Two Interior legislators react to Governor Dunleavy’s State of the State Address

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - On Tuesday, January 30, Governor Mike Dunleavy delivered his annual State of the State Address to a joint session of the Alaska House and Senate, in which he discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Alaska, and delved into his own priorities for the state.

The governor identified public safety as a top focus for his administration, citing a decline in the state’s overall crime rate.

Education also drew focus during the address, with Dunleavy taking issue with the emphasis on funding, saying Alaska needs to improve educational outcomes.

On the subject of education, Democrat Fairbanks Representative Ashley Carrick says she agrees with the governor that the University of Alaska should secure Tier 1 Research Status.

However, she believes education funding, particularly an increase to the Base Student Allocation, is a critical component in supporting the school system.

Carrick says there’s potential for the legislature to work with the governor on shared priorities. “The governor and I probably would agree that there’s a need to have more growth in Alaska. There’s a need to have more growth in our industries, in our population, and in just building Alaska. I think, on a basic level, those things are areas where I’d like to work with the administration and other members of the House and Senate, and then there were a lot of areas where we disagreed as well.”

Senate President Gary Stevens put out a press release responding to the speech, saying he also intends to work with Dunleavy to identify common ground.

Stevens identified education as a key priority, along with energy along the Alaskan Railbelt.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Robert Myers, representing the North Pole area, appreciated the governor’s address, and his emphasis on creating opportunities for families to make a living in the 49th State. “I believe the governor is trying to change not just the fiscal climate, but really change the atmosphere in our state, and how we build our economy, build our communities,” he said.

Regarding energy, Myers valued that Dunleavy discussed bringing cheap electricity into the Interior through the connecting intertie.

However, the senator is skeptical about the implementation of Cook Inlet natural gas mentioned by the governor. “I think, overall, I may disagree with him on a few places of implementation, but overall, I like what he was going for.”

The full transcript of the governor’s address can be found here, and the video of the joint session is available here.

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