Crawford’s Bill for Hydrogen Energy Research Passes House Special Committee on Economic Development, International Trade, & Tourism

House Bill 512, sponsored [sponsor statement] by Representative Harry Crawford (D-Anchorage), will create the Hydrogen Energy Partnership within the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to facilitate the development of a hydrogen fuel industry in Alaska. The bill calls for DCED to seek federal and/or private dollars to fund the project.

House Bill 512 now moves to House Finance.

Kerttula’s Bill for Protection Against Mad Cow Disease
Passes House Unanimously

House Joint Resolution 35, sponsored [sponsor statement] by Representative Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau), passed the House of Representatives today with unanimous support. The measure calls for labeling of meat and supports efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent mad cow disease in American beef.

HJR35 “mooooves” now to the Senate for consideration.

Democrats Call on Senate Finance to Separate Spending Cap From PFD Protection: Dividend Protection Hindered by Spending Cap Rider

House and Senate Democrats today called on the Senate Finance Committee to remove a provision added by the Senate Judiciary committee that would make constitutional protection of the Permanent Fund Dividend contingent on the passage of a constitutional spending cap.

“These are two separate issues. One should not be contingent on the other,” said Senator Georgianna Lincoln (D-Rampart), sponsor of dividend protection legislation. Lincoln’s Senate Joint Resolution 19 protects the current Permanent Fund dividend program in the constitution and requires a majority vote of the people before the Legislature may spend any excess Permanent Fund earnings.

“I’m focused on dividend protection. We don’t want the people to have to vote for an unrelated, unspecified constitutional amendment just to protect their dividend,” said Representative Eric Croft (D-Anchorage), co-sponsor of HJR3, the House version of SJR19. “The spending cap rider may prove to be cement shoes for dividend protection.”

According to a legal opinion obtained March 2 from Legislative Legal Services, “...the addition of the contingency in CSSJR19 (JUD) increases the risk that the court will find the proposal to be so extensive as to amount to a revision to the state constitution, and, therefore, beyond the power of the legislature to propose.”

The legal opinion states that adding the contingency provision increases the risk that the entire constitutional amendment will be found unconstitutional. In the 1999 case Bess vs. Ulmer, the court held that the legislature could propose amendments to the constitution that involve only one subject.

The legal opinion states that dividend protection and a spending cap may be acceptable as stand-alone measures, but a resolution with both runs the risk of constitutional problems.

Upcoming Events -

Tuesday, March 23rd - The next meeting of the Joint Legislative Health Caucus will take place from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Butrovich/Fahrenkamp room. The subject of the meeting will be "Can Alaska Afford its Next Drink? Alcohol and Alaska’s Health". Professionals and citizens from around the state will discuss the many ways alcohol abuse impacts the health of Alaskans. Statewide teleconferencing will be available. For more information, contact Representative Sharon Cissna's office toll-free at 1-800-922-3875.

Thursday February 26th - UFA President Bob Thorstenson and Senator Kim Elton (D-Juneau) will speak at the Bill Egan Forum at the Baranof Hotel (Juneau) beginning at noon. The title of the talk is “Fish Marketing.”

Putting Alaskans First - Moving Alaska Forward