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During the second session of the 27th Legislature several business and natural resources-related legislative bills moved through the House and Senate, and some didn’t find their way out.
This wrap-up covers the outcomes of some of these, and other related bills.
Two health related Senate sponsored bills moved through committees right up to the end, but finished without passing out of House Labor and Commerce Committee.
The bills were Senate versions of bills sponsored by local legislator Rep. Cathy Muñoz.
Co-sponsors Rep. Cathy Muñoz, R-Juneau and Rep. Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, wrote House Bill 259 to address a number of the grievances pharmacists have with the benefit management industry — the go between for pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies. The auditing practices of benefit management companies have been onerous, Alaskan pharmacists said. HB 259 did not pass the House.
However Senate Bill 217 moved through Senate Labor and Commerce and Finance Committees with committee substitutes and was passed to the House one day before the end of the second session. It was referred to House Labor and Commerce Committee on Sunday but was not heard.
Naturopaths in Alaska have found it harder to procure remedies they’ve traditionally offered thief patients. Senate Bill 175 was written to strengthen naturopaths hand by codifying current regulations pertaining to what is considered a naturopathic medicine and naturopaths right to obtain their remedies.
Its House version was House Bill 266, sponsored by Rep. Muñoz, did not leave its first committee. (bit.ly/JCop2V)
These bills did not pass in time:
• House Bill 168 short titled Injunction Security: Industrial Operation was introduced by Rep. Feige early in the first session. (bit.ly/IZk2md)
Rep. Feige’s bill would have advised judges considering whether to require a bond and where to set the amount of the bond when issuing an injunction, to “include an amount for the payment of wages and benefits for employees and payments to contractors and subcontractors that may be lost if the industrial operation is wrongfully enjoined," according to the bill text.
It was referred to House Judiciary Committee and was heard and amended being moved out of committee in April 2011. The House of Representatives passed the bill to the Senate several days later. In the Senate, HB 168 was referred to Labor and Commerce and Judiciary Committees. It was moved to Judiciary on March 20 and heard and held once before the session ended.
• House Bill 118 Research and Development tax credit was introduced early in the first session. (bit.ly/JdRbKv) It was written to incentivize certain types of research and development through tax credits. Only increased amounts of research would be rewarded and unused portions of the credit can be used within 7 years.
• HB 118 worked its way through the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate. The Senate Resources Committee moved the bill with one vote of due pass and a committee substitute. The bill was in Senate Finance Committee when the session ended.
• SB 175, a bill that defines naturopathic practice in state law, was introduced early in the second session by Sen. Lesil McGuire R-Anchorage. It passed the Senate on April 13 and was referred to House Labor and Commerce Committee, but was not heard before the session ended.
The Alaska Legislature is split into two sessions, currently each 90 days long.
A bill introduced at any time during session, or in pre-file a few days before, must be passed by the Legislature before the end of the second session unless the governor calls a special session — which Governor Sean Parnell did for certain bills.
• Contact reporter Russell Stigall at 523-2276 or at russell.stigall@juneauempire.com.
Comments (14)
Add commentWhat?
"remedies they’ve traditionally offered thief patients."
Please clarify.
Results?
I remember being told that having Cathy Munoz representing Juneau as a member of the republican majority would mean that we would have more effective representation.
So what did we get?
Two healthcare bills that didn't go anywhere, and a party line vote for Parnell's massive oil tax giveaway.
Teamwork
I think Rep. Munoz was a great team player here. Looking at our capital budget wish list granted we did good. New buses, school computer upgrades, new Ak class ferry, $450M bond for projects, Ak State Library and Archives funding (a personal favorite of mine), ice rink funding in the valley, etc. Voting along party lines? Shocker! Dems never do that!
When it comes to new laws being passed, the fewer the better.
SB 175
"Thief"= their. That's a bad typo!
This bill, in any form, was repeatedly blocked during the session by Kurt Olsen despite his earlier assurances that he would pass it through.
That's a bad lawmaker.
The Facts
Between 300 and 400 bills and resolutions were considered by the 27th Alaska Legislature. The count is subjective because many bills are rolled into other bills, bills are combined, titles are changed, some bills are merely ceremonial, etc. I think that 50 actual bills of legislation were enacted; I think anyone could check for the exact number, and of course the count is subjective as already explained. There are 60 legislators (59 at the end of course). Representative Munoz originated 6 substantive bills that were enacted, all of them requested by constituents. So she is about 1.7% of the legislature and had 12% of the bills that passed, and that record speaks for itself. That is a singular record for 2012.
All legislators have bills that do not pass, including the Speaker of the House and the Senate President. I would bet a new Subaru that Representative Munoz has had more substantive bills enacted than has the entire House Minority in that same period of time. Moreover, preventing bills that are bad for Juneau is as important as having good bills pass, and the Minority has been particularly powerless in protecting Juneau in that regard. And I agree with Mr. Dunker that often the public is best protected when fewer bills pass than when there are lots of new laws enacted.
