Keeping Connected With Alaskans:

Keeping in touch with Alaskans is the best way to develop an understanding of what our state truly needs. But I also recognize it isn’t just important for me to hear and see the needs of Alaskans. Part of my job is showing others the opportunities we have and the challenges we face. I invited Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry to Alaska for a firsthand look at some of the energy innovation taking place in our state.

Visiting Kodiak with Secretary Perry, where hydropower, wind turbines, batteries, and flywheels work together to generate almost 98% of their electricity. The result: 13 million gallons of diesel fuel saved for an equivalent of $40 million in savings.

Roundtable discussion at the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Facility with energy leaders from the industry.

Discussion with Arctic Youth Ambassadors at the 2018 Arctic Encounter Symposium.

With young leaders from around the state at the Hugh O’Brien leadership forum.

Touring King Tech High School in Anchorage, which provides career technical and vocational education in over 25 career pathway programs.

Q&A session with students at Joe Redington Jr./Sr. High School in Wasilla.

A great tour of Joe Redington Jr./Sr. High School. Go huskies!

Reading to students at Barnes and Noble in Anchorage during Government Hill Elementary School day.

Learning about Cook Inlet Tribal Council’s Fab Lab in Anchorage, which gives young Alaskans greater opportunities to creatively explore engineering, manufacturing, and fabrication technologies.

Visiting with Ben VanderWeele at his family farm in the Mat-Su Valley; The VanderWeeles have been recognized as an Alaska Farm Family of the Year and are listed with Homeland Security as an emergency food supply site. Also pictured are Arthur Keyes, Alaska State Director of Agriculture (2^nd from right), and Rob Carter, Agronomist for the Alaska State Department of Agriculture (1^st from right).

Taking in the view with farmer/rancher Tom Pettit at the Little Pitchfork Ranch, a 600-acre farm that grows hay and raises game.

Checking out the Yaks at the Rempel’s Family Farm, where they raise organically grown vegetables on 135 acres.

Meeting with Alaska leaders at the Anchorage Food Bank to discuss the importance of access to food and the SNAP program in Alaska.

Meeting with physicians from around the state at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, to discuss healthcare issues, including workforce barriers.  

Visiting with staff at Mat-Su Regional Hospital to view their facility and discuss their proposed expansion to better provide for mental and behavioral health support.

Taking part in City Wide Cleanup Week in Anchorage.

Presenting Janet Kincaid of Palmer with the 2017 AARP Alaska Andrus Award for Community Service at the Palmer Rotary Meeting.

Celebrating our servicemen and women at the 50^th annual Fairbanks Military Appreciation Banquet. It was an honor to have General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, as the guest speaker.

I spoke at the University of Alaska-Southeast Class of 2018 Commencement Ceremony, where my message to them was: “Be Not Afraid”, because they are part of Alaska’s tradition of getting it done, doing it right, and making it work. Congratulations to all of the graduates!

I had an opportunity to meet with representatives from the tourism sector while in Juneau. We met aboard a small boat cruise ship. Uncruise Adventures is a company with over 400 full-time employees and vessels throughout the Southeast.

Celebrating the 60^th Anniversary of Tastee Freez with owner Rich Owens and his brother Steve Owens. A true hometown favorite!

Alaska Day in Washington DC – a gathering of Alaska Native leaders, military, and administration officials organized by AFN. This was a very productive conference about building partnerships and working together to address the challenges in front of us today.

Speaking at the AFN Conference with Senator Sullivan and Congressman Young.

Welcoming our Alaskan Veterans taking part in The Last Frontier Honor Flight in Washington D.C. So nice to welcome my good friend John Trautner.

Cherry Blossom Festival event in Washington D.C., alongside Sarah Powell, Alaska’s 2018 Cherry Blossom Princess. Sarah is from Anchorage and has just graduated from Georgetown University, and now is going to on to medical school—an incredible ambassador for our state.

Visiting with students from Metlakatla High School, FOCUS Homeschool High School Group, Susitna Valley High School, Colony High School, and Bethel Regional High School on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. 

