State’s new Medicaid system makes ObamaCare rollout ‘look good’ says Higgins

Members of the medical community testified at a legislative hearing today about the numerous failures with the state’s new Medicaid payment system, an online system that’s been in the works for seven years and went into effect in October. Some of the providers who testified said that because the payment system doesn’t work and they aren’t getting paid to provide services, they are on the brink of going out of business. One said that she had to take money out of her children’s college fund so that she could keep her assisted living facility in Fairbanks open. Others said that they have had to hire additional staff to deal with the problems in the new system.

House Health and Social Services Committee Chair Republican Rep. Pete Higgins, a Fairbanks dentist, said that the system makes the problem with Obamacare’s rollout “look good.”

The Department of Health and Social Services contracted with Xerox in 2007 to upgrade the 25-year-old Medicaid payment system. The total contract was for $146 million, including the costs of continuing to run the system for a certain number of years. It was supposed to be completed by 2010. Instead, it rolled out in Oct. 2013, and immediately caused huge problems to medical providers who bill the state for Medicaid services.

Alaska is not alone with the issues it’s had with the system. New Hampshire and North Dakota have also experienced problems with the same Xerox system. In Montana, as of December, Xerox missed three deadlines and was facing penalties of $30,000-per-working-day, according to news reports. Montana was considering shelving the system.

In Alaska, the online system apparently was not thoroughly tested before it went live. It did not work, and for months, it appeared as if little was being done to get those providers information regarding payments for medical services.

According to a chart provided by Xerox, in November the call line fielded about 3,500 calls. The average time to get through for those who did not give up was 54 minutes. In December, that number dropped to an average of 45 minutes.

David Hamilton, a representative from Xerox, told the committee that calls now are being answered in five minutes or less. However, some who testified disputed that number. They said when they called, they were still put on hold for much longer than that, and when they did get a person to speak to, the person often didn’t have answers to questions.

“Many have quit calling the line” said Karen Perdue, director of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association. Perdue conducted a survey of the association’s members last week. The total amount of money owed by the state to those who answered the question was $198 million. Although she said that the state has been helpful and responsive, 21 hospitals rated the new system’s timeliness and accuracy as either poor, very poor or barely acceptable.

Because of the problems with payments, the state began providing so-called “advances” to providers based not solely on what they billed, but based, at least in part, on historical data. All told, according to DHSS Commissioner William Streur, the Medicaid department has sent providers $118 million in such advance payments.

However, because payments have not corresponded with the patient services, many providers are leery of taking the money, fearing the state will audit them and they will have to try to match payment with services.

MaLane Harbour, the director of Primrose Retirement Communities in Wasilla, said that if such an audit does take place, it will be an “accounting nightmare.” She said that the center has hired a new staff member just to deal with this, and that it’s negatively effecting the patients.

Lisa Smith, director of Choices, an Anchorage mental health center, said that her reserves have run dry, and that she requested advances twice in January but hasn’t heard back. “If this can’t be corrected we’ll be forced to close our doors before the next fiscal year,” she said.

Hamilton, from Xerox, told the committee that the system has improved over time, and they expect to get the bugs worked out in the coming months.

“We do understand the impact, and we apologize for the interruption,” he said.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Super-PAC supporting Senate candidate Dan Sullivan releases first tv ad

The mouthful of a super PAC, Alaska’s Energy/America’s Values, which supports U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, released its first TV ad of the election cycle. The PAC is run by long time Alaska-based GOP political consultant Art Hackney who said that the buy total was $41,000. The ad features Sullivan, Ronald Reagan and Ted Stevens. Sullivan’s campaign has yet to release a television ad.

Senate candidate Sullivan backs up 97 percent charge against Begich

Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan has been using the line on the trail and in stump speeches that U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has voted with Obama 97 percent of the time in 2013.

“After almost four months on the campaign trail, I have not met one Alaskan who agrees with President Obama’s agenda 97 percent of the time,” Sullivan has been saying repeatedly, in hopes, apparently, that it becomes a meme and will stick much like Romney’s 47 percent line stuck.

Sullivan repeated the refrain in a press release on Monday. And this time, Sullivan had backup for that 97 percent. His release points to a study conducted by CQ Roll Call, which has Begich voting 97 percent of the time with the president on 108 bills that CQ Roll Call identified had the president’s support. Sixty five of the 108 were nominations.

