A campaign is about articulating a vision and demonstrating that you can actually get things done. This report will bring you up to date on some of my accomplishments during the 2010 legislative session.

Free the innocent, catch the guilty

DNA evidence can catch the guilty and free the innocent.

This year I sponsored legislation that requires the preservation of DNA evidence for as long as a serious crime remains unsolved. The bill also gives access, under certain conditions, to stored DNA evidence for prisoners who assert a claim of innocence.

The bill passed into law.  I worked very closely with the Innocence Project and the Department of Law on the bill.

Read about it here.

Corporations as people

In January the US Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend unlimited dollars influencing elections. In February I, along with other leading Democrats, responded with a bill to contain this horrible decision. On the last day of session the legislature passed my bill into law.

Because we acted, you’ll know the identity of a corporation that spends money to influence an election in Alaska.  While we couldn’t overrule the US Supreme Court, I’m proud of the effort we made to contain the effect of the ruling.

Read more here.

Renewable energy for Alaska, and gas storage for Cook Inlet

When it comes to energy, Alaska has endless potential. My vision for the future is to continue selling our oil and to invest those revenues in renewable energy projects. The last two years have shown progress on this front, but we must do more. The steps we’ve taken towards bringing the Fire Island Wind Farm online, weatherizing Alaska’s homes and public buildings, and funding hydro projects in Southeast are all evidence of the concrete way forward for Alaska.

For Southcentral, I pledged last July to make certain that the homes and businesses here would not go cold in the middle of winter due to a gas supply disruption. I worked with Representative Mike Hawker on the issue and was proud to push his bill through the Senate.

The effort received this praise from the ADN editorial board:

“Rep. Mike Hawker and Speaker of the House Mike Chenault were prime sponsors, along with Sen. Hollis French in the Senate. This was good bipartisan work.”

Wildlife Management… one small step

In March, I outlined five different ways the Parnell administration has downgraded the role of science when managing Alaska’s wildlife. One example was the appointment of Al Barrette to the Board of Game. In April, the legislature rejected Al Barrette, in a small victory for sensible wildlife policy in Alaska.

We need to diversify the Board of Game, and not turn it over to extreme hunters and trappers. If I am elected Governor, I will look for individuals with a more well-rounded view of game management.

To find out more about the work that remains, click here to read and listen to my speech on the topic.

The list goes on…

Here are a few more of our accomplishments this year in Juneau:

- We expanded Denali Kid Care benefits to more low-income children in Alaska

- We forward funded education, to provide school districts with fiscal certainty

- We protected the state’s future by building our savings to $11 billion

I hope this update shows you how hard work can produce tangible results for all Alaskans.  Working together, we can make meaningful progress on a variety of the tough issues we face today.

Sincerely,

Senator Hollis French