12.12.14

Defense Bill Containing Key Alaska Benefits Passes Senate

Senator Lisa Murkowski today proudly cast her vote for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that funds America's military for the upcoming year and contains a wide array of key Alaskan priorities she worked with Congressional leadership to advance. The NDAA passed the Senate 89-11 and will head to the President's desk for a signature. "The provisions in the NDAA for Alaska show the importance of our state to the nation's defense - both current and long-term," said Murkowski. "I'm ple… Continue Reading

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12.12.14

Murkowski, Young Assure VAWA Amendment Repeal

Senator Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young today teamed up to make sure that Section 910 of the Violence Against Women Act was repealed, an effort co-sponsored by Senators Murkowski and Mark Begich and passed through the U.S. Senate earlier this week. (Legislation attached) Through numerous conversations with their House and Senate colleagues, the two Alaska lawmakers succeeded in having the provision removed from the law. In the final days of the 113th Congress, Representative Young work… Continue Reading

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12.11.14

Murkowski: Justice Department Accountability Remains “Unacceptable”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a study assessing how the Department of Justice is addressing instances of prosecutorial misconduct. The study, conducted at the request of Senator Lisa Murkowski, found a lack of progress, oversight and follow through by the Department to address misconduct, which a recent study found still prevalent in cases nationwide - and that several of the accused agents continue to be assigned new cases despite their track record. Notably, the s… Continue Reading

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12.11.14

Sen. Murkowski Highlights Lands Package’s Importance to the West

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the importance of Title 30 - a package of public lands bills - within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015. Murkowski highlighted the title's importance to federal oil and gas permitting, grazing, mining, and other economic and community development opportunities in western states. (Click for video of Sen. Murkowski's floor speech) "After months of negotiations, we have agre… Continue Reading

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12.10.14

Murkowski’s Arctic, Coastal, Fishery Priorities for Alaska in 2015 Budget

The federal government's Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) budget for fiscal year 2015 includes several provisions written and advanced by Senator Lisa Murkowski. Among them are items to support Alaska's world class fisheries, improve Arctic navigation, and protect the state's coastline from the continued debris related to the 2011 Japanese tsunami. The CJS budget is a smaller portion of the omnibus agreement to fund the federal government next year. "I want to thank my colleagues on the App… Continue Reading

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12.10.14

Murkowski Protects 8,500 Alaska Fishing Boats from Costly Regulation

Senator Lisa Murkowski today succeeded in brokering a bipartisan agreement to block a costly and redundant EPA regulation on Alaska's commercial fishing fleet and commercial vessels under 79 feet that would have hurt fishermen and coastal communities. Today's unanimous U.S. Senate vote comes just weeks after Murkowski introduced a bill with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to extend the current moratorium and co-sponsored efforts establish a permanent exemption. Since then, she has been engaged in c… Continue Reading

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12.10.14

Murkowski Interior Subcommittee Leadership Brings Results for Alaska Tribal Health, Lands and Parks in Spending Bill

As the top Republican on the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared the results of her collaborations with Congressional Appropriations Committee members in crafting a 2015 Interior Department budget that addresses a number of core Alaska needs. With the Department of the Interior managing a majority of Alaska's lands, forests and waters - in addition to providing oversight of many services and programs for Alaska Natives and tribes - this bill has an o… Continue Reading

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12.05.14

Murkowski Veteran’s Mental Health Efforts Reflected in Defense Bill

Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that her priority of working for veterans' health and well-being on the home front through the DoD Suicide Tracking Act of 2014 has been included within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). With the NDAA having passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly yesterday, Murkowski is one step closer to helping empower the nation's military community against the tragic and all too prevalent problem of suicide. Senator Murkowski introduced the Do… Continue Reading

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12.03.14

Murkowski: Defense Bill Bolsters Alaska’s Military Footprint

Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that the House and Senate negotiations to craft a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to fund America's military for the upcoming year reflect a number of the key Alaskan priorities she has worked with Congressional leadership to advance. "Alaska's tactical position on the globe has long made us an ideal investment for the nation's defense, and the results of this year's NDAA discussions demonstrate that Congressional leadership continues to priorit… Continue Reading

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12.03.14

Sen. Murkowski Advances Legislation Finalizing Sealaska Land Claims

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, last night announced a bipartisan and bicameral agreement she helped negotiate to advance a lands bill package, including legislation to complete the aboriginal land claims of the Sealaska Native Regional Corp. Murkowski included the Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Jobs Protection Act, which she originally introduced as S. 340, in the package of lands bills developed by Senate and House leaders. Both chambers are expected to consider… Continue Reading