According to the study, Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted with the president 72 percent of the time, and Rep. Don Young voted with the president 22 percent of the time.

Begich voted against the president three times. Those no votes, however, were enough to land him in 10th place in CQ Roll Call’s list of Senators least supportive of the president.

Ryan Kelly, a Roll Call CQ researcher, put together the following list of votes that Begich cast against the president, as well as the six ones that he missed. The missed votes did not count against Begich’s percentile rank.

Votes on which Begich disagreed with Obama:

Senate Vote 97 – S 649: Gun Policy Revisions – Background Checks

April 17, 2013 – Manchin, D-W.Va., amendment no. 715 that would expand an existing background check system to include firearms purchased at gun shows and over the Internet. It would allow gun show sales to proceed if a background check does not prompt a response within 48 hours and reduce that to a 24-hour wait four years after enactment. It would exempt family transfers and some private sales. The amendment would restrict law enforcement grant funds for states that do not provide all available records to the national background check database. It would ban the creation of a national firearms registry, allow active-duty military members buy guns in their home state and create a commission to study the causes of mass violence in the United States. Rejected 54-46: R 4-41; D 48-5; I 2-0.

Senate Vote 101 – S 649: Gun Policy Revisions – Assault Weapons Ban

April 17, 2013 – Feinstein, D-Calif., amendment no. 711 that would prohibit the future production, import, sale, transfer or possession of certain firearms considered to be assault weapons and ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds, with exemptions for law enforcement officials. It would exempt certain firearms used for hunting and sporting purposes from the ban. It also would allow law enforcement grant funds be used to buy back semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition clips. Rejected 40-60: R 1-44; D 38-15; I 1-1.

Senate Vote 103 – S 649: Gun Policy Revisions – High-Capacity Clip Ban

April 17, 2013 – Blumenthal, D-Conn., amendment no. 714 that would prohibit the future production, import, sale, transfer or possession of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds, with exemptions for law enforcement officials. It would also allow law enforcement grant funds be used to buy back semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition clips. Rejected 46-54: R 1-44; D 43-10; I 2-0.

Votes that Begich missed:

Senate Vote 25 – : Lew Nomination – Confirmation

February 27, 2013 – Confirmation of President Barack Obama’s nomination of Jacob J. Lew of New York to be secretary of Treasury.

Confirmed 71-26: R 20-25; D 50-0; I 1-1.

Senate Vote 28 – : Failla Nomination – Confirmation

March 04, 2013 – Confirmation of President Barack Obama’s nomination of Katherine Polk Failla of New York to be a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Confirmed 91-0: R 41-0; D 48-0; I 2-0.

Senate Vote 113 – S 743: Internet Sales Tax – Passage

May 06, 2013 – Passage of the bill that would allow states to require out-of-state retailers with annual remote sales that exceed $1 million to collect sales taxes on items delivered to the state. Passed 69-27: R 21-22; D 46-5; I 2-0.

Senate Vote 145 – S 954: Farm Programs – Passage

June 10, 2013 – Passage of the bill that would reauthorize federal farm, food, nutrition and conservation programs through fiscal 2018. Passed 66-27: R 18-25; D 46-2; I 2-0.

Senate Vote 170 – : Dorsey Nomination – Confirmation

July 09, 2013 – Confirmation of President Barack Obama’s nomination of Jennifer A. Dorsey of Nevada to be a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Confirmed 54-41: R 1-41; D 51-0; I 2-0.

Senate Vote 235 – : Wilkins Nomination – Cloture

November 18, 2013 – Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Robert L. Wilkins of the District of Columbia to be a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Motion rejected 53-38: R 2-37; D 49-1; I 2-0.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Alaska AG signs court brief supporting Nevada’s gay marriage ban

Alaska state Attorney General Michael Geraghty has signed on to a brief in support of Nevada’s voter approved, gay marriage ban, which is being challenged by eight same sex couples. The amicus brief, in support of Nevada’s attorney general, was filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and argues that no fundamental right to same-sex marriage exists.

“If public affirmation of anyone and everyone’s personal love and commitment is the single purpose of civil marriage, a limitless number of rights claims could be set up that evacuate the term ‘marriage’ of any meaning,” the brief says.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Carolina also signed the document.

