FY13 budget status update as of February 27

FY13 operating budget:
The House Finance Subcommittee on the UA FY13 operating budget has "closed out" with their recommendations of supporting the Governor's recommendations. No amendments were added in this process. However, the full House Finance Committee may take amendments when they meet to deliberate on the full FY13 operating budget.

If you are interested in supporting an increment in the OPERATING BUDGET, now is the time to send in letters of support to all House Finance Committee members:

Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak)
Representative Bill Thomas (Haines)
Representative Anna Fairclough (Eagle River)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (Dilllingham)
Representative Reggie Joule (Kotzebue)
Representative Mark Neuman (MatSu)
Representative Tammie Wilson (North Pole)
Representative Mia Costello (South Anchorage)
Representative David Guttenberg (Fairbanks)
Representative Les Gara (East Anchorage)
Representatie Mike Doogan (West Anchorage)
Representative Mike Hawker (Alt.) (Anchorage Hillside)

Also note - the House Finance Committee will announce a statewide teleconference on the FY13 operating budget for March 6-7, and times will be posted when we are notified of specifics. This is a perfect opportunity for RAP advocates to provide their testimony for this program. The more students and supporters you can send on that day, the better!

FY13 capital budget status:

Although the operating budget is taking center stage in the Alaska House right now, work is quietly underway on the Senate side to input information on all capital budget priorities to include the requested projects, letters and resolutions of support and backup documentation. The Governor has recommended funding $37.5 million in deferred maintenance projects as part of his five-year pledge to address critical items in this category. 

The UA Board of Regents have also asked for an additional $50 million for renewal and repurposing funding, as well as $100 million to address the backlog of necessary repairs, maintenance, renewal and replacement projects for the university statewide.

Also key in the FY13 capital budget request are a number of UAF research projects to be considered, including a  $10 million request for energy projects (PDF), $2 million for an  Oil Spill Research Center (PDF) (with a potential $25 million competitive grant in the mix), and  $2.5 million for studies involving ocean acidification (PDF). The last two projects have been endorsed in the recent Alaska Northern Waters Task Force recommendations (PDF). Note that for every dollar of state general funds, UA can leverage an average of $5 of other funds in research project funding.

Here is a sample letter of support (PDF) for consideration. Use the fact sheets highlighted above to insert a few salient bullet points, and then give a paragraph about why you support the project in your own words.  Letters should be a page in length and addressed to:

Senator_Joe_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us

Letters of support DO MATTER, especially when written by 'outside' advocates.

February 13, 2012

Time to Gear UP!

Anchorage legislators are headed home on Saturday, Feb. 18 to hold a Town Hall meeting at the ZJ Loussac Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon.

A number of Interior Delegation legislators are also headed home, and have their Town Hall meeting on Sunday, February 19 at West Valley High School from 1 to 3 p.m.

House Finance Committee Statewide Teleconference on the FY13 operating budget – helpful tips to make it easy!

Within the next several weeks, the House Finance Committee will be calendaring their statewide teleconference on the FY13 operating budget.  This is a great opportunity to actively participate in the process. 

How does this teleconference work?
Notice will be posted on the legislative calendar as to the date and times the House Finance Committee will be taking public testimony on the FY13 operating budget.  Typically, time is allotted for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, rural and offnet sites throughout the day. The public is invited to attend these meetings at their local legislative information office where they will sign up to present their supportive testimony.  Once the committee receives the roster of speakers, they will call upon each person to come to the table to give a two-minute presentation.  And they are serious about this time constraint!

Note: We will send out a notice on our legislative update enewsletter as soon as the dates/times are posted.

What if I can’t make it to the hearing?
House Finance Committee members will also accept written testimony sent by email, US Postal Service or fax. It’s also a great idea to ‘cc’ your own legislators so they know what you are supporting.

Why is this hearing important?
Legislators WANT to hear from their constituents! They will be listening intently to take notes of what is said and what budget items have the most vocal support. The more people that show up to testify on the budget, the better, especially when it comes to the University.

What’s in the UA FY13 operating budget? (PDF)
The UA Board of Regents have addressed the most pressing funding requirements for the University, i.e. fixed costs, salary increases, and high priority program initiatives.  It is important to note here that the Governor has reviewed the UA Regents’ request, recommending funding of fixed costs, salary increases and the Honors Program.  No funding was provided for the high-priority program requests.

However, it is very appropriate to advocate for anything in the UA Regents’ FY13 operating request, and support is needed for any of the program requests to succeed. This opportunity to provide testimony is a very effective way of getting your messages to legislators. It is especially important for ‘outside’ advocates, that is, private citizens, students, alumni, business and industry leaders, and UA partners. 

