Articles & Op-eds
Fox News: Rape kit access would expand under bipartisan bill, as victims seek 'care and justice'
by Kaitlyn Schallhorn
When Leah Griffin was raped in 2014, she immediately went to the closest hospital to undergo a rape kit exam - the first step, she thought, in prosecuting the man who assaulted her. But Seattle hospital staff told her their emergency department wasn't equipped to do the forensic test, and instead she would have to travel to another hospital about an hour away. Further travel at that moment was not an option for Griffin, who was 28 years old at the time, disoriented from the attack and … Continue Reading
07.20.18
Providence Journal: Alaska, Rhode Island share concern over oceans
by Alex Kuffner
The differences between Rhode Island and Alaska are many. There's size. There's location. But one thing that unites the two states is their connection to the ocean, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said to an audience of Rhode Island officials, environmental advocates and scientists on Friday. "I don't care how many miles of coastline you have, big or small, the fact is that our oceans are this common connector here," she said at an environmental conference hosted annually by Rhode Island Se… Continue Reading
07.20.18
KTVF: Murkowski with Bi-partisan group of senators write letter to President Trump
by Julie Swisher
Democrats, Republicans and one Independent Senator sent a letter to the President voicing concerns over the current immigration policy. Senator Lisa Murkowski, along with a bipartisan group of over two dozen senators, sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to keep families together. "This sad chapter in our nation's history must come to an end," Murkowski said. "While we represent constituents from all faiths and political backgrounds, we have all heard one consistent … Continue Reading
07.20.18
Cordova Times: Firefighter Cancer Registry Act becomes law
Legislation directing federal studies into the relationship between long term exposure to dangerous toxins and fumes and the frequency of cancer in firefighters has now become law. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, for which Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was an original cosponsor, creates a national registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer, and directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the relationship between career-long exposure to these toxins and fumes a… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Daily Energy Insider: Department of Energy announces up to $2 billion in loan guarantees for energy projects in tribal communities
by Aaron Martin
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has announced up to $2 billion in loan guarantees to advance energy development projects and efforts that create new economic opportunities in Native American communities. The DoE Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced the first loan guarantee solicitation under the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP) on Tuesday. Established under the Energy Policy Act of 2015, the TELGP program will leverage partial loan guarantees to fuel private investments and … Continue Reading
07.17.18
Bustle: What Is The EMPOWER Act? This Workplace Harassment Bill Could Make NDAs A Thing Of The Past
by Lauren Holter
Proposed legislation designed for the #MeToo era has made it to Congress. Members of the House plan to introduce the bipartisan EMPOWER Act on Wednesday, aimed at combatting workplace harassment and making it less dangerous for employees to come forward about inappropriate behavior. "Ultimately, there is a monopoly of power in workplace harassment - those who control a paycheck, or a reputation, or a promotion have the power to perpetrate harassment, to protect harassers, and to silence vic… Continue Reading
07.14.18
KTUU: U.S. Congress passes firefighter cancer registry
by Sean Maguire
The United States Congress has passed legislation creating a national registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer, aiming to gather data and pinpoint common links for cancers in firefighters at a national level. The bipartisan legislation became law July 7, co-sponsored by legislators across the aisle, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R - Alaska. "My decision to be the lead Republican on this bill in the Senate was inspired by Anchorage firefighter Andy Mullen, a strong advocate for firefigh… Continue Reading
07.13.18
Cordova Times: Agriculture act includes micro-grants to support local foods
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which passed the U.S. Senate recently, includes the Micro-Grants for Food Security program to support Alaskans' ability to grow their own food. That provision, authored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, both D- Hawaii. "Alaska imports over 90 percent of our food," Murkowski said. "This results in high prices, especially in rural areas, and puts Alaskans at risk when transportation systems break … Continue Reading
07.11.18
KRBD: Perdue, Murkowski hear from POW Landscape Assessment Team
by Leila Kheiry
During their stop in Southeast Alaska last week, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski met with the Prince of Wales Island Landscape Assessment Team. That approximately one-hour meeting in Klawock gave a taste of what the POW group worked through to find consensus and provide recommendations about land management. More than two years ago, a group of Prince of Wales Island residents gathered to talk about the future. They were recruited to help the U.S. Forest … Continue Reading
07.10.18
CNN: Lisa Murkowski says she needs more information on Supreme Court nominee
by Lauren Fox
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of the most watched Republicans in the Trump administration's fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice, told CNN Tuesday that her vetting of the nominee will take weeks, not days, and says all senators need to do their "due diligence" before deciding how to vote. The senior senator from Alaska -- who has differed with her party in the past on the issue of abortion rights, among others -- told CNN that she will meet with Kavanaugh and pore over his… Continue Reading
