01.21.15

Murkowski on State of the Union Speech: “That’s Not Cooperation”

Senator Lisa Murkowski tonight responded to President Obama's State of the Union address, in which he spoke of cooperation and working with Congress, while at the same time threatening to veto any Congressional initiatives he disagrees with: (Click image to watch Senator Murkowski's response.) "Tonight the President had an opportunity to say, 'Let's work together in the last two years of my administration, let's look to the fact that we have a Republican Congress and a Democratic Executive, … Continue Reading

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01.20.15

Murkowski Chosen to Lead Two Committees Important to Alaska

Senator Lisa Murkowski has been named chairman of both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. Murkowski, who served for six years as the senior Republican member on both panels, was unanimously selected by her Republican Senate colleagues to be chairman. "I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the gavels of two panels that are of critical importance to Alaska," Murkowski said. "Energy production has been the brightest s… Continue Reading

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01.19.15

Senator Murkowski Shares Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Senator Lisa Murkowski shared her thoughts on what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 86thbirthday: (Click image to view Senator Murkowski's message.) "As we salute the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week, it is important to reflect upon the importance of his teachings. "He poignantly stated: 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.' That is a message that I know Alaskans take to heart, creating vibrant and important statewide con… Continue Reading

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01.15.15

Senators Murkowski, Sullivan Re-Activating Southeast Office Network

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan today announced that their Ketchikan and Juneau offices will be reopening soon, with the two coordinating their efforts to share a full-time staffer in each location to keep costs down. "Alaskans deserve to have their views heard and their needs responded to, but they also deserve to know that we are responsibly spending their tax dollars to do so," said the Senators. "From social security to the U.S. Postal Service to the issues on the floor of the Sen… Continue Reading

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01.15.15

Murkowski “Aghast” That Stevens Prosecutors Will Not Be Disciplined

Senator Lisa Murkowski today responded to the news that the Justice Department attorneys responsible for withholding evidence in the federal trial against longtime Alaska Senator Ted Stevens had their charges cleared because the Department of Justice "violated its own rules" in doing so: "I am aghast that the Merit Systems Protection Board is overturning the meager punishments for the two Justice Department prosecutors who committed serious ethical lapses in the Ted Stevens case - which led to … Continue Reading

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01.14.15

Murkowski Backs Effort to Take Budgets off “Autopilot”, Meaning Fiscal Certainty and Fewer Federal Budget Unknowns

Senator Lisa Murkowski is joining two dozen of her U.S. Senate colleagues in co-sponsoring S.150, the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act - an effort to set funding levels at two year increments instead of the current standard of twelve months. Such a move would create more certainty for government agencies to set longer term agendas. "The federal government has an oversized presence in Alaska, so leaving these agencies in the dark about their funding levels until the eleventh hour stalls… Continue Reading

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01.13.15

Murkowski Works to Get Veterans Hired, Help Alaskan Businesses Deal With Employer Mandate

Senator Lisa Murkowski joined a number of her Senate colleagues as an original co-sponsor of The Hire More Heroes Act - a bill incentivizing companies to hire more American veterans by exempting potential employees already receiving health coverage through Tricare or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VA from being counted toward the 50 employee threshold for the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate. "This legislation does two things: it avoids unnecessary redundancy for small business o… Continue Reading

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01.13.15

Alaska Delegation Announces Approval of $12.9M for Fishery Disaster Relief

Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young today announced that the second round of payments totaling $12.9 million for Alaskans seeking relief for federally-recognized fishery disasters has been approved by NOAA and will be available for Alaskans impacted by the low salmon runs in 2012. The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, working closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, developed a "sp… Continue Reading

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01.12.15

Murkowski Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Fight Against Health Care Bill’s “Lost Wage Incentive”

Senator Lisa Murkowski has joined Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) to re-introduce the bipartisan Forty Hours is Full Time Act, which matches full-time employee status within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the conventional 40 hour workweek. Employees who work thirty hours or more a week are considered "full-time employees" for purposes of the ACA, which has caused some employers to cut workers' hours or hire employees at 29 hours per week or less due to… Continue Reading

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01.09.15

Chairman Murkowski Speaks in Support of Congressional Approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, spoke on Senate floor today in strong support of legislation to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and focused on rebutting some of the inaccurate claims made by opponents of the project. Click Picture to View the Video "This is a simple bill. It approves the long-delayed cross-border permit needed to construct the Keystone XL pipeline. It does so while protecting private property rights, allowing Nebraska to find the best possible route for t… Continue Reading

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01.09.15

Murkowski Welcomes New Staff Members to Capitol Hill Office

Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced a number of new hires to her personal office staff in Washington, D.C. The new hires include Ephraim Froehlich, Garrett Boyle, Phillip Dodd, and U.S. Air Force Major Taona Enriquez; they fill vacancies created by recent departures among her staff. The senator also announced that she is promoting her Legislative Director Kate Williams to become her Deputy Chief of Staff. "These men and women bring experience and Alaskan perspectives to the office as we begi… Continue Reading

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01.08.15

Sen. Murkowski Advances Keystone XL Legislation

- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today voted to approve legislation that would authorize the Keystone XL pipeline to cross the United States-Canadian border. Click here to view the video "We have an opportunity to build on our reputation as an energy superpower that respects its neighbors, trades with its allies, and builds necessary infrastructure such as the Keystone XL pipeline. I believe Congress is ready … Continue Reading

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12.16.14

Murkowski Votes For Tax Certainty for Alaskans

Senator Murkowski today joined 75 of her colleagues in passing H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, a one-year bill to extend over 50 now-expired individual, business, and energy-related tax code provisions for this calendar year. Though she supported this measure to protect Alaskans from an unwelcome tax hike in their 2014 returns, Murkowski believes the bill only underscores the need for comprehensive tax reform in the next Congress. The bill also includes the Achieving a Bette… Continue Reading

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12.16.14

Sen. Murkowski Responds to Withdrawal of North Aleutian Basin from Five-Year Leasing Plan

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement on President Obama's decision to withdraw Alaska's North Aleutian Basin from potential oil and natural gas activity. "Given the lack of interest by industry and the public divide over allowing oil and gas exploration in this area, I am not objecting to this decision at this time," Murkowski said. "I think we all recognize that these are some of our state's richest fishing waters. What I do not understand is why this decis… Continue Reading

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12.13.14

Murkowski Lauds Alaskan Priorities in 2015 Funding Bill

Several provisions championed by Senator Lisa Murkowski are included the federal spending bill that passed the Senate today and heads to the President's desk. The bill to fund the federal government operations for Fiscal Year 2015 - with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security, which is funded through March - includes vital items related to the Arctic, military rural infrastructure, transportation, energy, education, and veteran support. "This bill is not perfect, but it is the pr… Continue Reading

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12.13.14

2015 Budget Spotlights Murkowski Interior Approps Leadership

Today, Senator Lisa Murkowski voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2015 spending bill that included the Interior Department budget and agenda she helped craft with Congressional Leadership addressing many core Alaska needs; having passed both Congressional chambers, the budget bill now heads to the President's desk. 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 … Continue Reading

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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