Senate Republican Caucus Concerned with Massive Overspending on Capital Budget; Questions Propriety of Ignoring 90-day Session Limit

Juneau – Noting that the Senate majority leadership may have overstepped its bounds by violating the 90-day session limit when it continued to conduct business beyond midnight of April 18, Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, today questioned whether legislation passed after the deadline might be found illegal by a court.

“It’s an odd phenomenon, that we encourage the average Alaskan to do his or her civic duty and get involved with their government, yet, when they do that, and pass an initiative that limits our sessions to 90 days, the majority has no qualms about ignoring that limit,” Bunde said. “This is simply the predictable result of poor management of the first 89 days of the session.”

“I note that several of the majority’s top priority bills, such as the bloated capital budget and the bill to de-couple gas taxes from oil taxes, passed after the deadline. The leadership of the 26th Legislature may not have broken the law, but has certainly broken new ground by ignoring the limit set by the initiative. Does this signal that the Legislature will extend itself as a matter of course in future years?”

Bunde repeated his concern about the size of the capital budget, which spends a total of more than $3 billion. “We have spent far too much now, and will rue the day when realize we have spent our future security to satisfy our current wants, well beyond our needs,” Bunde said.

Sen. Tom Wagoner said he was disappointed that the capital bill included $75 million for a new crime lab in Anchorage, a project he has been fighting all session. “Two former directors of the crime lab have made it clear that this project is way bigger and much more costly than the State of Alaska needs,” Wagoner said.

Sen. Fred Dyson said he supported the process in the capital budget when it left the Senate. “The House added 28 pages and we had four minutes to look at it,” said Dyson. “I cannot approve that amount of spending without some time for analysis.”

Senate Passes Bunde Resolution Supporting Senior Caregivers and Encouraging DHSS to Provide Additional Education on Effects of Aging

Juneau – The Alaska State Senate today unanimously approved a resolution, SCR 13, which supports senior caregivers and encourages the Department of Health and Social Services to provide additional education on the effects of aging and the importance of senior caregivers.

“Advances in medicine, technology, and assisted living practices are enabling seniors to live longer, more productive, and more comfortable lives than ever before,” said Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, the prime sponsor of SCR 13. “Yet, the fact remains that many of our aging loved ones will at some point require some form of care-giving. In fact, more than 25 percent of all seniors need some level of assistance with their daily activities. It is critical that we as a state are prepared to meet and manage the needs of our aging population.”

A concurrent resolution is a formal method by which the Legislature can address a concern directly to an agency of the state government. SCR 13 will now be referred to the House for its consideration.

Poll Shows Alaskans Support Keeping Exit Exam by 3-1 Margin

Juneau – A recent Dittman public opinion poll commissioned by Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, shows that 74 percent of Alaskans support keeping the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam, also known as the exit exam. Currently there is a bill in the Legislature that would repeal the exit exam.

Bunde, who authored the original exit exam language when it was passed into law in 1997, said the Dittman poll results clearly indicate that the public still supports the exam as a way to ensure that possessing a high school diploma means graduates can demonstrate basic competency in reading, writing and arithmetic.

“Currently in the Senate, there is, in my view, a misguided effort to do away with the high school graduation qualifying exam. This poll shows that three-quarters of the people of Alaska do not want it to go away,” Bunde said. “That’s a pretty substantial level of support.”

Bunde said the idea to do away with the test is rooted in a well-intended push by some groups representing students who have had a difficult time passing the exam.

“Last year there were 8,008 graduates who passed the exit exam and received a high school diploma. At the same time there were 270 high school seniors who were unable to pass the exit exam, and therefore received a certificate of attendance,” Bunde said. “So, the question is, should we dilute the value of the diploma for the thousands who passed it just to accommodate the few who do not? I don’t think we should, and clearly, almost three-quarters of the Alaska public don’t think we should, either.”

The Dittman poll was conducted February 9-22, 2010. The bill to repeal the exit exam, SB 109, recently passed out of the Senate Education and the Community and Regional Affairs committees and is currently sitting in the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Republican Caucus Responds to Governor’s Goals in Supplemental Budget

Juneau – Members of the Senate Republican Caucus today expressed their support for many of the goals contained within Governor Sean Parnell’s FY2010 supplemental budget released today while recognizing room for increased savings and encouraging a more long-term view of state budget surpluses.

