1996-10-16                     Senate Journal                      Page 4385
SB 301                                                                       
Message of June 6 was received, stating:                                       
                                                                               
Dear President Pearce:                                                         
                                                                               
Under the authority of art. II, sec. 15 of the Alaska Constitution, I          
have vetoed the following bill:                                                
                                                                               
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 301(FIN) am H                                          
An Act relating to postsecondary education; and                               
providing for an effective date.                                               
                                                                               
I am disappointed to have to veto this bill because it contained a             
number of excellent provisions that would enhance the viability of             
the Alaska student loan program.  Many of these ideas originated in            
my Executive Order No. 97, which was disapproved by the                        
legislature.                                                                   
                                                                               
While I am pleased that the legislature agrees with me that reform             
is needed in this program, the bill does not meet my basic goals of            
streamlining program administration to improve efficiency and                  
accountability.  The bill retains both the existing Alaska Commission          
on Postsecondary Education and the existing Alaska Student Loan                
Corporation.  The bill moves the Alaska Commission on                          
Postsecondary Education to the Department of Education, leaving an             
unnecessary commission for the Department of Education to                      
administer.  Maintaining a separate commission as required by the              
bill, rather than transferring the functions to the State Board of             
Education, is costly and burdensome to the state and does not serve            
a legitimate public purpose.  As a result, I find that I must veto this        
bill.                                                                          
                                                                               
Apparently the only purpose of assigning a dual role to the members            
of the Corporations board and the Commission is to obtain                      
confirmation of the members of the Corporations board.  I find this            
approach particularly objectionable because  the Corporations board            
members would not otherwise be subject to confirmation under the               
Alaska Constitution. The desire for legislative confirmation of a              
board is not adequate justification for maintaining an unnecessary             
board, and is an inappropriate effort to limit a governors power of            
appointment.                                                                   
                                                                               

1996-10-16                     Senate Journal                      Page 4386
SB 301                                                                       
I commit the time and energies of the executive branch to work                 
toward a legislative solution, similar to that contained in my                 
Executive Order No. 97.  Our postsecondary education program                   
provides resources for many Alaskans to obtain essential skills to             
meet marketplace demands today and for the twenty-first century.               
                                                                               
We must meet this challenge.                                                   
                                                                               
						Sincerely,                                                               
						/s/                                                                      
						Tony Knowles                                                             
						Governor