00Enrolled HCR 13                                                                                                         
01 Certifying that the State of Alaska requests and will use any funds provided to the state, a                            
02 state agency, a municipality, or a political subdivision of the state under the American                                
03 Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.                                                                                  
04                                          _______________                                                                
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
06      WHEREAS, on February 13, 2009, the United States Congress approved the                                           
07 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, P.L. 111-5, which President Obama                                       
08 signed four days later; and                                                                                             
09      WHEREAS the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is intended to                                        
10 help repair, restore, and rebuild the nation's economy, which is suffering from increasing rates                        
11 of unemployment, home mortgage defaults and foreclosures, and business and personal                                     
12 bankruptcies; and                                                                                                       
13      WHEREAS the State of Alaska faces significant revenue shortfalls because of low oil                              
14 prices that affect all aspects of the state's economy; and                                                              
15      WHEREAS rising unemployment is affecting state, municipal, and community                                         
16 services as more Alaskans face tightening household budgets while looking for work; and                                 

01      WHEREAS the unemployment rate in Alaska rose to 7.9 percent in January 2009;                                     
02 and                                                                                                                     
03      WHEREAS 5,000 fewer Alaskans had jobs in January 2009 than in the previous                                       
04 month; and                                                                                                              
05      WHEREAS Alaskans have lost jobs in the construction, trade, transportation, and                                  
06 hospitality industries; and                                                                                             
07      WHEREAS, on March 5, 2009, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce                                          
08 Development reported that "the U.S. recession and global economic slowdown are affecting                                
09 the state"; and                                                                                                         
10      WHEREAS the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides funds to                                     
11 states and municipalities for investments in roads, airports, mass transit, energy efficiency,                          
12 schools, clean water projects, and other infrastructure projects, as well as Medicaid assistance,                       
13 education, home weatherization, and other public services; and                                                          
14      WHEREAS the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides that, if a                                   
15 governor fails to certify the state's intention to request and use funds provided under the Act                         
16 within 45 days after its enactment, the state legislature may, by concurrent resolution, certify                        
17 the state's acceptance of the funds not accepted by the governor; and                                                   
18      WHEREAS the services, programs, and projects standing to benefit from the                                        
19 acceptance and use of federal funds include assistance for job training, housing, medical care,                         
20 and other services, programs, and projects; and                                                                         
21      WHEREAS it is incumbent on the legislature, as the elected representative body for                               
22 the State of Alaska, to take the initiative at this time of nationwide financial crisis;                                
23      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature certifies the state's acceptance                                
24 of all funds that may be available to the state and its agencies, municipalities, and political                         
25 subdivisions under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and that the state                                
26 will use the funds to create jobs and promote economic growth; and be it                                                
27      FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature certifies its intent to                                       
28 request, accept, and use any funds available to the state under the American Recovery and                               
29 Reinvestment Act of 2009 that are not accepted for use by the governor.                                                 
30      COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                              
31 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and                          

01 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of                                  
02 Representatives; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S.                                       
03 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
04 delegation in Congress; the Honorable Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska; and federal agencies                             
05 that require a copy of this resolution.