05.01.21

ICYMI: Murkowski Continues Fight to Restore Alaska’s Economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated Alaska's tourism industry. The lack of cruise ship passengers traveling to the state has severely impacted Alaskans, small business owners, and Alaska's economy overall. In support of struggling Alaskans, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) this week spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to urge her colleagues to consider and pass S. 593, the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA), legislation she introduced, with Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) as a cosponsor. Their bill … Continue Reading

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04.30.21

Murkowski Joins Introduction of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in introducing the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to protect pregnant workers and new mothers from workplace discrimination. This legislation, which is closely modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), would require employers with 15 or more employees to make reasonable accommodations to allow employees who are pregnant, ha… Continue Reading

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04.30.21

Murkowski, Sullivan Speak on Alaska Tourism Restoration Act

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-AK, spoke on the Senate floor to urge their Senate colleagues to consider and pass S. 593, the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA). Their bill works to provide a path forward for communities who rely on tourism by temporarily alleviating the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) restrictions for cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska. Their bill would allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska … Continue Reading

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04.29.21

Murkowski Introduces Bill to Protect America’s Electric Grid

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)-with colleagues Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), James Risch (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV)-reintroduced S. 1400, the Protecting Resources On The Electric grid with Cybersecurity Technology (PROTECT) Act, which enhances electric grid security by incentivizing electric utilities to make cybersecurity investments. The bill also establishes a Department of Energy (DOE) grant and technical assistance program to deploy advanced cybersecurity technolog… Continue Reading

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04.28.21

Murkowski’s Response to President Biden’s Address

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) tonight released the following statement after President Joe Biden delivered his first address before a joint session of Congress: "This evening, President Biden formally spoke to Congress for the first time. It was an opportunity for the President to lay out his administration's priorities and his vision to support the nation's continued recovery from the COVID pandemic. "The pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on our country. Alaskans understand that … Continue Reading

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04.28.21

Murkowski Fights Back on Administration’s Efforts to Pause Oil and Gas Leasing on Public Lands, Public Land Orders

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took part in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing that evaluated the status of the Department of the Interior's onshore oil and gas leasing program pause and review. During the hearing, Senator Murkowski questioned Nada Culver, Deputy Director of Policy and Programs at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on a number of issues critical to Alaska, including the Willow project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and Public Land Orde… Continue Reading

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04.26.21

Murkowski, Casey Introduce Bill to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Bob Casey (D-PA) recently introduced S.1275, legislation to improve the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (FVPSA). This legislation would enhance and expand support, protection, and prevention for Americans affected by family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. Through FVPSA, survivors receive services such as emergency shelter, crisis counseling, safety planning, and assistance recovering from financial abuse and housin… Continue Reading

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04.23.21

Murkowski Announces Strategic Energy and Minerals Initiative

In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced her legislative efforts to enable U.S. companies to better compete in global markets by promoting the responsible, domestic production of oil, gas, and minerals. The Strategic Energy and Minerals Initiative (SEMI) Act will position the United States to compete in global energy and critical mineral markets by supporting an all-of-the-above energy strategy, pushing back against multilateral development banks restricting … Continue Reading

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04.23.21

Cortez Masto, Murkowski Hail Interior & DOJ Announcement on Their Bipartisan Law to Curb Epidemic of Missing, Murdered and Trafficked Native Women

U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statements after the Departments of Interior (DOI) and Justice (DOJ) announced that they would be enacting a joint commission to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, a key component of the Senators' bipartisan Not Invisible Act, which was signed into law last year. "This is a welcome step from the Administration and it will make an enormous difference in our efforts to addres… Continue Reading

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04.23.21

Murkowski Leads Effort to Ramp up Domestic Critical Mineral Supply Chain

The current Federal permitting process has been an impediment to mineral production and the mineral security of the United States. Permitting times in the U.S. rank among some of the longest in the world and are a threat to our national security and economy. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced legislation to improve the quality and timeliness of Federal permitting and review processes with respect to critical mineral production on Federal land. U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), … Continue Reading