This is a proven method of advocacy – in years gone by, legislators were swayed by passionate testimony for various programs, and funding was included in the final budgets. In fact, the more people that testify to promote a program, the better!

What UA Board of Regents’ FY13 operating budget program initiatives are not funded to date? (See BOR FY13 Operating Request details - PDF)

• New initiatives to improve graduation rates
  These requests support UA’s responsibility during students “the 3 critical years”. They include supporting UA’s part in the joint effort for insuring college readiness and student success during their three key decision and high attrition years (last year of high school and year 1 and year 2 of college). Specific focus placed on improving retention, timely completion, removing student obstacles, establishing much better performance facts, and creating a common database for student decision making.
• Response to state high-demand jobs
  Funding to accommodate the growing demand for trained professional in the areas of Engineering, Health/Bio-Medical, Teacher Education, and Workforce Development continues to be a top priority for UA. Only through continued investment in these areas will we keep up with the State’s need. The alternatives are to recruit from outside or go without.
• Alaska Research, Economic Development, Intellectual Property
  These requests support UA’s newly initiated efforts to create economic value from UA intellectual property commercialization and focused research.
  

What points should I cover during my testimony?
You will have two minutes to convey your message, so short bullet points are essential in this case. This hearing is on the operating budget only.

Note: Two opportunities will be provided for public testimony for capital budget (infrastructure and building) requests. The capital budget deliberations typically happen towards the end of session in late March/early April. 

You will be asked to identify yourself, including your name, affiliation, and legislative district. This will really get the legislators’ attention if they are at the table.

Legislators are not so much interested in the financial details of the budget request as they want to hear your own story. Tell them what program initiatives you are supporting and why – what will this provide to the state, to Alaskans, to enhance workforce development, student achievements, etc. What will happen if the initiative is not funded?

At the end of your short testimony, make sure to thank the legislators for their time and ask them for their support of your request.

Who are the House Finance Committee members?

Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak)
Representative Bill Thomas (Haines)
Representative Anna Fairclough (Eagle River)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (Dilllingham)
Representative Reggie Joule (Kotzebue)
Representative Mark Neuman (MatSu)
Representative Tammie Wilson (North Pole)
Representative Mia Costello (South Anchorage)
Representative David Guttenberg (Fairbanks)
Representative Les Gara (East Anchorage)
Representatie Mike Doogan (West Anchorage)
Representative Mike Hawker (Alt.) (Anchorage Hillside)

What’s happening on the Hill? 

All three Chancellors have been invited by Senator Johnny Ellis to present to the UA Boosters Caucus on Feb. 28 to discuss collaborative and cooperative efforts between campuses. The Chancellors will also be presenting to the Juneau Downtown Rotary on the same date. This hearing may be available on Gavel or Gavel or Alaska Legislative TV.

The UA Board of Regents will be meeting in Fairbanks on February 15 and 16.  Public testimony will be taken on both days from 10 am to 11 am. Testimony is taken in-person only. During this meeting, a ribbon-cutting event will take place for the new ACEP Lab Modules. Senator Lesil McGuire is expected to make a few remarks at this ceremony.

Governor’s Cup Hockey! February 24 in Anchorage and February 25 in Fairbanks.  Come cheer on UAA or UAF in this final tournament of the season.

February 8, 2012

There are less than 70 days left to go in this legislative session, and the House Finance Committee has been working steadily in their subcommittees to focus on agency and university FY13 operating budget details.

The University has been especially busy these past couple of weeks providing information to the House Finance Subcommittee on the UA Budget, and UA President Gamble has made three presentations to date covering the high level view of mission and goals, research, distance education, and various topics regarding the university. More budget hearings are scheduled before the

House Finance Committee finalizes their recommendations in late February.

Typically, the Senate Finance Committee usually does not formally start working on this budget until it is passed out of the House. However, due to the shortened session and many issues on the table, the Senate Finance Committee will most likely try to get some work done ahead of schedule in order to meet the end-of-session deadlines.

What’s at stake?

