Alaska Legislature: Off and running
• Seaton prepared for 90-day session
By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune
HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson - Rep. Paul Seaton enters his eighth year of representing District 35 in the Alaska Legislature.
Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, enters his eighth year as District 35’s legislator this week. Instead of introducing new bills as this legislative session started up Tuesday, Seaton has a cadre of bills introduced last year that he plans to supervise onward.
Work continues this second half of the 26th Alaska Legislature on seven bills ranging from HB 132 — that would give municipalities grant money for purchasing public-use bikes — to a highly technical bill that would restructure how mining companies pay taxes.
“Most bills don’t pass in one legislative session,” Seaton said. “It takes two to make it through; to be discussed and worked around.”
He also continues as chairman of the Education Committee, with a heft of work ahead on setting up school districts’ funding. Seaton will also look at Gov. Sean Parnell’s legislation to provide financial incentive for those seeking higher education, known as the Governor’s Performance Scholarship Program.
Seaton held an Education Committee hearing this morning at 8 a.m. in an attempt to get an early start on Alaska school funding.
“It’s critical to get legislation in so that the legislature has time to work on the bill,” Seaton explained. “This (2007-2010) was the first time in history we had a base student allocation forward funded. This year, that three-year funding expires.”
School district business won’t be interrupted if the base budget they are dealing with is known early on, thus the urgency to get a funding plan in place.
With only 90 days in the session, legislators need to hit the ground running with carefully thought out agendas. In Seaton’s case, that means working on education priorities and his own bills.
The Parnell Administration has a bill ready for Seaton’s committee relating to how to increase the number of college graduates in Alaska. The governor has proposed to place $400 million into a fund that generates interest for paying scholarships, based on a system at work in Wyoming called the Hathaway Scholarship. The money would be allotted based on grades, with A students en route to college receiving 100 percent tuition, B students receiving 75 percent and C students in line for 50 percent.
While Seaton called the idea “good,” he felt there were problems. One is that dedicated funds are against the Alaska Constitution because they hamstring future legislators to fund yesterday’s pet projects tomorrow.
“They lack flexibility in budgets, when priorities change over time,” Seaton said. His committee will work on how to set aside funding within those constraints.
Another problem is how to expand on the governor’s idea so that it includes older college students: people one year away from their degree who had to drop studies when life demanded it, as well as students who might not demonstrate all A’s, but have completed core studies that would give them a leg up in college.
Seaton said he also wants to address the need for voc-ed scholarships, and look at forgiveness issues in the Alaska Student Loan Program.
“Kids who get good grades generally come from families who are higher on the social-economic level. Are we accomplishing the goal of increasing the breadth of students who go to college if we focus only on grades?” Seaton asked. “These are the students who will go to college anyway. I am wondering about those who might fall through the cracks if that is our only criteria.”
Data suggests students who complete a rigorous curriculum — four years of science, math, English and history or social sciences — do better in college.
“It’s not the grades earned that determine college success, as much as if they completed a core curriculum,” he said.
A new book, “A Whole New Mind,” outlines how future jobs will depend on incorporating more concepts and creative portions that are built up from music, art, science and group or teamwork. Seaton said new demands in the 21st-century economy will drive changes to educational systems now in place.
As he helps shape legislation for a whole new incentive program to train a future Alaska workforce, Seaton said he wants to see how best to expand on the governor’s idea.
“The number of college graduates in Alaska is down. It’s expensive and our graduation rates (from high school) are bad. Only 30 percent are going to college,” Seaton said. “It’s important to get a good, college-educated workforce so we attract the right businesses to invest in Alaska.”
He also said it is important to identify the needs of the 70 percent who do not go to college, and get them into programs.
Other bills up for Seaton — with opportunities for public testimony to be announced as the session progresses — include:
• HB 41
Intended to remedy a problem on the Board of Fisheries known in rural areas where large extended families live. Currently, under state ethics laws, board members must recuse themselves if someone in their family is involved in a given issue. This effectively keeps participants from making decisions, even if those involved are distant relatives. Seaton’s bill would simplify this to mainly financial interest among family members.
• HB 66
Net metering for alternative energy credit to consumers is nearly completed, with the need for the Regulatory Commission to approve how it would work.
• HB 40
This is the mining bill that seeks to reform how taxes are collected from companies at work in Alaska. Last year, this bill didn‘t receive a hearing. Like oil tax reform, the bill seeks to achieve a more equitable pay structure for the State of Alaska as owner of mined lands.
