02.05.15

Murkowski, Young Introduce Bicameral Bills Pushing for Safe Drone Usage

Senator Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young announced companion legislation in both chambers of Congress aimed at urging the Federal Aviation Administration to create policies for safe usage of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) across America's skies. Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced the bipartisan Safe Skies for Unmanned Aircraft Act of 2015 with co-sponsors Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) in the Senate, and Congressman Young introduced legislation by the same name in the House … Continue Reading

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02.05.15

Murkowski Bill Would Provide Permanent Protection from “Nonsensical” EPA Discharge Regs for Fishing Boats

Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced legislation to permanently block an EPA incidental discharge regulation that poses serious threats to Alaska's fisherman and coastal communities. The flawed regulation is written so broadly that it would penalize Alaska's fisherman and more than 8,000 boats statewide simply for rinsing fish guts off their deck, or rainwater washing other materials off their decks. The bill - co-sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Maria Ca… Continue Reading

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02.04.15

Murkowski, Sullivan: Denali Is ‘The Great One’s Rightful Name

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan today announced they have introduced legislation that would make "Denali" the official name of America's tallest peak - the most widely-used designation of the 20,230 foot tall mountain given by the state's Koyukon Athabascan residents (Deenaalee). The bill would reverse a century-old decision: 19th Century prospector William Dickey naming it after a President who never stepped foot in Alaska, William McKinley - and how it has since been 'officially' kno… Continue Reading

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02.03.15

Murkowski Votes for Bill to Improve Veteran Mental Health Care

Senator Lisa Murkowski today was proud to cast her vote for the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, a House of Representatives-passed bill mirroring legislation she co-sponsored in the Senate (S.167), offering several critical measures to improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for America's veterans. The bill passed the Senate today 99-0, and heads directly to the President's desk to be signed into law. The bill would require a third-party evaluation of… Continue Reading

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02.02.15

Murkowski Responds to President Obama’s “Groundhog Day” Budget of $2.1 Trillion in New Taxes

Senator Lisa Murkowski today responded to President Obama's budget proposal, which ignores spending limits contained within the bipartisan Budget Control Act that he signed into law in 2011: "It's fitting that today's budget comes out on Groundhog Day - or Marmot Day back home - because it looks like something we've seen over and over again: more taxes, bigger government, less spending restraint, and the President ignoring the law. "The Budget Control Act imposes limits on spending for a reaso… Continue Reading

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01.29.15

Sen. Murkowski Leads Senate Approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline

- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today voted to approve legislation authorizing the cross-border permit for constriction of the Keystone XL pipeline. This legislation passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 62-36. Click photo for video of Sen. Murkowski speaking on final passage of S. 1. "After 2,323 days of presidential delay and indecision, the Senate took action to pass, on a bipartisan vote, the Keystone XL pipeline … Continue Reading

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01.29.15

Murkowski Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Improve Afterschool Programs

Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced the Afterschool for America's Children Act with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), which would help children and families by investing in high-quality afterschool programs across the country that complement students' academic pursuits. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program, which has allowed millions of children to attend afterschool programs over the last decade, including more than 25,000 Alas… Continue Reading

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01.28.15

Murkowski Lauds Walmart Stocking Shelves with Alaska Seafood

Senator Lisa Murkowski today welcomed news that Walmart has decided to stock wild caught Alaskan fish on shelves in their Alaska and Washington state stores. After a concerted effort by Murkowski to advocate for the merits and taste of Alaska's superlative seafood - including reaching out directly to the President and CEO of Walmart -Walmart today announced it will offer Alaskan cod, salmon, rockfish, sole, and crab. "Today's announcement is great news for Alaska our seafood industry, and Walm… Continue Reading

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01.27.15

Interior’s Proposed Offshore Leasing Plan Will Place New Restrictions on Exploration of Alaska’s Waters

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today criticized the Obama administration for its continued campaign to shut down oil and natural gas activity in Alaska. "This administration is determined to shut down oil and gas production in Alaska's federal areas - and this offshore plan is yet another example of their short-sighted thinking," said Murkowski, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "The president's indefinite withdrawal of broad areas of the Beaufort and Chukc… Continue Reading

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01.26.15

Murkowski, Sullivan, & Young Vow to Fight President Obama’s Assault on Alaska

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young today held a press conference to discuss their plans to work together to reverse the Obama administration's decision to further block access to Alaska's oil and natural gas resources in federal areas. The administration on Sunday announced it was recommending that nearly all of the 19.6 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be placed into wilderness status - a move that would lock up the nation's richest oil prospect… Continue Reading

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01.25.15

Obama, Jewell Declaring War on Alaska’s Future

Alaska's Congressional Delegation and Gov. Bill Walker today denounced President Obama and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell for launching an unprecedented assault on Alaska that will have long-lasting effects on the state's economy and the nation's energy security. In coordination with the White House, Secretary Jewell will announce this week - starting today - that she will lock up millions of acres of the nation's richest oil and natural gas prospects on the Arctic coastal plain and move to bl… Continue Reading

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01.22.15

Murkowski Welcomes Add’l $1.5M to Address Alaska’s Energy Cost Challenges

Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared news with Alaskans that $1.5 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds are headed to the state from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Starting today, $730,000 will be distributed through the DHHS Division of Public Assistance, as well as $800,000 by Native Tribes or Tribal Associations, listed below. This amount is in addition to the $17.9 million provided to the state in October to help Alaskans deal with heating bill… Continue Reading

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01.21.15

Senator Murkowski Announces 2015 Service Academy Nominations

Senator Lisa Murkowski today proudly announced that she has nominated 57 promising Alaskans to the U.S. military service academies for the class of 2019. "These candidates come from every corner of the state, and embody incredible talent, dedication, and leadership. I am honored that they have answered the call to service, and to have the opportunity to nominate them for consideration," said Murkowski. "I know that these intelligent and accomplished young Alaskans will make the state proud." U… Continue Reading

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01.21.15

Murkowski: White House’s Arctic Focus Remains “Unbalanced”

Senator Lisa Murkowski today responded to the White House's latest Executive Order, "Enhancing Coordination of National Efforts in the Arctic," (attached) with the United States only months away from assuming the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council: "Today's Executive Order is a good step forward in strengthening the coordination of federal agencies on Arctic policy - and seeks direct input from Alaska's Arctic stakeholders - but it is unbalanced in what the Administration's Arctic priorities sh… Continue Reading

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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