ANCHORAGE – Governor Bill Walker signed three bills into law Tuesday at ceremonies in Anchorage and Juneau. Those bills, HB 140, HB 56, and SB 63, were passed during the first session of the 29th Alaska Legislature.
Representative Steve Thompson of Fairbanks sponsored HB 140, which allows the Alaska Railroad Corporation to issue $37 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance a large portion of a new positive train control system, which is part of the federal Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. The positive train control system is technology designed to stop or slow a train before a collision or crash occurs. Failure to comply would have eliminated passenger service.
“When Congress passed this mandate in 2008, funds were not appropriated to help railroads comply with the new standards,” Governor Walker said. “I’m pleased that the Alaska Railroad Corporation came forward with a recommendation to help solve this problem.”
Governor Walker also signed into law HB 56, which designates the Sunday before October 9 of each year as Alaska Firefighters’ Day. Representative Bob Lynn of Anchorage, who sponsored the bill, chose that particular day because it marks the annual beginning of National Fire Prevention Week.
“I commend Representative Lynn for his work putting together this honorable bill,” Governor Walker said. “It seems only appropriate that we set aside a day to recognize and thank our firefighters for the sacrifices they make to ensure our safety.”
Governor Walker also signed SB 63 into law, which names the State Library, Archives, and Museum after Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff, and names the public reading room in the library after the late Representative Richard Foster of Nome. SB 63 was sponsored by Senator Dennis Egan of Juneau, and its companion bill, HB 130, was sponsored by Representative Sam Kito III of Juneau and co-sponsored by Cathy Muñoz, also of Juneau.
“Father Kashevaroff served as the librarian and curator for 21 years, and he exemplifies the library and museum’s current mission of collection, curation, outreach and education across disciplines,” Governor Walker said. “Representative Foster served in the legislature for 20 years, making him the second longest serving member of the Alaska House of Representatives. It is an honor to recognize both of these men for their outstanding service to Alaskans.”
Photos from the bill-signing ceremonies can be found athttps://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/multimedia/photo-album.html?album=850.
Additional photos can also be found at the Governor’s Flickr page.
