Samuels

But neither issue will be easy, incoming Senate President Lyda Green and incoming House Majority Leader Ralph Samuels told members of the Resource Development Council Jan. 4.

Had the political environment been different last year, lawmakers may have gotten very close to a gas line deal, Green said. While a deal likely won't happen during the next session, this issue will get much discussion.

“This year, the governor will need to catch up,” Green said. “It will probably not happen as quickly as I would like, but I think it will happen.”

Samuels was filling in for the scheduled presenter, House Speaker John Harris, who was weathered in in Valdez. Samuels said that as funding from the federal government and from oil revenues declines, a looming gas deal becomes more important.

“Even if we tax everyone else — oil, mining, fish, everything — it will not be enough,” he said. “We need more oil and we need more gas.”

Ethics reform has become a mantra for politicians after a number of high-profile investigations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation carted out cases of documents from several legislators' offices last year, including the office of then-Senate President Ben Stevens. Sevens' lucrative consulting jobs for private organizations, including several in the fishing industry, have been targeted.

Adding to the concerns was the arrest and indictment of outgoing Anchorage Rep. Tom Anderson on bribery, extortion and other charges.

Ethics reforms are simple to banter about, but difficult to build into law, Green said.

“The easiest thing to talk about is ethics reform,” she said. “But when you put it to paper, you smack right into the Constitution and the civil rights of people to have work and to have jobs and be able to have gainful employment. People have the right to have jobs, so how far do we go? And does that extend to spouses?”

Samuels agreed, adding that no matter where a legislator works, an issue that will affect his or her industry is likely to come up in a bill, creating conflicts of interest. He broached the idea of having a “professional Legislature” instead of a “citizen Legislature.”

“We will try to do something, try to tighten up the rules,” Samuels said. “But ask yourself if you would give up your job to run for Legislature. We need to start the debate on whether to have a professional Legislature, where everyone quits their jobs and gets paid accordingly.”

A proposal to tax mining companies, in a lightly veiled attempt to stop the process of getting the controversial Pebble mine online, will also get some attention this year.

The public employees retirement system has been a terrible battle, Green said. The unfunded portion of the retirement could reach $10 billion this year. She hopes some changes will be made to the regulations that will improve this problem.

Samuels said education would be among his top priorities, but with the potential of declining federal funds in the future, and as the Congressional delegation loses its seniority, funding education could become a major problem.

“There is a national push to have students start early and stay in school longer,” Green said. “It is not my priority to have students start early ... We'll have to see where the money would come from.”

Also on the agenda is working to stem youth violence, especially in Anchorage.

The first year of a new administration always gets off to a slow start, as new commissioners and staff spend time catching up on the issues, and Palin's entrance to the job will be no different, Green said.

“I think there will be fewer bills introduced early in the process,” Green said. “We'll see things move, but with less urgency and less bickering between parties.”

The legislative session starts Jan. 16.