04.25.13

Murkowski Cosponsors Fix for FAA Control Tower Furloughs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today continued to work towards common-sense solutions to needless - and possibly politically motivated -- flight delays being imposed upon Alaskans and Americans because of the Federal Aviation Administration's nationwide furloughs due to sequestration cuts, by cosponsoring the Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013 to allow the FAA to reallocate existing funds to avoid further furloughs of air traffic controllers. The bill passed the Senate this evening b… Continue Reading

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04.25.13

Murkowski: Marketplace Fairness Act is not Fair

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With the United States Senate currently considering S. 743, The Marketplace Fairness Act, Senator Lisa Murkowski took to the floor of the Senate to criticize the bill for unfairly infringing upon states' sovereign rights and exposing remote online sellers to other states' sales tax requirements. For states like Alaska who have chosen not to have a statewide sales tax, this bill creates an unlevel playing field among other states with sales taxes. (Senator Murkowski Speaks… Continue Reading

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04.25.13

Alaska Senators Rally Over Thirty Members of Congress to Oppose Frankenfish

WASHINGTON, DC - With the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considering proceeding toward approval of Genetically Engineered (GE) salmon, or "Frankenfish," for human consumption, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich voiced serious objections to the review process and expressed alarm at a long list of hazards potentially associated with bringing these fake fish to market. The Alaska Senators organized a group of 12 Senators and 20 House members in a letter sent Thursday to FDA Comm… Continue Reading

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04.25.13

Senate Subcommittee Advances Sealaska Lands Bill to Fulfill ANCSA Promises

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands Subcommittee in support of legislation to complete the aboriginal land claims promised to shareholders of the Sealaska Native Regional Corp. more than 40 years ago under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). (Click to play video) "The primary purpose of the Sealaska legislation is simple: it settles the outstanding aboriginal land claims under the ANC… Continue Reading

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04.25.13

Murkowski: Administration Avoiding Justice for Indian Tribes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski took the opportunity during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing to express her deep disappointment with the Obama Administration's decision to alter the operation of Indian Self-Determination Act contracts - which she called the "core of the Nation's federal trust relationship" - through the budget and congressional appropriations process. "Must I remind the Obama Administration that self-determination contracts are the core of our nation's fed… Continue Reading

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04.25.13

Murkowski to Hold Second Subsistence Public Meeting in Glennallen

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced the second of her subsistence public meetings will be held in Glennallen on May 2nd. The subsistence listening session will provide a forum for Alaskans to be heard on this important cultural and food security issue, and to have their testimony taken back to Congress. The Glennallen event comes one month after a Bethel subsistence listening session on April 2nd. Senator Murkowski made a commitment last fall at the Alaska Federation of… Continue Reading

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04.24.13

Sen. Murkowski Raises Concerns Over Impact of EPA Rulemakings

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today raised concerns with a number of rulemakings the Environmental Protection Administration is working on and the potential impact on the national economy, as well as Alaska. "The sheer number of rulemakings the agency is currently proposing, the cost of compliance with the vast array of regulations already on the books, and what, at times, are the unreasonable consequences of their enforcement is incredibly frustrating to the public," Murkowski told… Continue Reading

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04.24.13

Murkowski: Knives on Planes Add to Delays, Make Skies Less Safe

WASHINGTON, D.C - On the heels of Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano telling Senator Lisa Murkowski that she believes the Transportation Security Administration's decision to permit small knives on planes is inevitable despite its present delay, Murkowski joined her colleague Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) to urge the DHS Inspector General to scrutinize and investigate the policy change, considering their numerous concerns. Chief among the Senators concerns are new security risks … Continue Reading

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04.23.13

Senators Murkowski and Wyden Unveil “Follow the Money” Reform Bill

WASHINGTON - Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined her colleague Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to introduce the first attempt at bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation in a decade: The Follow the Money Act of 2013. In order to address the influx of anonymous federal election spending and bring transparency and consistency to campaign finance law, the bill creates a simple and universal system of disclosure for independent spending in federal campaigns. The legislation would require the source … Continue Reading

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04.20.13

Murkowski Statement on Boston Terror Arrest

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski shared the following thoughts upon the arrest of the second suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bomb attack: "Alaskans and Americans salute the well-coordinated effort of the brave and vigilant law-enforcement teams that cooperated today in Boston to apprehend the suspect and put an end to one of the most difficult weeks in our nation's recent history. The men who perpetrated Monday's attack tried to sow chaos and fear, but instead they created a unity o… Continue Reading