Alaska’s state Constitution defines marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. In total, thirty three states have banned same sex marriage either through constitutional amendment or through legislation.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Juneau Dems forward three names to Parnell. Who’s going to get the nod?

Juneau Democrats have selected three names from a list of nine applicants, that they will forward to Gov. Sean Parnell for consideration to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Beth Kerttula. The governor has thirty days to make a selection.

The three nominees are Jesse Kiehl, Catherine Reardon and Sam Kito III.

Jesse Kiehl currently serves on the Juneau Assembly and is an aide to Sen. Dennis Egan. Catherine Reardon is also a legislative aide to Rep. Andy Josephson and has served in the past as vice chair of the Alaska Democratic Party and as a division director in the Department of Commerce.

Sam Kito III is currently a lobbyist working with his father Sam Kito, who is the longest serving lobbyist in the state. He has worked as a civil engineer in the past.

Not to take anything away from the other candidates, but I’ve heard that Kiehl was probably the first choice of the Democrats and considered to be the most popular with the electorate, which might be exactly the reason that Parnell rejects him. Remember: Parnell’s a Republican and has to walk that fine line between what’s good for the state and what’s good for the party.

Parnell will likely not choose a lobbyist. Therefore — and this is pure speculation — I think Catherine Reardon will get the nod. At least Parnell will get some credit for appointing a woman, and he can hope that Kiehl with take on Reardon in a primary.

There is a horse-trading caveat to this. Kiehl is Egan’s aide, and if Egan wants him in the Legislature bad enough, both might be willing to deal with Parnell to vote on something important in his legislative package.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Legislative hearing to address problems with new $146 million Medicaid payment system

Fairbanks Rep. Pete Higgins, chair of the House Health and Social Services Committee, will be holding a hearing on Tuesday in response to complaints from the Medicaid provider community on why they aren’t getting paid.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, which is in charge of Medicaid payments, upgraded its 25-year-old payment system in October. The new system is a Xerox product and is run by that company. It cost the state $146 million.

It was supposed to make things smoother, but it’s been so plagued with glitches that some providers are on the verge of going out of business because they haven’t been paid through the system.

Recently, State Health Care Service Director Margaret Brodi said that it still might be four to eight weeks before the system is completely functional.

Ruth Babcock runs three assisted living programs in Homer, which serve a total of about 15 clients, most of whom are on Medicaid. One of the homes didn’t get any payments for several months. After she contacted her state representatives and wrote a letter to Gov. Sean Parnell, payments began to trickle in, slowly. She said it’s still “nip and tuck” however.

The state still owes the company about $50,000. “Our elders deserve better than this,” Babcock said.

A dentist who declined to go on the record said that he, too, was having issues with the payments until he contacted a state representative. Now, he’s begun getting paid through the system for some, but not for all of the services for which he is owed.

On Jan. 24, KTUU reported that an assisted living facility in Palmer was owed $750,000. The facility’s funds are almost completely drained.

Babcock said that even if and when the system is fully functional, she’ll never be paid back for the lost time that she and her workers have spent on trying to get payments. On Monday morning, for instance, she spent 30 minutes on the phone with DHSS and as of noon, still hadn’t received paperwork she needs to fill out for a claim. There have been times when she’s been kept on hold for up to an hour.

The old system worked just fine, she said.

On Friday, DHSS had a teleconference with the Alaska dentists to discuss the new system. Rep. Higgins, who’s chairing the legislative hearing on Tuesday, is a dentist. The Alaska dentists have a strong PAC in the state.

Babcock and other providers have not been invited to such a meeting.

The hearing is at 3 p.m. You can watch it live on Gavel to Gavel.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

National attention given to Sullivan’s success and Treadwell’s fundraising failures

This week isn’t starting off too well for GOP Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell. Two stories, one in Politico and the other in The Hill, were published on Sunday, both of which highlight how much money his challenger in the GOP Senate primary, Dan Sullivan, has raised and how little Treadwell raised in the fourth quarter: Sullivan’s $1.25 million to Treadwell’s $228,000. Treadwell was among what Politico called the “10 fundraising losers.”

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich raised a respectable $850,000.

Treadwell has about $95,000 cash on hand. His campaign debts total more than $141,000, including money that Treadwell lent his campaign. So it appears that he’s operating in the red. Sullivan’s campaign says that it has about $1.1 million cash on hand. Begich has $2.8 million.