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12.03.14

Sen. Murkowski Announces Agreement on Public Lands Package

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced a bipartisan and bicameral agreement to advance a package of lands bills focused on expanding economic opportunities in Alaska and other Western states and will be included within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The joint agreement on the package will support job creation and economic growth through a balanced approach to improving public lands management, natural resource development, and conservation, while fully protecting p… Continue Reading

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12.02.14

Murkowski Lauds Passage of Duck Stamp Bill

Senator Lisa Murkowski today thanked her U.S. Senate colleagues for unanimously passing the Federal Duck Stamp Act of 2014 - a House of Representatives-passed bill that mirrors the bipartisan bill S. 2621 she co-sponsored and will now head to the President's desk to become law. "Updating and improving the duck stamp process for Alaskans and Americans has been a key priority for me and was one of the core elements of the bipartisan legislation I introduced earlier this year that stalled in polit… Continue Reading

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12.02.14

Murkowski Critical of “Texas-Sized” Ring Seal Designation

Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed strong concerns over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) proposed rule to designate approximately 350,000 square miles as critical habitat for ringed seals. The massive area (pictured below) would extend from Cape Avinof in Northwest Alaska to the Canadian border, covering the entire North Slope coastline. NOAA's justification admits several non-scientific reasons motivated its decision, such as "enhanced public awareness" and that the pr… Continue Reading

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11.21.14

Murkowski Applauds NARA Digitization of State Records

Senator Murkowski received confirmation from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) that their Seattle facility plans to digitize the irreplaceable federal records removed from Alaska when the NARA facility in Anchorage closed earlier this year. Based on the input of Alaskans who commented about the importance of various records, the NARA Seattle staff is in the process of prioritizing which records will be digitized first. "Maintaining access for Alaskans to the history of our… Continue Reading

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11.21.14

“We Must Ensure our Native Vets are Not Homeless”

Senator Lisa Murkowski co-sponsored bipartisan legislation (S.2960) to provide support for homeless and at-risk Native veterans. The bill was introduced by Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and also co-sponsored by Murkowski's colleagues on the committee, Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD), Al Franken (D-MN), and Tom Udall (D-NM). This bill will allow funds directed to at-risk and homeless veterans to be made available to Native veterans as well. Currently, vouchers are… Continue Reading

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11.20.14

Murkowski Discusses Arctic Agenda with Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament

Senator Lisa Murkowski today met with Einar Kristinn Guðfinnsson, the Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament, to discuss the United States' role in the Arctic, Iceland's ties with Alaska, U.S.-Iceland relations, and potential areas of cooperation. (Senator Murkowski's most recent thoughts on America's Arctic Agenda have been published throughout Alaska, and can be read here.) "When I was in Reykjavik for the Arctic Circle Assembly last month, I was very impressed by the high level of importa… Continue Reading

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11.19.14

Murkowski to I.H.S.: Alaska’s Patience Has Worn Out

Senator Lisa Murkowski today sternly informed the Acting Director of the Indian Health Service and Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the U.S. Department of Justice that neither she nor Alaskans will accept underfunding of critical public safety clinics in rural Alaska any longer, that Alaska is past being "polite" and will now demand the same treatment and resources that Native Americans receive in the Lower 48. Murkowski also repeated her commitment … Continue Reading

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11.19.14

Murkowski, Rubio Introduce Bill Extending Discharge Moratorium for Fishing Fleet

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today introduced a bill to extend the moratorium protecting the commercial fishing fleet from unnecessary regulations threatened by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for one additional year. Given that the commercial vessels exemption from pending EPA regulations expires at Midnight on December 18, 2014, this bill (attached) aims to shield fishermen from these regulations until permanent legislation can be passed in the new Congress. "Thi… Continue Reading

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11.18.14

Sen. Murkowski Vows to Revisit Keystone XL in New Congress

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed disappointment with the Senate's failure to pass legislation (S. 2280) that would have approved construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. "I'm disappointed that we couldn't get the votes tonight to approve this important infrastructure project, but this isn't over. The Keystone XL pipeline will be a top priority next year for the new majority," Murkowski said. "It's been over six years that this project has been under review - that's more than… Continue Reading

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11.17.14

Murkowski: Justice Hidden Remains Justice Denied

Senator Lisa Murkowski today offered the following observation upon the release of the "Material Indifference" study conducted by the University of Santa Clara Law School and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers showing that legal mischief - like that seen in the Ted Stevens trial - continues to be a reality in courtrooms nationwide, saying: "Though Attorney General Eric Holder threw Ted Stevens' guilty verdict out of court because Department of Justice attorneys played 'hide the fo… Continue Reading