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04.22.21

Murkowski Votes for Bill Denouncing Discrimination Against Asian Americans

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after voting in favor of S. 937, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which passed the Senate in a 94-1 vote: "During this pandemic, we've seen reports of a rise in discrimination and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders stemming from a ridiculous perception relating to the spread of COVID-19. Acts of hatred cannot be condoned and are absolutely unacceptable. I'm pleased that the Senate came together to clearly denounc… Continue Reading

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04.22.21

Alaska Delegation Encourages Department of Homeland Security to Help Keep Alaska Seafood Industry Running

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young issued the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the department is making available 22,000 temporary, non-agriculture worker visas through the H-2B visa program: "The H-2B visa program is crucial to on-shore fish processors in Alaska and to our national seafood supply. The COVID-19 pandemic has created incredible hardships for American businesses across the nation, and Alaska's seafood industr… Continue Reading

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04.22.21

Murkowski Announces Legislation Focused on Improving Alaska’s Trail System

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) delivered remarks at the Alaska Trails statewide conference where she announced the upcoming introduction of new legislation recognizing the incredible trail systems throughout the state. "The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on Alaskan's health and our state's economy and has hit our small communities dependent on seasonal tourism especially hard. Despite all that, one of the positives to pull from this time is that we have deepened our appreci… Continue Reading

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04.21.21

Alaska Communities Selected for Clean Energy Solutions Pilot Project

Today U.S. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is partnering with four Alaskan communities to help address high energy costs and vulnerable energy infrastructure by transitioning to clean energy solutions. The communities of Dillingham, Ouzinkie, Wainwright, Sitka, as well as Sitka's Alaska Longline Fisherman's Association were chosen by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as part of the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIP… Continue Reading

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04.19.21

Tester, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to End Unfair Offset of Military Retiree Pay and Disability Benefits for Veterans

U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to end the unfair offset of retirement pay and disability benefits for nearly 400,000 military retirees. Under current law, thousands of veterans who receive military pay from the Department of Defense take a dollar-for-dollar pay reduction for any disability compensation they receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Senators' bipartisan Retired Pay Restoration Act would elimina… Continue Reading

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04.16.21

Delegation tells Interior Department to Leave Politics out of Land Management Decisions

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young call on the Department of the Interior to fulfill its promises to Alaska and Alaska Natives after the Department's announcement that it will impose a two-year stay in the implementation of several new Public Land Orders (PLOs) in Alaska, despite the PLOs already being signed. These PLOs would have lifted withdrawal restrictions on 28 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land that have been in place for nearly a hal… Continue Reading

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04.16.21

Gillibrand, Murkowski Announce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Summer Meal Program

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced S.1170, the Summer Meals Act, legislation to expand summer meal programs across the country to ensure children maintain access to nutritious meals when school is out. The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent switch to remote learning, exacerbated the challenges that food insecure students face when schools are closed. The bill would improve the U.S. Department… Continue Reading

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04.15.21

Vice Chairman Murkowski Highlights Alaska’s Progress During Hearing on Coronavirus Response in Native Communities

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, provided the following remarks during an oversight hearing on "Examining the COVID-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Health Systems One Year Later." Pictured: Senator Murkowski (left) with Senator Schatz (right) during hearing on April 14, 2021 "The coronavirus pandemic has created major challenges for our native health care systems across the country and revealed longstanding deficiencies i… Continue Reading

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04.15.21

Alaska Delegation Introduces Legislation to Provide Long Term Fiscal Stability for University of Alaska

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, introduced, in both the Senate and House of Representatives, the University of Alaska Fiscal Foundation Act. The legislation fulfills the University of Alaska's promise as a land grant university with sufficient lands to generate revenues that help support its students and operations. The University of Alaska (UA) currently has one of the smallest land endowments-just 110,000 acres-of any applicable institution of high… Continue Reading

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04.15.21

Murkowski Takes Leadership Role in Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was selected to serve as Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR), the Arctic Council's working body with permanent participants from eight Arctic countries. Senator Murkowski has represented the U.S. on the Standing Committee, as an Arctic Parliamentarian, since 2003. Being elevated to the position of Vice Chairman enables her to serve in a greater leadership role to further promote cooperation and collaboration … Continue Reading