Our priorities often miss the headlines. That's because the press most often reports on bills Republican leaders allow to be debated. In 2005 House or Senate floor discussion and votes were allowed on 185 Republican bills but only on 11 Democratic bills. So we thought we'd share our vision with you here.

       We're committed to:

* A gas pipeline. A natural gas pipeline will do more to fuel our economy than any project on our horizon. The oil companies that hold our North Slope gas leases have resisted this project and refused to produce our gas. Alaskans own our North Slope gas. We have the right to fairly force the hand of the companies who won't produce it.

A recent Legislative study confirms a gas pipeline would be a vastly profitable project and also confirms the state doesn't have to subsidize it by granting the oil companies who hold these leases even bigger tax breaks than our current laws provide.

The state has a right to take back gas leases from any company that won't sign a reasonable contract to sell gas into a pipeline. We must show we're willing to take back and rebid leases from companies that won't supply a gas pipeline.

We believe any gas pipeline contract must require: 1. a firm, early construction date; 2. fair access for in-state gas use by our communities and fair access by competitors of BP, Conoco and Exxon who want to develop and send gas through a pipeline; and 3. maximum levels of Alaska hire and state revenue.

* Strong schools. Alaska is a wealthy state and can have the best educational system in the United States. Our challenge is to convert our natural resource wealth into a talent pool of human capital. Lower class sizes and highly qualified teachers are proven methods that lead to higher test scores, lower dropout rates and greater prosperity for our next generation.

This year Alaska's Democrats pushed, as in the past, to improve our schools. Our plan would have given the Anchorage School District the additional 4 percent in funding it needed to hire more teachers, and likely avert this fall's dispute between teachers and school officials.

* Our rights to fish and hunt. We're working to protect Alaskans' rights to fish, hunt and use the outdoors. Miles of river-bank on fishing streams such as Deep Creek, Anchor River, and a number of Susitna River tributaries will be lost to public access unless the state acts now. We're pushing legislation to prompt the state to negotiate with willing landowners to purchase or trade for access easements on these streams before they're developed and public access is lost forever. We also have deep concerns about a "mixing zone" proposal by Gov. Murkowski that would allow polluting sediment to be drained into our salmon and trout streams.

* Tax relief. For 25 years the state shared revenue with local communities to reduce property taxes and provide for public safety. The Legislature and Gov. Murkowski ended Municipal Revenue Sharing in 2003. That decision resulted in local property tax increases and now threatens to dissolve many rural communities. The return of revenue sharing would help keep rural communities viable and reduce Anchorage property taxes.

       For now we'll keep working to write our ideas into legislation that passes, to fight legislation we feel harms our state, and to educate our colleagues and push them in the right direction. We believe Alaska can and should do better.