07.01.20

Alaska Congressional Delegation Introduce Bill to Make Cost-Of-Living Adjustment For Alaska, Hawaii Nursing Facilities

The Alaska Congressional Delegation introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will provide for fair Medicare payments for nursing facilities in Alaska and Hawaii. The bill will authorize a cost-of-living adjustment at skilled nursing facilities in those states to take into account the higher costs of delivering care. The Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act of 2020 is led by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in the U.… Continue Reading

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07.01.20

Murkowski Welcomes Finalized Hilcorp-BP Sale

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement on the announcement of Hilcorp's acquisition of BP's Alaska upstream assets. "I'm very pleased to see this transaction move forward and appreciate Hilcorp's commitment to Alaska," Murkowski said. "This announcement is particularly welcome news for our state as we work to rebuild our economy. Hilcorp has ensured a stable natural gas supply in Cook Inlet and secured a 90-percent local hire rate in recent years. BP has b… Continue Reading

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07.01.20

Paycheck Protection Program Deadline Extension

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation to extend the Paycheck Protection Program to August 8, 2020. The small business loan program expired yesterday, on June 30. It now needs to pass the House in order for it to be sent to the President's desk to be signed into law. Just last week the Department of Treasury and Small Business Administration announced a rule allowing commercial fishing businesses to account for crew member payroll when applying for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan… Continue Reading

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07.01.20

ICYMI: Murkowski, Manchin Make Case for American Energy Innovation Act

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., took to the Senate floor this week to urge their colleagues to pass the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA), rather than leaving behind years of important bipartisan work and resigning our nation's energy policies to at least another year without modernization. Click photo for video of colloquy between Murkowski and Manchin Excerpts from the Senators' Remarks On the American Energy Innovation Act Chairman Murkowski: "We… Continue Reading

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06.30.20

Murkowski Convenes Hearing Focused on COVID-19 Impacts on U.S. Territories

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing to examine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. territories - American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. "All of our states face challenges in fighting the spread and impact of COVID-19. The territories face additional hurdles, from limited capacity to handle a health pandemic to economies with fewer sources of revenue that are severely harmed by the economic shutdown, p… Continue Reading

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06.30.20

White House COVID-19 Task Force On Progress Toward Safely Getting Back to Work, School

As communities across the nation continue to work on plans to safely re-open amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today took part in a Senate HELP Committee hearing focused on how to safely return to work and back to school. The hearing featured Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, Admiral Brett Giroir of HHS, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, and CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. How the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has used appropri… Continue Reading

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06.29.20

Murkowski Welcomes PILT Payments to Alaska

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced today that the Department of the Interior is distributing $31,683,971 to eligible local governments across Alaska through the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The PILT program provides monetary compensation to local governments in the state that contain federal lands that are not subject to state or local taxation. This revenue supports local governments in providing essential services, such as construction of public schools and roads, firefight… Continue Reading

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06.26.20

Alaska Delegation Welcomes Court Win for Alaska Native Corporations

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young (all R-Alaska) today welcomed the court decision deeming Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) eligible for tribal assistance appropriated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Today U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Alaska Native Corporations can receive a share of the $8 billion in funding set aside for Tribal governments that Congress approved in March. "When we passed the CARES Act … Continue Reading

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06.26.20

U.S. Senators Smith, Murkowski Continue Work to Expand Mental Health Services with New Package of Bipartisan Legislation

U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced two bipartisan bills to address behavioral health needs and substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Behavioral Health Support Act would authorize $150 million in grants to States, Tribes, Tribal organizations and community-based organizations for training, technology upgrades, surge capacity needs, emergency crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and outreach to underserved communities. The… Continue Reading

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06.25.20

Delegation Announces Paycheck Protection Program Fix for Commercial Fishing Businesses

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young (all R-Alaska) today applauded a rule released by the Department of Treasury and Small Business Administration that will allow commercial fishing businesses to account for crew member payroll when applying for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Over the past several weeks, the Alaska Congressional Delegation has pressed the Trump administration for the change - which included sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnu… Continue Reading

