April 28, 2003
Monday - 12:05 pm

Juneau - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski unveiled her vision on Friday for Alaska outlining her legislative goals for the 108th Congress.

Murkowski, in her first address to a joint session of the Alaska Legislature April 25th, said she will be working to help Alaska build a robust economy so the state can afford to provide

Transcript of Speech... click here

quality education and health care to state residents.

"My vision for Alaska is expansive. (I want to see) a quality education for our children, health care system that covers those in need, a vibrant economy that takes advantage of our abundant natural resources, an infrastructure for our communities, and real economic opportunities for each Alaskan," said Murkowski.

"As we look to Alaska's future, it is up to us to decide what the next 40 years will bring. Alaska is poised on the edge of a new age of opportunity. It will be the ingenuity of our citizens and the vision that we have for this great state of ours that will lead us into this new era," she said.

Murkowski unveiled that she will be introducing a variety of legislation this year. The measures include:

• Proposing a $200 per month tax credit to families with children under age 6 where the mother or father leaves the work place to stay at home to raise their family. The new child care credit would "recognize the economic sacrifice families make when one parent leaves the work force to stay at home." The credit is designed to offset the family's loss of income, and help more parents afford the estimated $350,000 cost of raising a child to age 18. The amendment likely will be considered when the Senate works on the details of President Bush's economic stimulus/tax package this summer - a package that the Senator said she strongly supports.
• Proposing legislation to create funding for rural school districts to build and maintain new housing for teachers who commit to long-term contracts to teach in rural areas. The plan would add federal funds to funds being pursued at the state level to upgrade rural teacher housing. The goal is to help rural areas recruit and retain quality teachers.
• And encouraging changes in the pending U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement to protect Alaska fishermen from unfair competition in the sale of canned and smoked salmon from Chilean farm-raised salmon.

These proposals are in addition to legislation the Senator already has introduced to win financial incentives to permit construction of a trans-Alaska natural gas line, to expand the Denali Transportation Commission to fund up to an additional $450 million a year of road, port and trail improvements in Alaska; to increase funding for snow machine trails and safety programs in Alaska and to revamp the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to speed decisions in federal cases.

"Alaskans, and more importantly Alaska's children, need to know they have a bright and prosperous future. Quality jobs, good schools, health care, and a good qualify of life make up the building blocks of 'healthy communities.' But the core of a health community is a good economy and creating a stronger economy means lowering taxes on small business, reducing government mandates and allowing ample access to resources and capital. Strengthening Alaska's economy requires policies that increase economic security for our families," she said.

While stressing efforts to promote construction of an Alaska gas line, Murkowski said she still is pressing to educate Congress on the importance of opening the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development - the issue still very much before Congress. And she said in her remarks prepared for delivery that she will work to resolve the subsistence hunting and fishing issue so that Alaskans can reclaim control of its management of fish and game.

Murkowski noted a number of accomplishments already in this Congress, including Alaska salmon to be labeled as "organic," winning a 10 percent increase in Native health funding, winning a provision to preclude lawsuits designed to shutdown the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and improving Native settlement trusts. Murkowski said she has much more that she is prepared to do.

For example she said she is prepared to introduce legislation to modify last year's "No Child Left Behind" education act to make it recognize unique Alaska problems if such changes can't be accomplished administratively. To that end she announced that she will be escorting U.S. Secretary of Education Roderick R. Paige on a tour of Alaska's rural schools in early May.

And on the national level she noted her willingness to help Senate leadership and the President craft a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens, working to improve Medicaid without requiring seniors to join, and working to improve Native health services, besides working on all aspects of national energy legislation and a new reauthorization of the Federal Highway funding bill this year.

Murkowski in the address also strongly supported President George Bush's policies in Iraq and efforts to beef up homeland security and Bush Administration attempts to improve Alaskan access to state lands.

And on her 125th day in office, Murkowski said she has gotten used to life in the Senate and is honored to be a member of the state's Congressional Delegation with Sen. Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young.

"They are amazing in what they do and Alaska is lucky to have them representing our interests. I am thankful that the three of us are working together as a solid unit for the benefit of our state. To ensure we work as a team, I am committed to doing my part to pursuing a vision for Alaska's future that will serve our interests now and for years to come," she said.

Source of News Release:

Office of Senator Murkowski
Web Site

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