Democrats Prioritize Education, Promote Solutions; FOCUS: parent involvement, commitment to districts, lowering cost of college and job training

JUNEAU – The state of Alaska needs to make education more of a priority, House Democrats told reporters at a press conference in the capitol today. House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula (Juneau), Representative Chris Tuck (Anchorage), Representative Pete Petersen (Anchorage) and Representative Les Gara (Anchorage) outlined their proposals to increase parent involvement in early education, to make sure school districts have the resources they need, and to make college and job training more affordable for Alaskans.

Rep. Gara Calls for Better Alternative to Gov’s Oil Bill; Alternative requires new Alaska exploration and production

Today Democratic Representative Les Gara called for a hearing on his oil tax legislation. Unlike the governor’s bill which gives away revenue for nothing in return, Rep. Gara’s “Alaska Oil Production Enhancement Act” (HB 231) requires oil companies to make new investments in Alaska before receiving incentives.

“Alaska is a sovereign state. We should act like one. The Governor’s bill gives companies the option to take $1.8 billion a year outside Alaska. Our bill requires that companies invest in Alaska, on development projects, that will open new fields and heavy oil to production to qualify for the incentives we offer,” said Gara.

House Democratic Caucus Announces Social Media Pages

Today, the House Democratic Caucus announced its presence on three major social media websites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The caucus will post timely news, legislative updates, and other points of interest throughout the legislative session and the rest of the year.

Please find us on the following pages:

Facebook: facebook.com/AKdemocrats
Twitter: @AKHouseDems
YouTube: youtube.com/user/AKHousedemocrats

All content is public and available to use for any non-campaign related purpose.

Rep. Gara Objects to KABATA Plan to Destroy Homes and Businesses; Destroying homes before bridge is approved puts cart before the horse

JUNEAU – Today, Representative Les Gara sent a letter to the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA) objecting to the rude awakening the group gave to property and business owners on Government Hill this fall. Letters from KABATA, a government agency, told owners that they will be vacated from those properties by this summer. KABATA has issued binding purchase offers and written in correspondence that it intends to own these properties by the summer of 2012. The project still has no funding, no developer, requires a potential $1 billion or more in state liability and appropriations, and has not yet been approved.

Democrats: Today’s Resources Build Tomorrow’s Opportunity; Democratic Response to the State of the State shows vision for Alaska

JUNEAU – In her response to the governor’s state of the state speech tonight, House Democratic Leader Beth Kerttula (Juneau) told Alaskans that Alaska must use today’s resources to build tomorrow’s future.

“You’ve elected us to lead, and it’s our job to lead in a way that honors Alaska’s courageous spirit by using today’s resources to build tomorrow’s opportunities,” said Rep. Kerttula.

Democrats Propose Student Loan Relief; Measure to cut interest rates for Alaskans who put their training to work in Alaska

JUNEAU – Today, Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and Representative David Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks) announced that they have pre-filed a bill to reduce the cost of student loans for Alaskans who put their training to work in Alaska.

“For Alaska to be competitive, we need to make sure our workforce gets the training it needs and that our students put their skills to work in Alaska,” said Rep. Guttenberg. “This bill makes it easier for Alaskans to stay here or return to help build our state.”

Note from Rep. Gara: KABATA Taking Homes & Businesses Before There’s A Project? 2012 Pre-Filed Bills

I’ll be heading off to Juneau Saturday, and wanted to share some news about what folks in New York call Chutzpah.

First, the Chutzpah – or, in English – bad, bad, bad behavior…. on the part of the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA)

Monday, Noon: Gara To Tell Anchorage Chamber Guv’s Oil Giveaway Must Give Way To Better Plan That Will Work.

On Monday Rep. Les Gara will present to an audience that hasn’t heard the other side of the story on Governor Parnell’s oil tax bill: That it gives away billions, with no tangible benefit to Alaskans. The presentation at the Chamber’s Make it Monday forum will be at noon at the Dena’ina Convention Center in Anchorage.

“Last time we lowered taxes on oil companies, we had declining production, companies took their profits out of state, and we had 40% less investment and 40% percent fewer jobs. The Governor’s plan is more of the same corporate welfare. Rather than tell companies they can take his $1.8 billion in tax reductions out of state, which his plan allows, we should allow tax credits only if companies spend in Alaska on new exploration and new production,” said Gara, whose HB 231 includes those provisions.

[Sen. French] BP Withholds Oil Pipeline Evidence; Credibility in Oil Tax Debate Questioned

ANCHORAGE- Two Anchorage legislators today pointed to findings in the recent court decision issued by Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason that BP has withheld evidence in that case as undermining that company’s credibility in the ongoing debate over oil taxes. The judge’s ruling was issued December 30, 2011, in a case related to the value of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System(TAPS). The 213-page document settled a dispute over the 2007-2009 property taxes that TAPS must pay to municipalities whose property the pipeline crosses. In setting the value of the pipeline for property tax purposes, the judge had to calculate the life of the pipeline in order to correctly arrive at the right figure for depreciation. That ‘end of life’ calculation in turn requires a ‘minimum throughput determination’ – an estimation of the lowest level of throughput that can be transported through the pipeline.

Oil Tax Debate Fact Sheet

1. Background (so you understand the system)

The main problem is that the Governor’s bill reduces the tax rate for existing fields – in exchange for no commitments of new work (by reducing the tax surcharge while companies reap windfall profits at high prices).

Governor’s Bill: The Governor wants to reduce the base tax for new fields from 25% of profits – to 15% – no matter how productive those fields are. But the biggest point, and loss for the state is that he wants to reduce the tax on all fields by cutting the rate taxes increase at high, windfall prices.