Governor Mike Dunleavy delivered his State of the State address, which included the state’s COVID-19 response, the health of the economy under President Joe Biden, as well as a proposal to bring gaming to the state to increase revenue. He also encouraged less dependence on others, saying that Alaska must be more self-reliant.
Senate President Peter Micciche of Soldotna led the Senate Majority press response after the speech.
Micciche praised much of what Governor Dunleavy spoke about, echoing his confidence since becoming Senate President that the current Majority Caucus will be able to unite to deliver a united agenda.
KTOO 360TV provided coverage of the Senate President’s statements: “I actually enjoyed the State of the State. I think you all know that I prefer that we get to a point of normalcy in this building… I enjoyed the optimism. We are pulling out of the darkness of an epidemic that has dramatically, negatively impacted the economy in the state. I appreciated his comments on the COVID response. He focused on a long-term fiscal solution that is largely dovetailed with a lot of the things the Senate is concerned about: a functional spending cap, evaluating broad-based revenue options, reductions to the budget, sustainable PFD, working with Alaskans on any changes.”
He added: “I enjoyed his focus on Alaska’s independence. That’s one of the things that we realized this year when we heard about the port closing in Seattle, that we’re on an island in the middle of nowhere suddenly, and I think it’s an important thing to focus on – the agricultural sector and being somewhat more independent.”
With regards to gaming: “I thought his gaming revenue option was interesting, and I don’t know what that means. That’s something we need to spend more time evaluating.”