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Sen. Begich Joins Alaskans In Celebration of Independence Day

What a great week I had at home in Alaska, celebrating Independence Day and getting to see many of you in communities across the state. Deborah, Jacob and I rode in the July 4 parade in Anchorage and sampled the food and other fun activities around Anchorage. The week also included stops in Fairbanks, Bethel, Quinhagak and Seward.

In Bethel, I hosted a roundtable discussion about the record low King Salmon runs on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. It was important to hear first-hand about the severity of the problem and how it is impacting Alaskans. I am committed to continuing to push the federal government on doing more for fishery and subsistence management. But the State of Alaska also needs to do more in terms of committing long-term management planning and resources for these salmon runs.

Just before the July 4th break, we had some great progress in the Senate. First, we learned from the Air Force the plans to move the F-16s from Eielson Air Force Base are on long-term hold. Then we passed important bi-partisan legislation to prevent interest rates from doubling for more than seven million college students. The bill will now go to the President for signature. This agreement was included as part of a larger package of legislation which also reauthorizes federal transportation programs and the national flood insurance program. Alaska will get more than $1 billion dollars over the next two years for transportation projects across the state.

This week we get back to work on building the economy and creating jobs. We will be focused on The Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act of 2012 which has a number of provisions to spur small business growth and hiring. We’re also working to pass legislation aimed at getting American companies to stop shipping jobs overseas and to reward them for creating jobs at home.

Sincerely,

Senator Mark Begich