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November 2010

Vol. 15, No. 46 Week of November 14, 2010

House, Senate Working Group organize

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Both majority and minority caucuses in the Alaska House have organized for the 27th Alaska Legislature, which convenes Jan. 18 in Juneau.

The Senate Bipartisan Working Group, which announced leadership positions earlier in November, has completed committee assignments.

For the Republican-led majority in the House, Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, returns as speaker. Alan Austerman, R-Kodiak, will be majority leader and Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, will the chair of the Rules Committee.

Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak/Mat-Su, will be co-chair of Finance for the capital budget and legislation and Bill Thomas, R-Haines, will be co-chair of Finance for the operating budget.

Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, will be majority whip and Reggie Joule, D-Kotzebue, will be House chair of the Bush caucus.

“We struck a regional balance, same as last organization,” Chenault said in a Nov. 6 statement. “It’s important, not only among caucus members, but also within the leadership team.” He said he looks forward to “healthy debate” in Juneau.

The missing Republicans

In a Nov. 8 statement, House Republican leadership explained the absence from leadership and committee assignments of Kyle Johansen of Ketchikan, the current House majority leader, and Charisse Millett of Anchorage, who currently co-chairs the House Energy Special Committee.

Chenault said Johansen won re-election as House majority leader, but Millett didn’t get the position she wanted as chair of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee. Chenault said that after Millett failed to win the position as chair of LB&A, Johansen “proposed a deal to give up his position (as majority leader) and give Rep. Millett a seat on the House Finance Committee. The Caucus did not like that idea, so both representatives walked out of the organization.”

Apparently there were accusations that Republicans ceded control by bringing rural Democrats into the caucus.

“We caucused with three rural members and former representative Richard Foster in the past, and both Rep. Millett and Rep. Johansen had no problem with it then. This is simply a situation where a pair of members did not like the choices their colleagues made concerning the make-up of the Majority Caucus,” Chenault said.

Austerman, the newly elected majority leader, said Johansen and Millett “had the same opportunity as anyone else: to go through the normal caucus process to earn seats by vote, but they chose to make demands after the fact instead.”

“We are committed — as a caucus — to including the voices and viewpoints of all regions of Alaska in making policy and fiscal decisions,” Austerman said.

Johnson, the new Rules chair, said: “The only promise I made regarding the Rules Chairmanship was that I wouldn’t unilaterally block any caucus priority legislation.” He said he would never promise action on specific legislation in return for a position.

“That is not ethical — and I never would do that, period,” Johnson said.

He said House Republicans have caucused with rural Democrats in the past “and it has been a strength. Frankly, I believe that they provide ample balance and perspective to our caucus and am thankful for their voice in caucus matters.”

House committee chairs

Other committee chairs for the House are: Cathy Munoz, R-Juneau, Community and Regional Affairs; Alan Dick, R-Stony River, Education; Wes Keller, R-Wasilla, Health and Social Services; Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, Judiciary; Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna, Labor and Commerce; Paul Seaton, R-Homer, and Eric Feige, R-Chickaloon, co-chairs of Resources; Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, State Affairs; and Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, Transportation.

Neal Foster, D-Nome, and Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage, will co-chair the Special Committee on Energy; Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, will chair the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee; and Bob Herron, D-Bethel, will be vice-chair of the Legislative Council.

House Democrats

The House Democratic caucus announced its leadership positions Nov. 5.

Beth Kerttula, Juneau, returns as minority leader; Berta Gardner of Anchorage will be minority whip; and Max Gruenberg of Anchorage will be the House minority floor leader.

Senate Bipartisan Working Group organization

Senate leadership positions announced by the 16-member Senate Bipartisan Working Group, in addition to president (Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak), majority leader (Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage), Rules chair (Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage) and Finance co-chairs (Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, and Bert Stedman, R-Sitka) announced previously, include the following committee chairs:

Joe Paskvan, D-Fairbanks, and Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai, co-chairs, Resources; Hollis French, D-Anchorage, Judiciary; Linda Menard, R-Wasilla, Legislative Council; Donny Olson, D-Nome, Community and Regional Affairs; Kevin Meyer and Joe Thomas, D-Fairbanks, Education co-chairs; Bettye Davis, D-Anchorage, Health and Social Services; Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, Labor and Commerce; Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, State Affairs; Albert Kookesh, D-Angoon, Transportation; Gary Stevens, World Trade; Bill Wielechowski, Joint Armed Service; and Hollis French, Admin. Reg. Review.






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