The 26th Alaska Legislature gaveled out on Sunday evening. As a first time legislator, I had braced myself for many 4:00 a.m. sessions, but luckily they never occurred. Speaker Mike Chenault kept morale high and supported caucus members with individual community priorities. My first priority is to protect Juneau’s economic interests. Keeping state jobs secure and protecting against capital move legislation is number one. Early on, I received the commitment from the Speaker that the capital move issue would not receive caucus attention. This enabled me to focus on other critical issues without the emotional roller coaster of a capital move fight.

The subport building legislation, HB 161, was my top legislative priority. It passed the House unanimously and moved quickly through the process to Senate Finance. The timing of the legislation is critical since the construction schedule must continue to go forward to meet the 2012 lease expiration date on the Department of Labor building. Yesterday I met with our new Senator Dennis Egan and Department of Administration officials to discuss our options for keeping the project moving forward. The Mental Health Trust is considering alternative financing options, and a commitment to keep the permitting and the design build process underway. House leadership has committed to making HB 161 a top legislative priority when we reconvene next January. Senator Egan will play an instrumental role in the bill’s success.

The federal stimulus package helped to bolster an otherwise austere capital budget. Juneau came out pretty well with new funding for a transit center, Glacier highway reconstruction in two locations, Whittier to Main St. improvements, the Auke Bay seawalk, cruise ship dock repairs, the Glacier spur road and several water and sewer upgrades. In addition, the Marine Exchange will receive $450,000 for infrastructure improvements for commercial ship monitoring.

The relationship between the State and Tribal entities was another area where I focused my attention. Early in the session I met with Mr. Bob Loescher, a representative of Tlingit and Haida, to identity a strategy for better communication between the Department of Law and Tribal courts on matters pertaining to child custody. I also worked with officials of the Department of Transportation and Tribal road entities to find opportunities to maximize funding and cooperative work. This led to legislation clarifying liability so that a memorandum of understanding between the parties could be finalized.

Other key legislation that I supported and worked on included increasing funding for power cost equalization, the alternative energy fund, cruise ship wastewater discharge permitting, state employee retirement defined benefit legislation, and raising Alaska’s compulsory attendance age to help address Alaska’s high drop-out rate. I was also pleased to support the Kensington Mine with a resolution calling on the Governor to help reinstate any affected permits that were held up during the litigation phase on the mine’s tailings plan.

The Governor also brought forward legislation and funding requests that lay the groundwork for an in-state gas pipeline. A four-phase plan for the development of an in-state pipeline was presented by the administration on March 3. Work continues on the legislation that will form the initial statutory framework for the development of the project. The legislature approved $7.1 million to continue work on the in-state gas pipeline. Speaker Chenault introduced HB44, which I cosponsored, that would preauthorize the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority to issue bonds for energy related programs and projects. HB44 passed the House on April 15 and was referred to Senate Resources.

During the interim, staff Shannon Fields, Kendra Kloster and I will work to get our small space better organized, and will delve into several upcoming legislative projects. We have been asked to carry legislation on the WICHE scholarship program which would allow funding opportunities for individuals interested in medical careers, improving rate reimbursement and equity for small business pharmacies and legislation that would make hazing on school property a class A misdemeanor.

Most importantly, we are here to help Juneau residents with their issues and concerns. If you need help getting through the maze of state government, please let me know. It is an honor to serve my hometown community. Thanks so much for your support during this hectic session. Sincerely, Cathy Munoz