states are watching our innovations. It was a valuable gathering and I hope she seriously considers the input we gave her,” Sen. Bunde said.

Senator Gary Wilkens
R- Fairbanks
Fort Wainright

Special Session Approaching

The Senate Minority Oil & Gas Team—Senators Gene Therriault, Tom Wagoner and Fred Dyson—are gearing up in preparation for the Special Session Gov. Sarah Palin has announced will begin Oct. 18 to reconsider the Petroleum Profits Tax passed last year. Gov. Palin is scheduled to formally call the session and present the administration’s proposal Sept. 4th. Gov. Palin has characterized the PPT as “tainted” in light of an on-going corruption probe. Additionally, the Department of Revenue has concluded the new tax mechanism is resulting in far less revenue than was estimated. The Senate Minority has not taken a position pending more details on the Governor’s plan, but would welcome an independent review of the data set used for the modeling presented during the 2006 PPT debate.

Sen. Gene Therriault, Rep. John Harris and Shell Alaska Asset Manager Rick Fox stand aboard the MV Nanuq during a July tour in Valdez. The 300-foot Nanuq is the centerpiece in Shell's oil spill response fleet and was built specifically for the Arctic