According to Politico, internal polls show that Treadwell has a better chance of beating Begich than does Sullivan. However, such low numbers “scare national Republican strategists,” says Politico. It should be noted that so do articles like those in Politico and The Hill.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Senate candidate Sullivan leads in fourth-quarter fundraising. Where will tea party money go?

The fourth-quarter Senate race numbers are in. U.S. Sen. Mark Begich pulled in about $850,000, leaving him with about $2.8 million cash on hand. His super-PAC raised $287,500, most of which came from the Senate Majority PAC.

Among Begich’s potential Republican challengers:

Dan Sullivan said that he raised about $1.25 million. A super PAC formed to support him has raised $70,100.
Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell raised $229,000, leaving him with only $95,000 on hand. Unless Treadwell is willing to self-fund, that doesn’t leave him much to run a credible campaign against Begich.
No word yet from Joe Miller, who has been more focused on getting grassroots support than in raising money.

Begich is also benefiting from the plethora if business interests, like the American Chemistry Council, the National Association of Realtors, and Bristol Bay Native Corp., all of which are running ads thanking him for supporting particular issues. As long as those organizations aren’t explicitly endorsing him for Senate, they don’t have to disclose their donors.

There’s a lot more money floating out there in the world of conservative super-PACs that hasn’t yet made its way to Alaska. The New York Times is reporting that the more conservative, tea party groups — FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth Action Fund, the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Tea Party Patriots—have raised $20 million in 2013.

That’s much more than the $7.7 million the more “establishment” Republican PACs with close ties to Congress have raised, according to the New York Times. Politico is reporting that the three groups headed by Karl Rove raised a combined $6.1 million in 2013. That money would also likely go to support more establishment Republicans.

It’s unclear who the tea party groups would support among the Republican candidates in Alaska. Dan Sullivan’s challengers have been painting him as the “establishment” Republican, a charge that’s fueled by Sullivan himself, who doesn’t shy away from the fact that he worked for Condoleezza Rice in the State Department.

But the tea party faction is leery of Mead Treadwell because of his support for international treaties, particularly the Law of the Sea, and for his on-again-off-again support of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is considered a moderate.

That leaves Joe Miller, who lost in the last race against Murkowski, who was a write-in candidate. Miller can, in a word, be unpredictable.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Sarah Palin’s PAC continues to spend and receive

Roll Call’s Money Line is reporting that Sarah Palin’s political action committee, Sarah PAC, spent more than $700,000 in the last six months of 2013.

According to Roll Call, the PAC took in $717,264 and spent $713,551. It still has $1,117,684 on hand:

The PAC spent $242,673 on direct mail and postage; $101,500 on consultants; $69,000 on consultants for fundraising and compliance; $35,750 on research; $26,000 on speechwriting; and $9,909 on Harper Collins books for donors; among other expenditures. The report stated the PAC “did no advocacy.”The PAC gave $5,000 on 10/8 to Lonegan for Senate in the New Jersey Senate special election.

Crawford throws his hat in the race to run against Giessel

Harry Crawford, a former Alaska state legislator and contender for the U.S. Congress, said on Thursday that he’s going to challenge Republican Alaska state Sen. Cathy Giessel in 2014. “Unless something drastic happens, that’s how I’m going to spend 2014,” Crawford said.

Crawford was in the House from 2001 to 2011 when he stepped down to run against U.S. Rep. Don Young, to whom he lost by a large margin. He also ran for the state Senate primary in another district in 2012 against fellow Democrat Bettye Davis. Davis lost to Sen. Anna Fairclough in the general.

District boundaries have since changed, and some say that the new district lines, which includes the upper Hillside area and Girdwood, are more favorable to a Democrat generally, and specifically to Crawford.

Crawford is a pro-resource development Democrat, an increasingly rare breed in Alaska. Although he wants to repeal the tax breaks made to the oil industry last session, he voted against ACES in 2007, believing that we should tax more on the low end and less on the upper end.

But he’s highly supportive of “getting Alaska back to work” and of big projects: the gas line, damns and mines, to name a few. Or, as he puts it: “Getting the projects out of the ground and the iron in the air.”