Among other spending requests, the supplemental budget bill would finish repaying the Constitutional Budget Reserve, forward-fund K-12 education for FY2011, and, in a separate bill, ask for an additional $100 million for deferred maintenance projects.

“While I recognize the importance of addressing some of the pressing needs outlined in the Governor’s supplemental budget, I strongly encourage that any spending proposals based on using a budget surplus, in this or any other year, look at that ’surplus’ in the context of a three- or five-year spending plan,” said Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage. “I think the question of whether or not it is truly a ‘surplus’ – if it is sandwiched between two or four years of deficit or even flat spending – is one we should be asking ourselves more often.”

Sen. Fred Dyson, R-Eagle River, said he is concerned about the rising cost of formula-driven spending. “I recognize that programs such as Medicaid are expanding in numbers of users, and that is reflected in the $44 million requested for formula programs. I note that the Governor did not request funding for an increase in eligibility for Denali KidCare because the bill to do so has not passed. While he and I disagree on expanding the program from 175 to 200 percent of poverty level, he may be amenable to making such an increase contingent on having a budget surplus.”

Sen. Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai, said he would support the deferred maintenance bill and expects the projects included in it to be in the public’s interest. “It makes a lot of sense to get funding approved for projects that can go to contract this spring. At the same time, the Governor needs to take another look at his $75 million request for a new crime lab, which we don’t need. That project should be on the deferred maintenance list, and the existing crime lab should be remodeled and expanded at a much lower cost, not the current $75 million projected for a new lab.”

Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, agreed that the Governor’s first priority should be saving surplus dollars. “I support the Governor’s request to return the $402 million to the CBR that we have borrowed over the lean years. That is what the CBR is there for. I also support any efforts to park more of the surplus in the statutory budget reserve. While that reserve is accessible with only a majority vote, it shows good faith and statesmanship on the part of legislators and the Governor to set the surplus aside. We anticipate more lean years for Alaska, with the Trans Alaska Pipeline dropping in through-put by six percent or more a year. Alaska’s leaders have done a good job in the past of saving for future generations – through the Permanent Fund, the CBR, and other set-asides – and I think we need to continue with that attitude.”

Sen. Bunde to be Honored for DNA Forensics Legislation; America’s Most Wanted Host Walsh to Present Award

Juneau – Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, will be honored in Philadelphia on July 22 for his contribution toward getting legislation passed to require DNA samples to be taken from suspected criminals when they are arrested for felonies or crimes against other persons.

The award will be presented by John Walsh, host of the television show, America’s Most Wanted, at a luncheon hosted by DNASaves.org in Philadelphia, PA. The luncheon is being held while legislators are in town for the annual convention of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“I appreciate the honor, and am glad I was able to do my part to help modernize Alaska’s DNA database to better protect the public,” Bunde said. “It seemed to me that upon a felony arrest, a DNA sample should be taken, a modern day fingerprint, if you will. However, I will not be able to attend the luncheon, and have asked my colleague, Sen. Gene Therriault to accept this award on my behalf.”

Previous to 2007, the state’s DNA database was limited to criminals who had been convicted of a felony. As forensic DNA technology improved over time, states were able to share more DNA data with other jurisdictions, to better track criminals, and states began changing their laws to require taking DNA samples at the time of felony arrest. In 2007, during the time Bunde’s legislation to require this was being considered in committee, Kenneth Dion was arrested for the 1994 rape and murder of Bonnie Craig, providing the impetus to incorporate Bunde’s bill into an omnibus crime bill, House Bill 90.

Dion’s DNA match was made from a New Hampshire DNA database following an arrest for burglary. Karen Foster, Bonnie Craig’s mother, and others close to the Bonnie Craig case believe that if Alaska’s new DNA swabbing requirement had been in place in 1994, Dion would have been identified as the prime suspect within a year of her murder.

DNASaves.org was begun by the family of Katie Sepich, who was raped and murdered in 2003. It advocates for the adoption of laws requiring the taking of DNA samples upon felony arrest, also known as “Katie’s Laws.”