“The situation we are in right now is that if a company does not show a profit, they can avoid paying taxes,” Seaton said. “That allows them to work their books to avoid showing a profit.”
This bill amends wording in current law so that the structure for determining taxes is changed.
• HB 43
This bill seeks to resolve conflict surrounding geoducks in southeast Alaska between dive fishermen who harvest wild stock. and farmers who wish to farm in areas with existing wild stock. HB 43 would evade this conflict because there is no wild stock in the proposed area. It expands mariculture economic opportunities.
• HB 132
The bike bill would help cut emission rates contributing to greenhouse gases by making grants available to municipalities and nonprofits for the purchase of bikes made available to the public for transportation.
• HB 46
The mixing zones bill deals with how water from mining operations is discharged in areas where salmon spawning occurs. Current regulations allow freshwater spawning areas to be designated as mixing zones if salmon are not actively spawning at the time of wastewater discharge. HB 46 would change that regulation to prevent discharge of pollutants into any freshwater spawning area.
• HB 200
The Clean Water Links deposits bill provides a market incentive to promote healthy water systems by expanding access to the Alaska Clean Water Fund. It does this by allowing banks to establish low-interest financing for pollution control projects.
The Clean Water Fund is a federal program administered by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, established to fund projects that deal with the care of water and water systems. The Alaska Clean Water Fund is a revolving fund. Currently principal and interest can only be used only by municipalities and state agencies. HB 200 increases the impact of Clean Water dollars by allowing community organizations, developers, nonprofits and individuals to borrow for projects to mitigate pollution through “a linked deposit program” with a third party financial institution.
Posted by Newsroom on Jan 20th, 2010 and filed under Headline News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
10 Responses for “Alaska Legislature: Off and running”
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“The governor has proposed to place $400 million into a fund that generates interest for paying scholarships….dedicated funds are against the Alaska Constitution because they hamstring future legislators to fund yesterday’s pet projects tomorrow.”
This is money that is set aside so that legislators do not have to add to it later. This will give kids who currently have no college ambitions due to financial issues the incentive to get their grades up so they can attend college. This is win-win.
How can Rep. Paul Seaton even consider voting no on this when at the same time he has petitioned the Governor to cut taxes on the oil companies?
“The representatives who signed the letter are Jay Ramras(of ‘I used my intuition to determine you are not being gouged on gas’ fame), Craig Johnson, Kyle Johansen, Mike Hawker, Charisse Millett, Mike Chenault, Alan Austerman, Bill Stoltze, Nancy Dahlstrom, Bryce Edgmon, Bob Herron, PAUL SEATON, Peggy Wilson, Cathy Munoz and John Harris.”
We can’t fund children’s college education, but we can help the oil companies keep more of the billions they take from the state yearly? I mean, we wouldn’t want to cut into their record profits or anything.
Personally I feel the future of our chidren in the state is more important than the future of the oil companies in the state, and tax or no tax, they are not walking away from the $$ they make here.
stina: You realize who funds roughly 90% of state government in Alaska, right?
Do you know what happens when the oil industry stops investing in Alaska?
FYI: ConocoPhillips vice President of North Slope operations and development announced that for the first time in 45 years the company will not drill a new well in 2010. The company is shifting its focus to federal lands, which have a far more attractive tax structure than state land.
Alaska is the highest taxing oil and gas province on the globe. Taxes deter investment.
Do you know what any of what I’m writing means? Am I talking over your head?
FIGURE IT OUT! Ask someone to explain it to you.
Alaskan Resident
Some of us believe that the oil company pulling back it’s investment up here is the only route to reducing the scope of government, reducing the ridiculously high values of property and houses, and reducing our tendency to throw money at every whining voice that comes along.
Do you know what civility means? Might want to have someone explain it to you.
So you are on the same side as VECO Chairman Bill Allen? What does this say about our current state legislators…
“Last year, as part of a major federal corruption investigation, an oil-services executive — former VECO Chairman Bill Allen — pleaded guilty to bribing some state legislators as he sought to limit the size of an oil-tax increase approved in 2006.”
Franan: I agree that government is too big. But increasing taxes on the oil industry is not the way to reduce the size of government. Government won’t shrink. What will happen is Alaskans will be paying a state sales tax or an income tax – OR BOTH! Increasing taxes on the oil industry will only decrease investment, which in turn, means less jobs for Alaskans.
stina: Do you know what VECO was? It was an oil service company. Bill Allen was corrupt. He did bribe. AND HE IS IN JAIL FOR IT.
