Capitol Report April 29, 2022

April 29, 2022 

It’s been a busy week in the Capitol. Today is the 102nd day of the session, and the Legislature is making a big push in order to wrap up in under 121 days. This week both bodies took up the capital budget and we’re appreciative of the strong support for the University of Alaska. Special thanks to the co-chairs of the finance committees in charge of the capital budget (Senator Bishop and Representative Merrick).  

Check out the latest news, and more, in this week’s Capitol Report.

Legislative Update

In a whirlwind of late-week activity both the Senate and the House took up the FY23 capital budget (Senate Bill 164/House Bill 283). We were pleased to see that the Senate version funded all of the Board of Regent’s original requests.

On top of meeting the Board of Regents’ requests, the Senate Finance Committee added $3.25M in funding for additional projects. The Senate version funds the following projects with unrestricted general funds:

  • Facilities deferred maintenance / renewal & repurposing $50,000,000

  • Student IT Systems – Modernization and Security Upgrades $20,000,000

  • Emerging Energy Opportunities for Alaska $2,500,000

  • Rare Elements Demonstration Facility $500,000

  • Mineral Security Projects: Rare Earth Mineral Security $250,000

The House adopted a committee substitute to HB 283 that includes the changes made by the Senate in SB 164. The bill was then set aside for further consideration. The Senate separately continued to take amendments on the operating budget (House Bills 281/282) this Thursday. The newest committee substitute can be found here. The Senate has held the bill and will consider it further in upcoming hearings.

The Senate Transportation Committee adopted a committee substitute to Senate Bill 166- the general obligation bonds bill that contains $391M in bonds for infrastructure projects. Included in the bond bill are several of the same facilities deferred maintenance projects covered by the capital budget funding. The committee accepted the substitute and passed it out of committee. It has a further referral to Senate Finance where it will likely meet with scrutiny since several of the projects included have also ended up in the capital budget.

UA on the Go

Last Friday, Governor Dunleavy and staff traveled to Fairbanks where they met with President Pitney and UAF faculty and staff  to discuss the university’s drones and agriculture programs. The Governor received an update on our Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Lab research and the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES). 

Our AUV research strengthens Alaska’s blue economy by utilizing underwater sensor systems to expand marine science knowledge. The AUV Lab partners with high tech companies to develop software and integrate remote sensors to conduct fisheries and oceanographic surveys, track range extensions of marine mammals, and track tagged fish, crabs and sharks, as well as study underwater acoustics and water nutrient chemistry. 

AFES, on the other hand, focuses on problem solving and knowledge building in agriculture, natural resources and forestry. Among AFES’s programs are the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, the Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center, and a Delta Junction field research site. Of interest to Governor Dunleavy is AFES’s focus on food security and the research being done to increase food production in-state. 

The Governor emphasized the need to support both programs, and he displayed a real interest in providing state support. 

More good news:  After meeting with the agriculture experts last week, the Governor announced the members of his new Alaska Food Security and Independence Task Force on Monday. We’re excited that among the members is Dr. Mingchu Zhang, professor of agronomy/soil sciences at UAF. Dr. Zhang’s recent research includes field testing of feed and hulless barley, oat, Polish canola and early-maturing spring wheat varieties, and testing barley varieties for suitability for craft malting. A big congratulations to Dr. Zhang!

Over the weekend, UA State Relations Director Chad Hutchison traveled to the UAS Ketchikan Campus for a tour of the campus’s deferred maintenance needs and the UAS Maritime Training Center. A special thanks to Dr. Priscilla Schulte for helping to make this special opportunity happen.

The Paul Building is among those included in our capital budget deferred maintenance request. The building has a mansard style roof system that utilizes a cement bonded siding material. The siding has not been able to withstand frequent precipitation and puts the roof system in danger of failure.  Capital funding would allow the university to replace the failing material with a stronger metal material that is more resistant to rain. 

There was also an opportunity to tour the UAS Maritime Training Center (which may play a key role as we look to boost the maritime workforce in Alaska).  The training center offers career training with its Maritime & Multiskilled Worker Program, welding and fabricating instruction, marine pilot navigation simulations, and continuing education courses for ports and harbor employees. The many courses offered include diesel mechanics maintenance and repair, marine welding, navigation, shipboard safety, oil spill prevention and response, just to name a few. With all of Alaska’s maritime industry (and a statewide emphasis on growth), we’re very fortunate to have such a training facility.

Federal Funding Opportunities

With the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – several federal grant funding opportunities are coming down the pipeline, including grants for energy development, workforce development, and broadband infrastructure. To keep an eye on current funding opportunities, check out AlaskaFederalFunding.org/ Grant-Opportunities/.

Commencement

Lastly, Spring 2022 commencements begin this week. Congratulations to the many University of Alaska students who will graduate this semester! Planned commencement dates for each campus are as follows:

Friday, April 29

UAS - Sitka Campus

Saturday, April 30

UAF - Troth Yeddha' Campus
UAS - Ketchikan Campus

Sunday, May 1

UAS - Juneau Campus
UAA - Anchorage Campus

Wednesday, May 4

Prince William Sound College

Thursday, May 5

UAF - Chukchi Campus
Kenai Peninsula College

Friday, May 6

UAF - Bristol Bay Campus
Mat-Su College

Saturday, May 7

Kodiak College

Thursday, May 12

UAF - Northwest Campus

Next Week’s Calendar

Monday, May 1

  • 1:00 p.m. - Senate Finance: Bills previously heard/scheduled

Tuesday, May 3

Wednesday, May 4

  • 1:00 p.m. - Senate Finance: Bills previously heard/scheduled

  • 1:30 p.m. - Senate Labor & Commerce: House Bill 132: “School Apprenticeships Programs; Tax Credits” 

Thursday, May 5

  • 1:00 p.m. - Senate Finance: Bills previously heard/scheduled

  • 3:00 p.m. - House State Affairs: Senate Bill 36: “University of Alaska Regents Reporting Requirements”

Friday, May 6

  • 9:00 a.m. - House Finance: House BIll 283: “Appropriations: Capital; Reappropriations; Supplemental”

  • 9:00 a.m. - Senate Finance: Senate Bill 234: “Broadband: Office, Grants, Parity”

  • 1:00 p.m. - Senate Finance: Bills previously heard/scheduled

  • 1:30 p.m. - House Finance: House BIll 283: “Appropriations: Capital; Reappropriations; Supplemental”

Saturday, May 7

  • 10:00 a.m. - Senate Finance: Bills previously heard/scheduled

  • 10:00 a.m. - House Finance: Bills previously heard/scheduled

 

For more information, contact Director of State Relations for the University of Alaska System Chad Hutchison, cell 907-378-3946, email clhutchison@alaska.edu. You can also follow the University of Alaska Government Relations on our Twitter page.