Crawford came to Alaska in the 1970s to work on the trans-Alaska pipeline, and was an iron worker for 37 years. He’s from Louisiana and although he said he’s worked in every state west of the Mississippi, he hasn’t lost his home state’s accent.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Senate candidate Dan Sullivan releases first ad of campaign season

U.S. senate candidate Dan Sullivan released his first ad on Thursday which will only appear online. Sullivan is running against Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller in the Republican primary. The ad serves as an introduction to Sullivan’s time as Alaska attorney general, former commissioner of DNR, and his service in the Marines. It doesn’t mention the other candidates. A series of radio ads produced by an Anchorage-based super-PAC earlier this month did hit Sen. Mark Begich, calling him “Malarkey Mark,” among other things.

Shell Oil suspends Arctic drilling plans for summer 2014

Royal Dutch Shell announced on Thursday that it was suspending Arctic drilling plans for summer 2014. The company is reporting a 71 percent decline in fourth-quarter profits and is undertaking a $15 billion asset sale. Shell did not indicate that it was selling its Alaska assets.

The company has spent about $5 billion and more than eight years of work for its Arctic oil exploration off Alaska’s coast in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Much of that work has been fraught with mistakes and mishaps.

The decision follows a federal court decision that said that the government used “inadequate information” in the process of awarding licenses for exploration in the Arctic. Part of that process was an environmental impact statement. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency that awarded the licenses, did so based on a much lower amount of oil than will likely be produced in the Arctic, the court found.

“This is a disappointing outcome, but the lack of a clear path forward means that I am not prepared to commit further resources for drilling in Alaska in 2014,” Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said, according to news reports. “We will look to relevant agencies and the court to resolve their open legal issues as quickly as possible.”

Many environmental groups will be overjoyed. Alaskans less so, many of whom are in favor of oil exploration and production. In addition to jobs and community investment, it was hoped that oil from the Arctic was going to help keep the trans-Alaska pipeline full. In 2013, an average of 534,480 barrels of oil a day flowed down the pipeline, down from more than 2 million barrels a day in the 1980s.

Although the federal court’s decision appeared to have more to do with sloppy bureaucrats than with a Democratic administration, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich will likely take a hit from his Republican challengers. He recently released an ad touting Shell’s activities in the Arctic and last week said that he remained “confident that we will see continued safe exploration in the Arctic this summer.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Loose Lips: Gassy oily Wednesday in Juneau. Repeal gets a generous donor. Higgins is in.

It’s oily, gassy Wednesday in the state capitol building. Among the oilies, ConocoPhillips Alaska President Trond-Erik Johansen and his posse spent the day roaming the halls. The Alaska Oil and Gas Association hosted a lunch today for leggies. The keynote speaker was BP Alaska President Janet Weiss.

Speaking of gas, gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker is still speaking about it. Expect much more of him as gasline legislation moves along.

From a fundraising letter from Vic Fischer “And now, for a limited time, a donor has agreed to match any contribution to Vote Yes! – Repeal the Giveaway 100% up to $25,000.”

As of last Friday, Fischer’s group, which is trying to repeal the oil tax legislation passed last legislative session, had raised about $104,000. Those who are urging voters to vote against the repeal, mainly oil companies, have raised more than $1.6 million as of Jan. 22.

So far, most of the $81,000 the repeal group has spent has gone to signature gatherers. On the other side, nearly all the money the group has raised has gone to Poccarro Communications.

Some Anchorage Dems gathered at Barbie’s Café in Anchorage to watch the State of the Union, where the loudest applause line of the night came while Obama was speaking about women’s issues. The event was organized by, among others, Patti Higgins, who announced that she was running for state House against Rep. Charisse Millett, who just the day before told the press that doctors had discovered a brain lesion that might indicate that she has MS.

A panel was convened at the same gathering to talk to us after the speech and tell us what to think about issues. It was moderated by Dr. Carl Shepro. The inimitable Ivan Moore was on the panel. So was spokesman for the Democratic Party Zack Fields. The President of the Young Democrats Joe Samaniego and Dennis Knebel with the IBEW were also on the panel.

I was told that Shannyn Moore was invited to attend but didn’t show. Perhaps she was spent her evening somewhere in the company of women, who weren’t sitting in front of her telling her what to think about issues.

Not all Dems in the country are talking at women. Anchorage’s Gloria O’Neill, President of Cook Inlet Tibal Council, has been invited to participate in a White House discussion on employment with the President and his cabinet secretaries from Commerce and Labor. They want to hear what she has to say. Besides her work at CITC which includes several employment and training related programs, she also is on the University of Alaska’s board of regents.