07.10.18
ADN: Murkowski, Sullivan promise rigorous review of Kavanaugh nomination
by Erica Martinson
Alaska's U.S. senators plan to give a close look to President Donald Trump's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, they said Monday night. Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh, a justice on the federal appeals court for the D.C. Circuit, to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been the target of early lobbying over her future vote as a Republican who favors abortion rights. The addition of a new, Republicannominated Supreme Court ju… Continue Reading
07.08.18
Cordova Times: Payment will help offset community service costs
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for the Valdez/Cordova census area for 2018, based on the tax value of 14,940,458 non-taxable federal acres within the census area, total $1,252,886, with that allocation to be split based on populations. Distribution at the federal level is anticipated in late July. The annual payment from the U.S. Department of the Interior is part of the $32.3 million being distributed to eligible local governments across Alaska. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, s… Continue Reading
07.06.18
KRBD: Sec. Perdue, Sen. Murkowski tour Prince of Wales Island
by Leila Kheiry
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made his first visit to Southeast Alaska on Thursday. Perdue spent Thursday morning in Ketchikan, and met with U.S. Forest Service officials, but spent most of the day on Prince of Wales Island. Perdue was joined by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski a little after noon on POW. They first met with the Prince of Wales Landscape Assessment Team. That group includes diverse stakeholders who provided recommendations for managing Prince of Wales Island forests … Continue Reading
07.06.18
Juneau Empire: USDA Sec. Perdue: Logging, other Southeast industries not ‘mutually-exclusive'
by Kevin Gullufsen
After visiting timber industry sites in Southeast Alaska on Thursday, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he'd like to alter federal law to allow more logging in the Tongass National Forest. Perdue, the highest ranking official at the agency overseeing the U.S. Forest Service, toured logging companies and two timber stands on Thursday at the invitation of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. He told reporters afterward he hopes to develop an "Alaskaspecific" version of the 2001… Continue Reading
07.05.18
Anchorage Press: On Food Stamps and Alaska's Senators
by Kokayi Nosakhere
Invisible. That's the word which comes into my mind when I think of America's strange relationship to all public policy surrounding hunger. Common sense leads one to believe this issue is a no-brainer. Since birth, the constant companion to the human experience is hunger. The need for food is so basic, it cuts across all lines of social construction. Unlike the other two basic needs - shelter and clothing - hunger is not visibly apparent during the experience. We can see the physical result… Continue Reading
07.03.18
Thanks to so many…
by Congressman Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan
Now that the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act has passed Congress, I want to give my public thanks and acknowledgement to the many who helped make this possible. In Congress it was always-and had to be-a bipartisan effort. Senate Leaders McConnell and Schumer, Chairmen Murkowski and Grassley, my Democratic colleagues Senators Cantwell, Feinstein, Heinrich, Hirono, Menendez, Sanders, and Wyden were all involved. On the House side, I worked especially with Majority Leader … Continue Reading
07.02.18
New micro-grants to support locally grown food
As part of the 2018 Farm Bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday, a new grant program is available to support locally grown food, according to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz. Schatz says the provision was authored by him and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (RAlaska). "This new federal money will give people the resources to start a garden or build a business that promotes locally grown food," said Schatz in a news release. "The farm bill also invests in Native Hawaiian education and creates more o… Continue Reading
07.02.18
KTVA: 'This is worrisome,' Murkowski on Chinese sanctions to Alaska seafood
by Liz Raines
China is slated to impose a 25 percent tariff on U.S. seafood -- including Alaska's -- by the end of this week, as part of increasingly heated trade negotiations between the two nations. According to a recent report by the McDowell Group, seafood is Alaska's second largest employer -- with 41,200 jobs created by the $2.1 billion industry. China is the state's largest trading partner. "This is worrisome, we'll work this through with the administration," Sen. Lisa Murkowski said of the s… Continue Reading
06.29.18
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski Serves As Keynote Speaker, World Gas Conference
by Maria Athens
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski delivered the opening remarks today, during a panel discussion on "Access to Sustainable Energy in Developing Economies" at the 27th World Gas Conference, held in Washington, D.C. Our Senior Senator offered the following comments via social media: "The U.S. is now the world's largest producer of natural gas. Our mindset has changed from a deep-seated fear of scarcity, to the incredible possibilities of abundance, which has opened new doors for us and for the… Continue Reading
06.26.18
ADN: Sen. Lisa Murkowski on politics, #MeToo and her first conversation with Presidentelect Donald Trump
by Caroline Biscotti
The following are excerpts from a May 31 meeting between Sen. Lisa Murkowski and the Anchorage Daily News editorial board. On her first interaction with President-elect Donald Trump after his election: He had not been sworn in, it was right after Thanksgiving. I wanted to weigh in on who the Secretary of the Interior should be. And so I was kind of like, "What adviser should I talk with?" And he didn't have any advisers. And so I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just call him myself." And so I got a… Continue Reading