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04.19.13

Murkowski Receives Congressional Justice Award

WASHINGTON, D.C - Senator Lisa Murkowski was honored this week by the American Bar Association (ABA), receiving the Congressional Justice Award for her leadership and advocacy in the realm of civil liberties and law reform. The ABA specifically recognized Murkowski for her legislation, the Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act, which requires that prosecutors disclose exculpatory evidence to criminal defendants. The ABA group included Attorney Lynn Allingham of the Alaska Bar Association, who s… Continue Reading

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04.18.13

Senator Murkowski Statement on Gun Legislation Proposals

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the United States Senate concluded a series of votes on proposed gun legislation, Senator Lisa Murkowski offered the following statement: "I'd like to thank you for sharing a few moments with me on a very important issues that's been facing the U. S. Senate this week, and that is our 2nd amendment rights and gun violence. "Alaskans have been watching the Senate debate gun legislation very, very, closely, because they want to keep Americans safe as much as anyone. We just… Continue Reading

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04.18.13

VA Secretary Committed to ‘All of the Above’ Care for Rural Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of Veterans Affairs General Eric Shinseki today assured Senator Lisa Murkowski that he is deeply committed to delivering the care earned by America's veterans in rural and remote areas - critically important in Alaska where 80 percent of communities are "off the road system" - during a hearing of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee. After Senator Murkowski pointed out that there have been some difficulties in creating "c… Continue Reading

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04.18.13

Sen. Murkowski: ‘All of the Above’ Missing from DOE Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today said the Department of Energy's $28.4 billion budget proposal fails to support the kind of comprehensive policies needed to improve the nation's security and return its economic vitality. (Click for video of Murkowski's opening statement) "While the administration has repeatedly pledged to support an 'all of the above' energy policy, I still do not see that reflected here," Murkowski told Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman at … Continue Reading

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04.17.13

Murkowski Brings Nautical Officials Together for Maritime Boundary Line/ IUU Panel

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today hosted top oceans and marine officials at the U.S. Capitol to discuss the many issues surrounding the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU) - from the government's mission of enforcement to protecting vital marine resources like Alaska's $4.5B fishing industry. In the second briefing on maritime issues requested by Senator Murkowski in as many years, officials from the Department of State, Coast Guard, N… Continue Reading

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04.17.13

ANG Tells Murkowski It Supports Added Staff and Equipment for 168th Refueling Wing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today received a response indicating support from the Director of the Air National Guard for added staff and equipment for the 168th Air Refueling Wing through an Active Association with the United States Air Force - saying it would increase its ability to be the "mobility backbone" of the Air Force. Active Associations are partnerships where National Guard operations share supplemental staff and equipment with the United States Air Force. Murkowski to… Continue Reading

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04.16.13

Murkowski Statement on Gun Legislation Proposals

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today decided that she will not be supporting the Manchin-Toomey gun legislation and will instead support an alternative amendment proposed by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA): "Law-abiding Alaskans have been watching the Senate debate gun legislation closely, because they want to keep Americans safe as much as anyone but don't believe they need to sacrifice their 2nd Amendment rights to get there. "We all agree that we want to keep guns out of the hands … Continue Reading

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04.16.13

Murkowski Meeting Today With Iceland President Grímsson

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today is meeting with the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, to discuss a variety of Arctic policy issues that continue to affect Alaska and the nation. Grimsson is in the nation's capital to offer the keynote address for an energy forum hosted by the Brookings Institution, as well as to raise awareness for the newly assembled Arctic Circle organization - which has named Senator Murkowski an honorary board member, due to her stat… Continue Reading

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04.16.13

Murkowski: Forest Service’s Attempt to Take Back Secure Rural School Payments ‘Adding Insult to Injury’

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today blasted the U.S. Forest Service for trying to retroactively "claw back" payments made to Southeast Alaska timber communities under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday on the Forest Service's 2014 budget request, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said that because of the automatic, across-the-board federal budget cuts commonly known as "sequest… Continue Reading

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04.16.13

Pentagon Agrees With Murkowski: No Special Drone Medal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski has received word from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel that he has revisited the controversial decision of his predecessor Leon Panetta and will not proceed with plans to decorate military men and women who control drones over combat veterans - including Purple Heart recipients injured or killed in combat. Instead, Hagel announced that the award will be bestowed as a "distinguishing device" to be attached to existing medals, instead of a new classifica… Continue Reading