What else? House Minority Leader Chris Tuck has been busy moving into his new, relatively palatial office, with a sitting room even! Outgoing Minority Leader Beth Kerttula had it pretty cozy. I remember throw rugs and pillows and plants and books. Since he’s the state’s most eligible bachelor, I was curious about Tuck’s designing plans, so I called his office a few times, but no one answered.

Speaking of the state’s most eligible bachelor, I’m told that he and Bernadette Wilson aren’t seeing each other anymore. Perhaps she was sick of calling and not getting an answer.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Alaska U.S. senators and candidates react to Obama’s State of the Union

It might have been a good night in much of the rest of the country for President Obama. According to instant reactions, his State of the Union address was fairly well received. Even some Republicans considered it to be relatively benign, if not even a little bit uplifting. In the 49th state, however, Obama’s speech was not received well by Alaska’s senators and those who are running for Senate

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the State of the Union was “another missed opportunity to demonstrate leadership.” Democratic Sen. Mark Begich was even harsher on Obama, and used the opportunity to distance himself from the president. “I was disappointed I didn’t hear what Alaskans wanted from the President tonight,” Begich said. “Specifically, the President missed his chance to talk about national energy security in any meaningful way.”

Begich also criticized what some pundits say were implicit threats throughout the speech to invoke executive powers. (Other pundits are mystified that that was the takeaway of the night.)

“Alaskans can be sure that I will not sit back and watch any sort of power grab – especially from an Administration that has already demonstrated they do not understand core Alaska issues,” Begich said. (Although such criticism of the president probably doesn’t hurt Begich among his party in the upcoming race, not all Alaska Democrats share Begich’s view.)

Both GOP Senate candidates Mead Treadwell and Dan Sullivan didn’t miss the opportunity to use it for campaign purposes. Treadwell said that the speech made it very clear that “Alaska needs a Senator who will represent our values and will bring decision-making home.” Sullivan said that the speech reaffirmed that the “country requires a new direction, not another year of liberal policies defined by higher taxes, over-regulation and increased debt, which have been supported 93% of the time by Mark Begich.”

Read the statements in full below:

From U.S. Sen. Mark Begich:

I was disappointed I didn’t hear what Alaskans wanted from the President tonight. While the President delivered a lot of sound bites that may sound good in a speech, we need to hear a clear plan and commitment to economic growth. Specifically, the President missed his chance to talk about national energy security in any meaningful way.

Alaskans know that to ensure our national energy security, we must be more aggressive on natural resource development. From building the Keystone pipeline to offshore drilling in Alaska, we should be taking advantage of our domestic energy potential and I will keep fighting and using every committee post and option available to do just that. The President said he wants to focus on “fuels of the future” but we should be focusing on the fuels we can develop right now—and that’s Alaska oil and gas.

I also have concerns about some of the President’s comments to increase his executive power on issues where Congress should play a pivotal role. Alaskans can be sure that I will not sit back and watch any sort of power grab – especially from an Administration that has already demonstrated they do not understand core Alaska issues.

From U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski:

Tonight marks another missed opportunity to demonstrate leadership from this Administration. Millions of Americans tuned in to hear the President express a willingness to roll his sleeves up and work with Congress in a bipartisan fashion to really help move this nation forward – and I count myself among those hoping for an aspirational message.

But what did we hear? We heard ‘I don’t need Congress – I’ll work around them.

“Go It Alone” politics is not governing. It is not what the nation expects or deserves – and speeches like tonight are why the public’s faith in government is at a depressingly low rate. I worry that this “Go it Alone” attitude will only set our nation back, when we need to move forward. And we move forward on difficult issues best when we are all pulling in the same direction. It’s how our government is designed to work – and the President should not be able to simply decide that it’s too inconvenient for him or it takes too long. Ronald Reagan’s legacy reminds us that he didn’t dig in his heels against a Democratic Congress. Instead, he made the decision to pursue a goal-oriented approach – regardless of who got the credit or blame—and successfully passed comprehensive immigration and tax reform.

