Majority Leadership Highlight Successful 1st Session

(Juneau) - Caucus leadership focused their efforts on fiscal stewardship and working within the voter-mandated 90-day legislative session.

We were able to satisfy our constitutional obligation: passing the budgets. And I believe we found the right balance. Sometimes not passing legislation is better than actually passing new laws.
~ Rep. Mike Chenault

"We were able to satisfy our constitutional obligation: passing the budgets. And I believe we found the right balance," House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, said. "Sometimes not passing legislation is better than actually passing new laws. We passed the necessary legislation that rose to the front this session like parental consent and notification for a minor's abortion, advancing an in-state gas pipeline and the volume of bills from the Labor & Commerce Committee that was necessary to provide guidelines and services for Alaska businesses. We are poised to work through this interim and the second session to continue moving Alaska forward and promote safe communities and a stable economy."

"Our strength is in our diversity, both geographically and culturally," House Majority Leader Kyle Johansen, R-Ketchikan, said. "We all brought something different to the table and gave up a little to make a strong group."

Our strength is in our diversity, both geographically and culturally. We all brought something different to the table and gave up a little to make a strong group.
~ Rep. Kyle Johansen

"We all had anxieties about unacceptable strings being attached to the funds available from the federal stimulus package," House Finance Committee Co-Chair Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, said. "When we carefully examined the federal requirements we discovered our fears were pretty much unfounded, and where there actually was a string we found a way around it that secured the support of Alaska's municipalities, the business community, labor organizations and the Legislature. We will now be investing nearly a billion new dollars in our economy and that is a good thing for everyone."

"At a time when oil prices were down we were really fortunate to have the federal stimulus money to come in and fill that gap," Rep. Reggie Joule, D-Kotzebue, said. "Even though it's been a tough year for getting things into the budgets, we were still able to get heating assistance and PCE funded. Once again, the Legislature is providing the leadership in those areas, and that's gratifying."