Senate

A program using tax credits to encourage film and television producers working in Alaska will get another hearing today. Representative Mia Costello of Anchorage chairs the Finance subcommittee reviewing Senate Bill 23, the film subsidy tax credit act that sunsets next year. In her mind, there is still a lot to resolve before moving the bill. Read More

City Clerks Office Reviews Voting Problems. Bethel Judge Removed From Bench. Senate Passes Budget. Cleveland Volcano Acts Up. Fisheries Panel Moves to Protect Undersea Canyons. U.S. and Russian Coast Guards Work Together. Courts To Consider FASD Mitigations. Rural Hazardous Waste Problems. Yupik Dancers Wow Neatherlands Festival.

The stories up for discussion this week are: the oil tax revision passed by the Senate; Anchorage election results and ballot shortage investigation; proposed bill to offset high energy costs; Samantha Koenig body found; legislative session winding down; and "Justice for Ted" rally.KSKA: Friday, 4/6 at 2:00pm & Saturday, 4/7 at 6:00pmKAKM: Friday, 4/6 at 7:30pm & Saturday, 4/7 at 5:00pm

The Governor will likely get a scholarship bill from the Senate, but not quite the one he wants. The Senate Finance Committee Friday approved a plan of…

The stories up for discussion this week are: the report on prosecutors’ conduct in the Ted Stevens case; the state’s oil tax debate; redistricting; Senate votes down measure to open ANWR; in-state gas line; the Anchorage mayoral race.KSKA: Friday, 3/16 at 2:00pm & Saturday, 3/17 at 6:00pmKAKM: Friday, 3/16 at 7:30pm & Saturday, 3/17 at 5:00pm

Oil and Gas taxes take the forefront at the legislature this week – but that’s not all on the menu for the next few days.

The Alaska Senate State Affairs committee heard testimony Tuesday on Senator Donny Olson’s bill to create an Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council. Annette Evans Smith, the President of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, says the time for action on keeping languages alive is now.

Republicans in the U.S. House are rejecting a plan to extend the popular payroll tax cut Americans are now getting.

State Legislative Committees today (Monday) began looking at the steps needed to cut back on the cost of prisons at the same time as maintaining a “tough-on-crime” reputation. The House and Senate Finance Subcommittees on Corrections heard of strategies in other states – most predominantly Texas, where state Representative Jerry Madden recalled how he was part of a bipartisan approach to prison reform.

The battle over the Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska is extending to the Lower 48. This week US Senator Maria Cantwell, from Washington State, sent a letter to the head of the EPA urging her to – if necessary – consider using the Clean Water Act to stop the development of the mine. If the EPA uses its veto power over the mine before the permitting stage, it would be a first for the federal agency.