Vehicles and bridges are the subject of two bill recently signed into law by the Governor. KDLG’s Chase Cavanaugh has more.
For his second day in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Governor Sean Parnell visited the community’s Business Alliance. There he signed two bills into law. The first, House Bill 19, makes state vehicle registration easier. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Bill Stoltze, explains.
"This is a fairly simple concept. It allows for permanent registration after a vehicle is a certain age, I believe it's 8 years, and then initial. You don't have to it's an option."
HB 19 also contains a provision waiving the registration fee for seniors and the disabled.
The other piece of legislation was House Bill 23. It provides a plan to build the Knick Arm Crossing, a 1.7 mile bridge between the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage. Governor Parnell says the project is part of his focus on economic improvement.
"Everything my administration has worked to purse has been about creating a climate for economic growth, a place where we can have a future together as Alaskans, a place where our families can be strengthened, and the Knick Arm Crossing, that bridge, is one sure way to assure a future of opportunity. It is a bridge to opportunity. It is a bridge to our future."
The bridge will be financed by a mixture of state-issued bonds, federal grants, and tolls. Full text of the bills is available at the website of the Alaska State Legislature.