Legislature(1993 - 1994)
02/17/1993 09:05 AM Senate STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATOR LEMAN announced SB 26 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TO BE IN ANCHORAGE to be up for consideration. Number 420 DALE ANDERSON, Juneau, opposed SB 26 and said that jobs in Juneau is the issue. Talking about SB 26 is talking about the very survival of his community, he said. It would cut the economy here to the quick. It would eliminate hundreds, if not thousands of jobs in Juneau. This "capitol move bill" is insidious, because it will only elevate the divisive factions across our state. We should be working on legislation that secures basic needs and services for all Alaskans. We should be turning our backs on bill such as this that diverts precious dollars from public policy away from making sure we have the key essentials that government is responsible to provide. He asked if this issue was important enough to split the state again. Is it important enough to place his community on the chopping block? Is voting politically correct more important that voting the way your conscience dictates? He asked them to vote as statesmen, not just politicians. SENATOR MILLER said one of the biggest complaints he heard from his constituents was lack of access. He asked what suggestions he had to improve access. MR. ANDERSON said the numbers of state jobs has increased much more in the Anchorage area than in Juneau. Number 282 CHRISTOPHER CLARK, Juneau resident, said we could use a road out of here. Maybe now is the time to do it. He said we have the technology to access people everywhere. People don't have to be in the room in order to voice their opinion. He said this city's economic base is government even though it is diversifying with mining and tourism. He didn't see how moving the legislature would solve any problems the state is facing. He said the technology is there to reach you anywhere you are in the state as long as you want to be reached. He said housing is a problem that needs to be addressed, but moving the legislature is not the answer. He said the future of the state does not depend on moving the legislature to Anchorage. It depends on more people in his age group (30) moving into the state and creating tax bases and supporting the state and getting involved with the community. He concluded by saying we need to work with what we have instead of moving the economic base from one part of the state to another and hurting another part of the state. CHIP WAGONER, Juneau, said no matter what moral compass you have inside of you, this bill is wrong. If there was truly an access problem, there is a lot we can be doing. He said it would be a lot cheaper to solve the access problem through telecommunications. MR. WAGONER said it not fair to all concerned. It would have a devastating impact on us whereas if it moves to Anchorage, people will yawn. This bill does not promote good will and better friendships. This is a mean bill. It tears this community apart; it tears the state apart. This bill is not beneficial to all concerned. The benefit of moving it to southcentral would be marginal compared to the effect down here. Number 140 JOE POOR, Director, Juneau Chamber of Commerce, opposed SB 26 because it poses additional threats to our local economy. After the announcement of the closing of Greenscreek, Juneau does not need another threat to the local economy. According to the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska, state spending is responsible for 46% of all economic activity in the Southeast region. It also projects a decline in state revenues based on declining oil production. Anchorage has 3,500 more state workers than currently employed in Juneau. Perhaps Anchorage is worried about closure of their military bases under the Clinton administration and is willing to devastate another Alaskan community for their own gain. He questioned the validity of the fiscal notes attached to this bill. He suggested accurate assessments be made prior to any further discussions on this bill. Alaskan communities need to work together if the projected decline in oil revenues becomes a reality. With the telecommunications technology we have, it is not necessary for our legislature to be centrally located. Effective later this year, the Federal Aviation Administration will be installing a Global Positioning System (GPS) at the airport which will increase the number of successful approaches to Juneau by as much as 95%. This will be the first installation for commercial purposes in the United States. The US Air Force has been using this technology since 1971. Southeast Alaska may be further impacted by the restructuring within the National Guard. This could mean a loss of about 50% of the Guardsmen in Southeast and having them redeployed in the Anchorage and Fairbanks area. SENATOR MILLER asked if GPS is old technology, why are we just now getting around to using it? MR. POOR said it was relegated to the armed services and it has just become available commercially. TAPE 93-10, SIDE A Number 001 JIM KOHLER, Director, Southeast Conference, said the issue of access is important. He said if we are truly concerned about making the legislative and administrative branchs of our government more accessible to all the people in the state, it is important to realize that specific activities are under way to alleviate this with telecommunications, road access, etc. He volunteered to bringing a fiscal note that shows the access issues could be dealt with effectively for much less than this particular piece of legislation would cost. He urged that we work at making Alaska a truly unified strong state and address the real problems that are facing this state, for instance the statewide economy and diversification. He said Greens Creek might not have closed if over the last several years we, as a state, had invested some energy into identifying and pursuing the construction of a smelter activity that could handle base metals within our own state. This would not only have kept Greens Creek here, but it would have increased mineral type activities. Number 115 LINDA NISSEN, Juneau resident, said that Juneau is the hub of Southeast Alaska. It sparkles. What draws people to Juneau is the legislature. Anchorage has other industries. If the legislature leaves, Juneau is lost. Number 170 DAN KECK, Sitka, said it is not the legislature's purpose to create an economic base for any community. It is to make laws for the people of Alaska. He didn't think they could do this job any better in Anchorage. He pointed out that they would not be very effective in Anchorage when all the support agencies were still headquartered in Juneau. He thought if they really wanted to move the capital that it should go back to Sitka where it originated. Number 199 JOHN LITTEN, Sitka Chamber of Commerce, opposed SB 26. If you move the legislature from Juneau, you can't imagine how that would affect Sitka, he commented. He pointed out that Alaska Airlines now connects with Boise, Idaho and Spokane, Washington. Southeast Alaska can support jet service. The legislature is one of the major reasons why Alaska Airlines flies to Southeast Alaska. He did not want to see transportation go backwards, because it is essential to all Southeast communities. MR. LITTEN said if you look at any other capitals in any other state, they are in more remote areas where you can be more focused and have better productivity. SENATOR MILLER said in the past that Juneau had more of a willingness to work with Seattle than with Anchorage. He used the time difference issue as an example when Juneau wanted to stay on the same time as Seattle instead of aligning with Anchorage. He wanted to see more willingness from Juneau to work with the rest of the state. Number 260 SENATOR DUNCAN said he had a list of people to address Senator Miller's concerns. SENATOR LEMAN said they would hold the bill in Committee until Friday when they would receive more testimony. SENATOR PHILLIPS said the vast majority, 80%, of his constituents support moving the legislature to Anchorage. The big problem is access. He said one of the reasons he ran for office is to have better access to his constituents. He said half the legislators live within 25 miles of the Anchorage area. He agreed with the concerns on the fiscal note. He believed the Senate Finance Committee would look at them closely. He said the audio and visual teleconference, if it is a good thing, should work very well with state government communicating with his constituents. He said this is a bill to move only the legislature, not the capital. Road access to Juneau he said would help, but you would still have to drive 800 miles. Even if you have a road, you're only saving a couple of hours. He said access to his constituents is the real concern.
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