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06.25.20

20 Senators: Defense Authorization Bill Should Include Advanced Nuclear

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Cory Booker, D-N.J., recently led a bipartisan group of 20 Senators in sending a letter to urge the inclusion of S. 903, the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), within S. 4049, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. The members' letter highlights nuclear energy's contribution to national security. The advanced reactors supported by NELA have significant potential to provide clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy to mi… Continue Reading

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06.25.20

Delegation Welcomes Final Environmental Impact Statement on NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued the following statements after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an updated Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The final EIS will be followed by a record of decision that will guide management of the NPR-A. "As Alaskans work toward economic recovery, having a robust plan to unlock the potential of on… Continue Reading

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06.25.20

Alaska Native Vietnam War-Era Veterans Are One Step Closer To Being Able to Apply for Land Allotments

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) announcement of proposed rules that will allow more than 1,000 Alaska Native Vietnam War-era veterans to apply for land allotments of up to 160 acres of land. This is a key step to fulfilling an important provision of the Dingell Act, landmark public lands legislation that Congress passed early last year. BLM also announced the specific lands available for selection. "… Continue Reading

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06.25.20

Murkowski Calls to Advance Alaska Specific Legislation During Senate Indian Affairs Hearing

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took part in a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs legislative hearing which included two Alaska specific bills of which Senator Murkowski is the sponsor: S. 3099, the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2019 and S. 3100, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2019. The hearing also addressed a bill of which Senator Murkowski is a lead cosponsor, S. 2165, the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act o… Continue Reading

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06.24.20

Murkowski Responds to Democrats Blocking Debate on Police Reform Bill

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after the Senate procedural vote to take up the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, the only police reform bill that's recently been introduced in the Senate, failed to advance to debate by four votes: "Right now we have a sense of urgency across the country-to address the justifiable anger, anxiety, and pleas that we have heard from Americans in calling for police reform. Today all Sen… Continue Reading

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06.24.20

Murkowski: Mineral Supply Chains Critical to Energy – and Health, Economy, and Security

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mineral supply chains, the role of those supply chains in economic and national security, and the challenges America faces in rebuilding them. This is the committee's ninth hearing on the importance of minerals to supply chains during Murkowski's time as Chairman and Ranking Member. "The pandemic has brought home that we don't produce many goods important to our country," Murkowski said… Continue Reading

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06.24.20

Murkowski Joins Hearing on COVID-19: Lessons Learned

As we continue to navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and work to create a safer future for all Americans, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) participated in a Senate HELP Committee hearing focused on lessons learned from the COVID-19 response thus far and the actions Congress should take to improve U.S. pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. The hearing included testimony from witnesses who spoke to their experiences as state and federal officials during past pandemics as we… Continue Reading

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06.23.20

Murkowski Statement on Order Affecting H-2B Workers, J-1 Visas

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) made the following statement after President Trump issued a "Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak," which includes an exemption for workers seeking to enter the U.S. to provide temporary labor or services essential to the nation's food supply chain, such as the seafood industry: "The COVID pandemic has strained workers and businesses all across the nation. I appreciate the admini… Continue Reading

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06.19.20

ICYMI: American Energy Innovation Act Can Boost the Economic Recovery

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, yesterday took to the Senate floor to outline how the energy industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic - and urged her colleagues to pass the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA) to help boost the nation's economic recovery. Murkowski's comments followed a hearing held by ENR on Tuesday morning to discuss those impacts and hear from witnesses on how to recover from them. Click photo for video of Murkowski's floor statement Excerpts from the S… Continue Reading

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06.18.20

Murkowski to NOAA: Update Tsunami Monitoring in Prince William Sound

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, recently sent a letter urging officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to prioritize improvements to tsunami-monitoring in Prince William Sound and throughout Alaska. State officials recently announced the discovery of potential for one of the largest landslide threats in Alaska history at Barry Arm-where an unstable slope sits above a retreating glacier and could trigger a massive tsunami if released. "The landslide and tsun… Continue Reading