VECO is not the same as ConocoPhillips, BP and Exxon. They’re apples and oranges.
Stina-
The State Constitution is the highest law of the State Government. If this is unconstitutional, then it needs killed. Period. We have so many law breakers in Congress, that I am incredibly encouraged to see that we have a State Rep. who respects the law he is under, and his oath of office. And we all know how willing Paul Seaton is to spend anything he can for eduction, so it’s not that he’s against eduction spending. I personally think this idea is no good, but regardless, we should maybe all send Rep. Seaton thank you notes.
Concerning taxes, tax cuts are always a plus to the economy. The idea that we should really sock it to the rich, and to wealthy corporations is un-American. America has been the nation were people have come for a chance to prosper in a free land, and prosperity didn’t used to be punished like it is today. We should be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I think the sock-it-to-the-rich mentality has developed from people who consider themselves poor and are envious of those better off, and want the government to grab the rich people’s money and give them benefits from the stolen loot. No one around here could call me wealthy (most African folks would though), but I don’t want stolen loot from big corporations. I just want to keep what I earn. Let’s let EVERYONE keep more of their money.
I agree we should be civil, more so than some comments I’ve seen on her, but if you think some of the jabs on here are bad, you should maybe check out the New York Times’s website. I was on there yesterday and strayed into the comments. YIKES!!! I’ll stick with friendly, considerate Homer.
“If this is unconstitutional, then it needs killed.”
I don’t see how it is unconstitutional. The idea is to set aside the 400 million to generate interst to pay for the scholarships. Once this money is set aside it does not “hamstring future legislators to fund yesterday’s pet projects” It is a one time deal so this statement doesn’t make sense.
“want the government to grab the rich people’s money and give them benefits from the stolen loot.”
This is actually the opposite of what is happening. Our government is grabbing tax dollars and giving it to the super wealthy… trillions to bankers who then give billion dollar bonuses to themselves. They are stealing from our children as they will be paying interest to the Chinese for this loan…forever. People want to lower taxes? Then stop allowing the government to attack innocent nations, wasting billions in a giveaway to companies like Halliburton, Kellog Brown and Root, Blackwater. These wars are all about the Military Industrial Complex, Eisenhower was right! (See the movie War Inc.,with John Cusack and Marissa Tomei, a comedy very close to the truth) We are even allowing our government to waste billions illegally spying on us through “homeland security”.
As we write, they are preparing the reasons for an attack on Yemen. Time and time again they use fear to steal from the taxpayers, ‘the economy is going to crash if we don’t give money to the bankers’, ‘they’ll be no jobs if we don’t give money away in a ’stimulus’ ‘the underwear bomber’s going to get us so we have to attack Yemen’….meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor…can die for all they care.
I just read a story where stimulus money was given to Boeing to clean up their own environmental mess. They paid a $500,000 fine, then got 16 million in stimulus money to clean it up in a no bid contract.
Now after all this government waste, they are coming for our Social Security and Medicare because of the debt they have created on these enterprises. Give me a break. People paid in for these programs, they are not ‘entitlements’. It is the big Corporations and our corrupt politicians that feel they are entitiled to taxpayer money.
If Alaskans are bothered by having to pay their taxes, we need only to look in the mirror…
Dear feds: We loathe you. Please send money
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What taxes are you talking about, stina? The only taxes Alaskans pay are federal taxes.
Governor Parnell is an idiot to continue with Palin’s rhetoric. He’ll bankrupt this state.
Why is that? BECAUSE THE OIL INDUSTRY PAY FOR EVERYTHING IN ALASKA!
What do you think will happen when the oil industry pulls out of Alaska???
“What taxes are you talking about, stina”
I thought the word ‘fed’ made that pretty clear
“What do you think will happen when the oil industry pulls out of Alaska???”
Where there are billion dollar profits to be made, the oil industry is not leaving. This is a fear tactic used by the oil industry so they can attempt to get Alaskans behind reducing their taxes. They also attempt to bribe our politicians as well, but by all means become a victim of their fear tactics.
“BECAUSE THE OIL INDUSTRY PAY FOR EVERYTHING IN ALASKA!”
Actually the Federal government contributes quite a bit to Alaska
I’ll quote from the article I posted for you…about federal taxes…
“funding a third of all our jobs?…third of our governor’s proposed state budget for 2011 (that’s $2.8 billion) that comes from Washington…for every dollar we do pay, we enjoy close to two dollars in government services in return (that’s about $14,000 per person, also more than most everyone else in the country”