00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 46                                                                     
01 Urging Congressional support for the reauthorization of the Denali Commission.                                          
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS, since 1999, the Denali Commission has promoted rural development by                                  
04 providing economic, infrastructure, job training, and health care support in rural communities,                         
05 with minimal overhead and administrative costs; and                                                                     
06       WHEREAS the Denali Commission has invested approximately $1,000,000,000 to                                      
07 improve the infrastructure and sustainability of rural Alaska communities, which has                                    
08 complemented the state's investment of approximately $2,000,000,000 for those purposes;                                 
09 and                                                                                                                     
10       WHEREAS the Denali Commission has proven to be an effective catalyst for federal                                
11 and state efforts to improve rural infrastructure, including transmission facilities,                                   
12 communication systems, bulk fuel facilities, power system upgrades, primary care clinics and                            
13 other health facilities, housing, washeterias, solid waste facilities, and rural transportation                         
14 improvements; and                                                                                                       
15       WHEREAS the Denali Commission has trained construction and health care workers                                  
16 for careers in their communities and regions, and has promoted economic development and                                 
01 sustainability through effective interagency coordination; and                                                          
02       WHEREAS the Denali Commission has served Alaska well for over a decade in                                       
03 meeting its intended purposes and therefore merits continued funding and authorization; and                             
04       WHEREAS the Bush Caucus recognizes the importance of the state's role as a co-                                  
05 chair of the Denali Commission and will urge the legislature to continue to provide matching                            
06 funds for Denali Commission projects; and                                                                               
07       WHEREAS President Obama's administration has recognized the importance of the                                   
08 Denali Commission with a base appropriation of $11,965,000 a year in the federal fiscal year                            
09 2010 and 2011 budgets;                                                                                                  
10       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the valuable work of                                
11 the Denali Commission and supports the reauthorization of the commission for an additional                              
12 five years; and be it                                                                                                   
13       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the                                       
14 United States Congress to provide the necessary funding for the ongoing development and                                 
15 operation of the Denali Commission.                                                                                     
16       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
17 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and                          
18 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate;                             
19 the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy                                  
20 Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable John Boehner, Minority                              
21 Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Gary F. Locke, United States                                 
22 Secretary of Commerce; the Honorable Raymond L. LaHood, United States Secretary of                                      
23 Transportation; the Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, United States Secretary of Health and                                  
24 Human Services; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S.                                    
25 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
26 delegation in Congress.