The sun has been out and the snow is largely off the roads and pathways in Anchorage, pulling folks to spend time outside. However, the state legislature is still in full swing in Juneau so we are diligently keeping up with activities there. Two bills of interest to APDC are moving their way through the capitol – HB 61 regarding Commercial Interior Design and HB 148 regarding a new statewide survey coordinate system – but it’s unclear how far they will get with the budget still to be approved and time winding down on the session.
Speaking of the budget, APDC has been invited to testify before the House Ways and Means committee about the need for a fiscal plan and the cost of inaction. The budget occupies three spots on our annual position paper –Alaska needs a sustainable operating budget and that APDC is supportive of revenue generating measures to fund such a budget, Alaska needs to budget about $2.1 billion for capital improvements annually to keep up with our current infrastructure and needs, and that maintenance funding needs to be increased to properly maintain roads and buildings in a useable state. That APDC was invited to testify says a lot about the reputation and name recognition APDC commands in the Capitol. Our board of directors and lobbyist John Walsh should be quite proud of this recognition.
Thank you for your continued support. As always, if you would like to be more involved in our legislative outreach, please contact Colin Maynard (cmaynard@bbfm.com), our Legislative Liaison Committee (LLC) Chair, to be included in our bi-weekly LLC meetings during the legislative session.
-Will Webb, PE
Alaska Professional Design Council 