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House creates task force on education

April 25, 2013 by ·

Goals include how best to fund education in Alaska and how to measure accountability for results derived

More information on task force as well as contact information for House Education Committee Chair Lynn Gattis

Goals of the task force include:

  • determining the adequacy and appropriate use of current and future public funding;
  • finding alternative methods of funding;
  • comparison of educational and administrative expenses within school districts;
  • determine whether the allocation of administrative and instructional personnel affects the ability of the districts to provide effective instructional services;
  • finding the effects of pension and health care expenses on total education costs;
  • measures of accountability; and,
  • evaluating the availability of courses that meet the new Alaska standards in each district.
Filed Under: Alaska Legislature, Alaska Schools, Committees, FY 2014 Budget

Senate Passes Governor’s Oil Tax Bill

March 20, 2013 by ·

The Alaska Senate on Wednesday passed the Governor’s oil & gas tax bill.

Senate Bill 21 was approved 11 to 9.

 

Here is the link to a 16 page pdf with details on what SB 21 does.

The material was provided by the Senate Majority Press Office.

Here is the link to a 16 page pdf with details on what SB 21 does.

The material was provided by the Senate Majority Press Office.

 

Filed Under: Alaska Legislature, Alaska Permanent Fund & PFDs, Alaska Resources, FY 2014 Budget, Governor Sean Parnell, Oil & Gas

Change oil tax or not…or what?

March 19, 2013 by ·

An assortment of resources to help you understand

the current Oil Tax bills and why they matter.

 

Your opinion counts and Alaska legislators want to hear what you think about the oil tax issues.

Click here for a Contact List for Alaska Legislators, including Toll-Free Numbers.

 This graphic of how Alaska North Slope Oil Prices breakdown comes from Sen. Lesil McGuire’s Oil Tax Update  Newsletter.

  • This is a great resource that explains the basics in easy-to-understand language.
  • It also gives lots of links for follow-up and places to go for more information.


Note: The state also gives credits against the tax that can range from the base 20% credit for capital expenditures, to 25% of any losses and 40% for exploration expenditures.

 

Alaska Dispatch has a good collection of oil and gas stories. This link takes you to a compilation of  “Oil Tax” stories.

The Fairbanks Daily News Miner also has a good collection of “Oil Tax” stories

So does ADN.com, Juneau Empire.com and Alaska’s major TV stations.  Just Google Alaska Oil Tax.

 

Alaska Legislature’s Official Non-Partisan Site

 Here is a listing of all Bills and Resolutions introduced in the Alaska Legislature this session.

Be sure to scan down the first column to ensure you’ve seen all the various bills. The Current Status column tells you where the bill is (which committee, etc.).

  • If you click on the bill you’re interested in, you’ll find a page that a summary of the bill (it’s long title), the history of action taken.
  • You’ll also find, in most cases, a Sponsor’s Statement which has lots of great background info.
  • Also, in that same section you’ll sometimes find a link to Papers or other Background Materials, which can be a real treasure chest of information.

 

The Alaska State website also has tons of materials.

Governor Parnell’s “Fill the Pipeline” newsletters are interesting summaries that you can sign up for.

 Alaska Division of Oil and Gas, which is a part of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

Oil and Gas Production Tax “Go To” site is a bit technical and geared toward those filing taxes, but is worth a scan through to see if anything catches your interest.

Alaska’s Oil and Gas Fiscal Regime. An online booklet in pdf format which gives background info on Alaska’s Oil and Gas industry and how it compares to other producers including other states and Canada. (Graphic below comes from this booklet.)

 

Filed Under: Alaska Legislature, Alaska Permanent Fund & PFDs, Alaska Resources, Business and Development, Committees, FY 2014 Budget, Oil & Gas, Photos & Graphics

How the Sequester affects Alaska

March 4, 2013 by ·

From the White House website, whitehouse.gov.

 

ALASKA IMPACTS

Click above to see the full list for Alaska.

 

Now that sequestration has taken  effect, some examples of the impacts on Alaska this year alone are:

We’ve got a special page of the projected cuts in Alaska. Just click the red link above or the purplish link at the bottom of this entry.

 

sequester_breakdown

 

How sequester will affect Alaska.

 

 

Filed Under: Alaska Legislature, Federal Government, FY 2014 Budget, President Barack Obama

New Gaslines and Alaska Hire

February 20, 2013 by ·

 Alaska Photo http://gasline.alaska.gov/aboutproject.html#b

How to ensure that Alaskans get the jobs

created by the new gasline construction.

Part 1)

TLHR Feb 20 Wed Alaska Hire on Oil Gas Projects

Alaska’s looking to build several major gaslines and other oil-related projects. One challenge facing the Alaska Legislature is how to ensure that as many jobs as possible go to Alaskans.

The story of the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline wouldn’t be complete without the part about Outsiders swarming into the state to snag high paying jobs and taking their money elsewhere.

What are some of the options open as Alaska looks to begin another construction boom? You can’t just say Hire Alaskans Only, that’s unrealistic and unconstitutional.

Here’s a snippet of an exchange between Alaska Dispatch reporter and members of the Senate Majority at last week’s press availability. The Senator Mike Dunleavy addressed the constitutionality issue, followed by a brief comment from Senate Majority Leader John Coghill and Senator Anna Fairclough speaking on the need for young Alaskans to find jobs.

Exchange

Dunleavy (Dun Lay Vee) followed up by noting that Alaska’s schools have been working hard for years to prepare students to be qualified for the jobs the state knew would be coming…

Sen. Dunleavy’s comments

Thanks to Gavel Alaska for today’s press availability audio.

Part 2)

TLHR Feb 21 Thurs Alaska Hire on Oil Gas Projects 2 of 2

Alaska is preparing to build at least one new major gasline. Alaskans want those newly created jobs to stay in state. Many of those jobs will require high levels of skills and training.

So, where does that leave us?

Senator Mike Dunleavy (Dun Lay Vee) told a group of reporters recently that the state has worked hard to get Alaskans trained to take those new jobs…

Sen. Dunleavy’s comments

……………………………..

Resources:GPPO_LNG_Options

If you search the state’s website you’ll find a number of resources available if you or someone you know is interested in getting a job on one of the yet-to-be-built gaslines.

The gas pipeline strategic training plan identifies broad strategies for getting Alaskans ready for work in the 113 occupations it sees as being needed in pipeline construction.

The Alaska Job Center has a page devoted specifically to “Oil and Gas Employment and Training Opportunities” which includes a new link to North Slope Employment Opportunities. It says Alaska’s oil and gas industry employers currently use the state’s Alexsys system to post their jobs.

The Alexsys is the state’s go-to database for finding jobs in Alaska.

 

Reports and other Resources:

Alaska Gas Pipeline Project Office website

Links to assorted oil, gas, gasline sites

 Increase Job Training Resources for Gas Line Workers

 

Filed Under: Alaska Legislature, Daily Radio Shows, FY 2014 Budget, Oil & Gas, Photos & Graphics
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