Petersburg’s representative in the Alaska House took advantage of a lull in the 90-day legislative session to make another visit to the community, new to her district this session. Juneau democratic representative Beth Kerttula visited Petersburg last week while other members of the state legislature met with the oil and gas industry in the nation’s capital. Kerttula is serving again as house minority leader and is part of a 10-person minority caucus. She’s introduced seven bills so far this session and is co-sponsor on more than two dozen other bills and resolutions. Joe Viechnicki spoke with Kerttula about the first half of the session.

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With a little over a month to go in the 90-day session, legislators have introduced 241 bills in the first session of the 28th Alaska legislature and more than three dozen resolutions. As of the second week in March, five of the 241 bills have passed both the House and Senate. Those are a bill changing commercial motor vehicle licensing requirements, another marking March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day, the change in cruise ship waste water requirements, a bill eliminating references in state law to “mental retardation” and a bill allowing for longer terms for directors of telephone and electrical cooperatives.