The capital budget relies to a huge, disproportionate degree on Representative Munoz. Look at the list and compare that with what she told the Chamber of Commerce last year she was working on and had originated. Alternatively, talk to the organizations that proposed the various Juneau projects, including DOT, and ask them to what office did they first propose their request and what office did the actual work; they will tell you they went to Representative Munoz and that it was her staff that carried the project.
The oil tax bill situation remains the same. The naysayers have no remedy to declining TAPS production, and that lost production is the biggest economic threat Alaska has ever faced. HB110 could not pass the Senate but communities of House members voting against it suffered in both legislation and in funding. So voting against it would have been politically stupid, and Representative Munoz is anything but that.
If Latitude 58 or ArtVandelay will list the 2012 bills originated by and sponsored by any one Representative they want to put forward as their best example I will find and list the bills originated by and sponsored by Representative Munoz for comparison. Uninformed (and otherwise challenged it seems) people can vent here but facts are too often disregarded and apparently not held in high regard by some.
Finally, I want to say that the Empire has done a poor job with this article. Most bills don't pass. What did pass, where each of those bills originated and why, and how Juneau will be impacted is the story that should have been written.
Outstanding commentary.
Thank you, glacierdogs, for a most readable commentary. Amazing how intelligent dialogue can be accomplished without denigrating someone in the process.
But I meant to denigrate.
Thanks Mr. Dunker but I really meant to take a shot at the Empire. The article is slanted, poorly edited, and uninformative. Juneau needs a daily newspaper, but today it needed a better one. I hope they do better in the future.
Good shot glacierdogs.
Yes, I recognized the article's slant and omissions in light of your own commentary. I should have used a different term than 'denigrate': "to speak ill of". In my view this means being crass, or verbally abusive and disrespectful. You, on the other other hand, came across as critical which I feel was warranted. After a 90 day session we get a 'summary' with our Republican representative getting slammed. I am thinking the results will get a more comprehensive coverage following the special session. Being the seat of government one would expect more.
OK gdog
I'll grant that she actually was busier than the article above indicated. I approve of several of the bills she was a participant in. Good to see.
However, the first rule of a legislator is to "do no harm". And by signing onto Parnell's massive giveaway of Alaska's oil wealth, she negated whatever good she might have done in all of her other bills.
I understand that you feel that our government should consist exclusively of republicans. I don't. Parnell was able to ram his corrupt bill through the House because it consists of too many republicans willing to rubber stamp whatever he (and his oil cronies) churned out. So the burden falls on the Senate. Cathy has failed to do her primary job in that regard.
You talk about Munoz stopping bills that are bad for Juneau. News flash, darling - giving away $2 billion PER YEAR with nothing to show for it WOULD be bad for Juneau.
Latitude
I cannot explain the politics any more plainly than I have. When a person is elected to public office they get to set in the engineer's seat for 2 years, 4 years, or 6 years. So they run their little train. But whether the train pulls any freight or not depends upon them. At the same time, the engineer has no real say in where the tracks lead (although engineers can and do sometimes make the train jump the track, or they cause a train wreck). Exogenous factors like oil prices, natural gas prices, federal spending levels, court rulings, etc. etc. determine where the tracks may lead; all we can demand of those we elect is that they look far down the tracks and prepare for what they see coming (hands on the throttle and eye upon the rails - I always liked Mr. Acuff by the way).
The House Minority gets to make lots of noise but they haul no freight and make no difference. Please don't spoil their fun and tell them but the trains they get to run are toys in someone's basement - maybe the basement of some Democrat like yourself. That's why many Democrats have joined the Majority (so they can run real trains with real, loud whistles, and get out of your basement perhaps).
Representative Munoz quite evidently knows that to amount to something for Juneau and for Alaska she has to understand where the track leads, how fast to take the curves, and how to put more freight for constituents on the train. Voting for HB110 brought a net benefit to Juneau at no possible cost. If the opposition can come up with a solution to declining oil production then I bet it will pass the entire legislature. If not then the Juneau economy will benefit only from the economic boost of a special session but all of Alaska will continue to head toward where the tracks go over a cliff. Every year that Governor Parnell and the Majority don't reduce state spending speeds the approach of that cliff.
The Empire owes Juneau readers and voters an accurate story of how well Representative Munoz did in the 27th Alaska Legislature. Their poorly written article requires that.
It's like this, gdog
In your narrow little world there is only a republican majority who gets to make all of the decisions based on a strict party line vote.
Seems that the Senate doesn't follow that formula. There's a majority that consists of both parties, and a minority consisting of republicans.
So let's hear Cathy explain the politics to us in person rather than some anonymous family member. Let her explain exactly why she voted for the massive tax giveaway.
You keep demanding that the Empire provide more favorable coverage...go start your own blog or something.
Response
I would like balanced coverage, not favorable. The Senate will very likely change leadership to a Republican majority this year but even if it does not it will continue to be true that most Juneau people go to Rep. Munoz when they have a problem or request. You can research that for yourself.
It's absolutely true that the House Minority makes no decisions whatsoever. Ask Representative Joule, or anyone, if you like.
I am not related to anyone who has ever served in the Alaska Legislature.