Senate Republicans: Public Has Been Shortchanged
JUNEAU – Members of the Senate Republican Caucus today said the public had been shortchanged by a mixed bag of legislation produced by this year’s session, which adjourned Sunday evening before 8 p.m. Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, the minority leader, said while he was pleased by an overall reduction in spending, he was disappointed in the lack of funding for a number of crucial projects.
“I was discouraged that the majority was unresponsive to the Governor’s request for adequate funding for ongoing work with TransCanada on the gas pipeline,” Therriault said. “When issuance of the AGIA license was delayed last year it slowed down some of the work that TC Alaska was obligated to perform. The administration asked that the appropriation to track and audit this work be carried forward, and the majority coalition said ‘no.’ We have legislators demanding more information from the Governor on AGIA monitoring, but we do not provide the money to do the work.”
Therriault also noted that the capital budget did not contain a relatively small state match that would have captured as much as $150 million in federal funds for much-needed highway projects. “These federal funds left on the table could have paid for a number of important major maintenance and reconstruction projects on Alaska’s arterial highways,” Therriault said. “The Dalton Highway, while it will receive funding for one of many necessary projects, will continue to be substandard for many miles. We can’t continue to ignore the Dalton Highway; it’s not just an Alaska highway, it is our ‘road to the bank.’”
Therriault said a disparity in how capital projects were funded between regions was only part of the legacy of this legislative session. Other shortcomings include a failure to address many important policy issues in a timely manner, such as the Governor’s proposal to establish an electrical energy generation and distribution entity for the railbelt utilities or a bill requiring parental consent for a minor’s abortion.
“I was also somewhat dismayed that information vital to the debate over management of the public employees and teachers retirement systems was not generated,” Therriault said. “Many members have made commitments on this issue, and it would have been helpful to be able to get to the data we need to make an informed decision, especially in light of the growing unfunded liability of PERS and TRS.”
Sen. Fred Dyson, R-Eagle River, said he was disappointed that the majority refused to take even a small step toward a green future. “The Senate majority refused to force consideration of propane or compressed natural gas for some $25 million they appropriated for purchasing government buses and other equipment,” Dyson said. “This could have saved operating money, as well as reducing carbon emissions.”
“I was also deeply disheartened the Senate took no action on parental involvement in a minor’s abortion,” Dyson said.
Despite periodic differences on policy matters, Therriault was pleased to have maintained a good working relationship with Senate President Gary Stevens.
“Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes, so we remain hopeful that the Legislature will seize upon the opportunities presented to us to affect good public policy,” Therriault said. “Over the interim and going into the next session in January, we hope legislative committees will examine these issues in depth, inform the public of the implications of the options available to us, and move forward on good policy decisions. In other words, we look forward to a productive session next year.”
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