The Governor submitted his FY13 operating and capital budgets to the legislature on December 15.  He is focusing on a ‘hold the line’ budget, and little else. He included salary increases and fixed cost increases in the UA FY13 operating budget, but chose not to include any of the high priority program increments from the Board of Regents request (PDF). These include:

• New initiatives to improve graduation rates
  These requests support UA’s responsibility during students “the 3 critical years”. They include supporting UA’s part in the joint effort for insuring college readiness and student success during their three key decision and high attrition years (last year of high school and year 1 and year 2 of college). Specific focus placed on improving retention, timely completion, removing student obstacles, establishing much better performance facts, and creating a common database for student decision making.
• Response to State High-Demand Jobs in Engineering, Health/Bio-Medical, Teacher Education, and Workforce Development
  Funding to accommodate the growing demand for trained professional in the areas of Engineering, Health/Bio-Medical, Teacher Education, and Workforce Development continues to be a top priority for UA. Only through continued investment in these areas will we keep up with the State’s need. The alternatives are to recruit from Outside or go without.
• Alaska research, economic development, intellectual property
  These requests support UA’s newly initiated efforts to create economic value from UA intellectual property commercialization and focused research

Capital Budget:

The Governor included $37.5 million in his FY13 capital budget for UA deferred maintenance to continue his pledge to start to address the backlog of necessary repairs, maintenance and renewal of UA facilities.  The university building inventory is about 37.5% of all state buildings..

Missing in this request are research projects designed to provide Alaska with answers to energy solutions, oil spill recovery in Arctic environments and ocean acidification studies in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. This includes:

Research for Alaska

• UAF Partnership to Develop Statewide Energy Solutions (PDF)
  The University of Alaska Fairbanks has significant capabilities to assist the State of Alaska, Alaska communities, and Alaska industries in making informed decisions about energy technology, analysis, and development. The University of Alaska Fairbanks can serve as a neutral information broker to impartially assess a wide range of potential energy options from numerous perspectives.
• UAF Effective Arctic Oil Spill Response (PDF)
  On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting well-blowout flowed for nearly 4 months and resulted in one of the largest manmade oil spills everon Earth. Given the huge offshore circum-arctic resource potential, oil development in the Arctic is a critical issue for the US and Alaska. Many of the difficulties associated with offshore development are intensified by the Arctic environment, and have not been studied as much as development in more temperate zones. UAF is uniquely situated to create a center focused on oil spill prevention and preparedness in the Arctic that would fill existing gaps in arctic knowledge and technology.
• UAF Assessing the Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Alaska’s Fisheries (PDF)
  Rapid and significant changes are occurring in the ocean waters surrounding Alaska that will affect our fisheries. One major change is the increased ocean acidification (OA). Currently, there are a number of independent studies (some inside of Alaska and others are being done national and internationally) that are working to better understand the impacts of OA to specific organisms and ecosystems. The modeling effort will require a multidisciplinary, highly integrative approach in order to accurately assess the impacts of OA in Alaska.

Call to action:

Now is a good time to contact all House Finance Committee members (PDF) and voice your support for items you feel are important in the Regents’ request. All three areas of focus listed above resonate with legislators; however, they need the encouragement and support of their constituency to even consider including them in the budget mix.

A sample template has been created for easy use, providing you with some bullet points regarding the budget and it gives you specifics about what legislators want to hear. Speak from experience and share your stories with them.  Make sure to send copies of your letters to your own legislators.

What’s happening on the Hill?

UA Student Governance leaders met in Juneau last weekend to attend their annual legislative conference to learn about the legislative process, participate in round-table discussions with legislators (thank you Interior Delegation for spending your Saturday afternoon with our students!) and focus on two days of meetings with legislators in the state capitol.  The UAF Alumni Association, along with counterparts from UAA and UAS also treated the students and legislators and staff to an annual ice cream social in the Speaker’s Chambers.

Right now, the issue of oil and gas taxes is front and center on the legislators’ agenda, and this issue will dominate the session for the most part. Education funding (K-12) is also being discussed.

Legislation:

The House and Senate have passed out their respective versions of the military training credits legislation, and it appears one of these bills will most likely pass in the near future. HB 148 passed out of the House by a 40-0 vote, and SB 150 moved out of the Senate by a vote of 19-1.  Senator Huggins opposition vote was because of the effective date of the bill – he wants it to take effect immediately.

UA Research:

The Northern Waters Task Force just completed their report of their recommendations based on their meetings held all over the state during the interim.  As part of their report, they recommend a university oil spill research center, studies on fisheries issues and Arctic waters, transportation and marine ecosystems.  Lots of great recommendations to support UAF research!

UAF Vice Chancellor for Research Services Mark Myers and Dan White, Director of UAF INE and OIPC gave a ‘lunch and learn’ presentation to members and staff of the legislature to give them an overview of the research presently in place and future possibilities for research specifically focused on climate change, oil spill recovery, ocean acidification and intellectual property expansion.

See Gavel to Gavel and the Alaska Legislature TV to view live and archived committee hearings during the session.