Working on Solutions:

• Joined my colleagues to discuss innovative ways to address root causes of the opioid addiction crisis and substance abusein Alaska, and across the nation.
• Chaired an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing focused on the deferred maintenance backlog and the operational needs of the National Park Service.
• Joined my colleague Senator Gillibrand for a Women in the World panel, where we discussed Cabinet vacancies, the use of force in Syria, sexual harassment reform, and other bipartisan concerns.
• Spoke at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ (NASAA’s) briefing on Creative Industries to underscore the importance of the arts to economies large and small.

Speaking at the Fifth Arctic Encounter Symposium on the important developments we’ve seen in the Arctic and the opportunities and challenges ahead of us.

Speaking at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Legislative Conference on meeting the rural energy challenges we face across the country.

I urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to ensure the Department of Justice acts as an ally, rather than an obstacle, in considering future legislation regarding states’ rights during a Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. Click the image above to watch.

I called for an urgent focus on assistance for Alaskan communities facing coastal erosion during an Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing examining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ budget request for FY 2019. Click the image above to watch.

During a Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, I questioned Lieutenant General Nadja West, Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, on mental healthcare services in Alaska and various opportunities, such as the Military Healing Arts Program, to support our men and women in uniform. Click the image above to watch.

During a Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, I questioned Navy Admiral John Richardson on icebreakers and our nation’s focus to the Arctic. Click the image above to watch.

During a Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing I questioned Lt. General Sam Greaves, Director of the Missile Defense Agency, on the agency’s strategies and priorities regarding our missile defenses. Click the image above to watch.

During a Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, I discussed current infrastructure projects in Alaska, including construction of the Long Range Discrimination Radar and Missile Field One Expansion to support the Missile Defense Agency, the first beddown of the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, and facility upgrades at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Click the image above to watch.

During an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing I focused on the energy challenges and opportunities that our remote and rural communities face every day, and discussed opportunities for more affordable, reliable, and increasingly clean energy. Click the image above to watch.

Advancing Initiatives:

• New U.S. Coast Guard Assets to Alaska: The Coast Guard will homeport six Fast Response Cutters (FRC) spread across Alaskan communities which will enhance the Coast Guard’s coastal capability to perform search and rescue operations, protect our fisheries, and improve resiliency to disasters throughout Alaskan waters.
• Combatting drug trafficking in Alaska: The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) designated areas surrounding Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, opening the door for Alaska to receive additional federal resources to bolster law enforcement and improve drug control efforts at a state and local level.
• Opioid Response Act of 2018: The HELP Committee advanced legislation which takes a multi-faced approach to addressing the opioid issue, which includes standalone measures I inserted to increase mental health treatment, increase access to trauma informed care, and expand available treatment options for rural communities.
• Firefighter Cancer Registry Act: The HELP Committee advanced legislation I cosponsored which creates a national cancer registry for firefighters diagnosed with the deadly disease, to collect data and improve research activities on incidence of cancer among firefighters. 
• Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA): Bipartisan legislation was signed into law, containing the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act I cosponsored, which allows State Officials and Federal Prosecutors to be tougher on the criminals responsible for these horrific acts and helps bring justice to the victims of these devastating crimes.
• GE Salmon Import Ban In Place: The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the application for an AquaBounty Salmon Facility in Indiana, the company which continues their efforts to sell genetically engineered (GE) salmon for human consumption. Thankfully because of the language I inserted into the FY18 omnibus bill which bans the import of genetically engineered salmon, including eggs, they will be unable to produce GE salmon at this facility. But the fight against “Frankenfish” is not over, so I will continue to push for clear labeling of this product, if it is to enter into our marketplace.

 

In the News:

• Senate committee advances opioid bill (Cordova Times)
• Sen. Murkowski tells AASG attendees their voices matter and are heard (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
• ‘Alaskans’ preparing for the future (Juneau Empire)
• Alaska Native Tara Sweeney inching closer to history at Department of the Interior (Gray TV)
• Laos, Hmong Veterans Laud Passage, Enactment, by U.S. Congress, President Trump of Burial Honors Bill (Business Wire)