Tonight, President Obama said he wants 2014 to be a ‘Year of Action.’ If he wants to follow-through on that claim, we need to all be part of the conversation – not just have it be him telling Congress what he wants done. Let’s talk about jobs and work together to expand opportunities that create jobs. Let’s work on some of the bipartisan initiatives in the energy sector – which is truly the bright spot in our nation’s economy. We all want a ‘Year of Action’ but it’s going to take more than the President’s pen and phone. It will take true engagement with Congress.

Going it alone is not a solution and it’s counterproductive in government. Consensus-building is hard, but 100 percent do-able. Let’s get to work.

From Senate candidate Mead Treadwell:

The challenges facing the country and our state are not going to be solved by a speech, a fact that’s become very clear over the past five years. The a president talked about unilateral action. Too bad he doesn’t believe in the power of states to take action, or our pipeline would be getting fuller now. Alaska’s future is based on access to our lands. President Obama and Mark Begich have been at the helm as pipeline production decreases and access to the NPRA is cut in half. Washington needs to get out of Alaska’s way and tonight’s speech made it very clear that’s not the Democrats’ plan. He wants jobs. He wants to improve income equality. Let Alaska loose and our energy and resources will help power the nation. Alaska needs a Senator who will represent our values and will bring decision-making home.

From Senate candidate Dan Sullivan:

What the American people heard tonight was President Obama’s desire to double down on the same job-killing policies that have failed to grow our economy, and he has signaled that he will circumvent Congress through executive order to do it. Ignoring the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution through executive order is troubling and legally dubious. The President’s executive orders have had harmful impacts on Alaska already, such as when the Obama administration locked up close to half of the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska from future development.

Our country requires a new direction, not another year of liberal policies defined by higher taxes, over-regulation and increased debt, which have been supported 93% of the time by Mark Begich. Together, their policies have continued to undermine Alaska’s and America’s full economic potential.

Alaska deserves a Senator in Washington that will defend the rule of law, fight back against President Obama’s liberal agenda, and promote pro-growth economic policies to get this country back on track.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Democrats will choose one of 9 candidates to replace Kerttula’s seat

The names are in and it looks like the Tongass Democrats will have a total of 9 candidates to choose from to fill the seat left vacant by House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula. The list will be whittled down to three based on interviews this weekend. Those names will then be sent to Gov. Sean Parnell by Feb. 4, who will make the decision.

Here are the names and the bios of the 9 candidates:

Ken Alper is owner of Silverbow Inn and Bakery with his wife Jill Ramiel. He has worked as an aide and oil and gas analyst for Rep. Kerttula and other House Democrats for the past nine years.
Nancy Barnes is executive assistant to the president and CEO of Huna Totem Corporation. She worked in the legislature for 26 years, serving both the House and Senate. She is Tsimshian and Alutiiq, president of Eyak Corporation, an Alaska Native Federation board member, Sealaska Heritage Institute trustee, and active in the Yees Ku Oo dance group.
James Betts is a 27 year resident of Juneau and owner of local business Betts Boat Repair. Dedicated to charity and value building in his community, he is presently the Alaska State Leader of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal and charitable organization.
Sara Hannan is a lifelong Alaskan. She has lived in Juneau the past 25 years and has taught for the Juneau School District for 18 years.
Jesse Kiehl is a lifelong Alaskan. He serves on the City and Borough Assembly and is a legislative aide. His 15-year history of civic involvement in Juneau is rooted in his passion to build a bright Alaska future for his two daughters.
Sam Kito III is a lifelong Alaskan with family roots in Petersburg. Born in Anchorage and raised in Fairbanks and Anchorage, he is a civil engineer and has worked on several projects throughout the state. He has lived in Juneau 18 of the past 22 years and is the proud parent of a 14-year-old freshman at JDHS.
Tim Lamkin is Alaska grown, with a background in outdoors, tourism, state politics and the education system. He has served as a legislative aide in the Capitol for the past 17 years, and during the tourism season has been a mining history commentator in Interior Alaska.
Kim Metcalfe is a fourth generation Alaskan and lifelong Juneauite. She currently works as a business agent for the Alaska State Employees Association representing members of the General Government Unit.
Catherine Reardon is a senior legislative aide. She formerly served as a Division Director for the Dept. of Commerce and as vice-chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Bruce Botelho chairs the selection committee. He told KTOO that interviews will revolve around basic meat and potatoes Democratic issues like education, health care, labor relations, and the state’s “fiscal future.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com