A Citizen’s Guide

More to us from R.A. Dillon in Juneau:

The House Finance Committee officially took up the Resources Committee substitute tonight. Finance Co-chairman Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, convened the committee just long enough to go over the rules for debate before adjourning.

The committee will hear from consultant Steve Porter and Revenue Commissioner Patrick Galvin starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The producers will testify in the afternoon.

The committee will take public testimony on the bill Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m.

The panel would likely begin considering amendments late Friday night or Saturday morning.

Finance Co-chair Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, who works as a facility support coordinator for ConocoPhillips, asked for unanimous consent to be excused from voting to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest. Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, objected and Chenault said Meyer would have to participate. Meyer did pass the gavel to Chenault, though.

Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, declared that his wife, Carol Carlson, was an employee of ConocoPhillips, though he did not ask to be excused from voting on the oil tax rewrite.

Chenault did not declare his relationship with the oil industry, but he owns a construction company that has done work for the industry. Chenault said he cannot conceive of a situation where he would abstain from voting on the bill.