Murkowski claims several Alaska victories in year-end spending, tax bills

Congress has agreed on a year-end spending and tax package, though the final votes in the House and Senate have yet to be taken. The legislation sets federal funding levels for the next year and extends several tax breaks.

Senator Lisa Murkowski played a major role in crafting the final deal. She says Alaska can claim a number of victories, including provisions pertaining to national defense, veterans benefits, and language mandating the labeling of genetically-engineered salmon.

“The FDA shall not allow the introduction or delivery into inter-state commerce of any food that contains genetically-engineered salmon, until FDA has published final labeling guidelines for informing consumers of this content,” Murkowski said.

Essentially, no genetically-engineered salmon would be on store shelves until the Federal Food and Drug Administration develops and implements a labeling process.

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Other fisheries provisions clear up issues in the naming of products like “Alaskan Pollock,” and another supporting the J-1 and H-2-B visa programs, to ensure the state’s fisheries industry is able to fill its large number of seasonal jobs.

Murkowski says commitments to the Alaska Native community were also fulfilled through funding to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service.

“We also have, for the first time ever, included funding for tribal courts in Alaska,” she said. “We see funding substance and drug abuse. Funding within BIA that will not only work to deal with issues related to substance abuse, but domestic violence, suicide.”

Murkowski says $10 million is appropriated toward the nation’s tribal courts and $25 million to BIA to strengthen programs combating domestic violence and substance abuse.

She also says contract support costs – which are the operational costs for tribes to deliver federal programs – are fully funded.

Flat funding is on the horizon for the Environmental Protection Agency, but Murkowski says there will be funding for the agency’s back-haul program to remove solid waste and garbage from rural Alaska.

The deal also delays for two years the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s “Cadillac Tax,” which taxes high-cost insurance plans that are especially prevalent in Alaska’s market.

The crude oil export ban is also lifted, though Alaska’s oil was already exempt.

The entire package is expected to be out of the House and into the Senate on Friday for consideration.