KETCHIKAN (KDN) — Sitka Democratic Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins announced Friday that he will not be seeking reelection to a sixth term in the Alaska House of Representatives.
SE lawmaker hopes for fiscal fixes in 2022 kfsk.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kfsk.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Posted by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska | May 5, 2021
House Bill 63 passed the Alaska House of Representatives 37-0 on Wednesday with no objections from the floor. The governor, however, believes it violates the separation of powers clause in the Alaska Constitution. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
House Bill 63 would create an Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board that would be tasked with crafting both short- and long-term planning for the fleet. And the state Department of Transportation would be bound to incorporate its direction into daily operations.
The Alaska Marine Highway System has been struggling with deep funding cuts, an aging fleet and steep declines in ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska | Mar 16, 2021
A bill to hike Alaska’s gas tax to $0.16 for the first time since 1970 has advance a key committee but faces opposition. (KTOO photo)
House Bill 104 supported by Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D-Sitka) and Rep. Grier Hopkins (D-Fairbanks) cleared the House Transportation Committee Tuesday (3-16-2021); it now heads to the finance committee.
“The bill fundamentally doubles what is a very small tax set in 1970,” co-sponsor Rep. Andy Josephson (D-Anchorage) said.
Sitka Democratic Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is a co-sponsor of the bill. (KTOO photo/Skip Gray)
Most of the revenue would go toward highway maintenance. And it enjoys wide support from business and industry groups that say it would help reinvest in Alaska’s road infrastructure.