State Rep. Mike Prax is running to represent Alaska House District 33, which includes the Badger Road area, North Pole and Moose Creek.
Prax is running unopposed for District 33, as he did in 2020 and 2022. He was originally appointed to the Alaska Legislature in 2019 by Gov. Dunleavy following former Rep. Tammie Wilson’s departure. He previously served on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly.
Originally from the small town of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Prax moved to Alaska with his parents in 1969. He is a graduate of Lathrop High School in Fairbanks.
Prax spent 30 years working for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The job brought him up and down the trans-Alaska pipeline system as he serviced pump stations from Valdez to Fairbanks.
“Really, the primary reason I was there was, if something is shut down, I have to get it running again as soon as I can,” Prax said.
As a member of the House Health and Social Services Committee, Prax considers health care to be one of his top priorities.
Last legislative session, a Prax-sponsored bill was passed that allows Alaska nurses to continue practicing while renewing their license.
Earlier this year, Prax told the News-Miner he intends to support legislation next session that would see Alaska join the multistate Nurse Licensure Compact.
What should the state’s budget priorities be?
A. Estimate anticipated income based on fall revenue forecast.
B. Identify the performance goals of each department for next fiscal year and subsequent 5 years.
C. Revise any goal that is not clearly defined and objectively measurable.
D. State how performance will be measured to determine whether departments are meeting their goals.
E. Determine the amount of financial support departments will need to meet their goals.
G. Estimate budget reserve needed to cover contingencies
F. Determine whether preliminary budget estimates can be with anticipated income.
G. Review programmatic goals as required.
H. Forward budget to Governor within 90 days of start of session
I. Uphold or override Governor’s line item vetos as appropriate.
(This is, essentially, the process described by the Executive Budget Act. — AS 37.07. If legislature follows this act, there will be no need for ‘pink slips’ and local governments can establish their budgets with greater certainty.)
Education funding was a top concern in the state last session. How would you support education at the state level?
Work with DEED toward clearly defining the state’s educational goals and objectives in terms that are objectively measurable and easily understood.
What steps can the state take to support available housing?
The legislature passed HB 273 which enhanced AHFC’s ability to finance purchasing a residence by reducing the down payment required. We also considered a bill that would allow ‘Local Lumber Grading’ (HB 93) which would make more building materials available for residential construction. The legislature should pass a resolution calling on Congress to repeal the Jones Act which would reduce the cost of shipping building materials to Alaska.
What role do national culture war topics have in the Alaska Legislature?
I agree with the U.S. Supreme Court that the federal government lacks authority under the U.S. Constitution to address these topics. Therefore, they are matters to be addressed by state legislatures.
I believe the legislature’s discussions should be guided by biological evidence, which appears to indicate that a new and unique human life is created at the moment of conception and that one’s sex is genetically determined, and Article 1 of Alaska’s State Constitution which is dedicated to the principles that all persons have a natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that political power is limited to that which is inherent to us as individuals.
How would you work across the aisle with other lawmakers? Would you join a bipartisan coalition?
I am happy to work with anyone who supports reducing barriers to professional licensure and work with the administration to set specific, measurable, goals that are focused on improving efficiency and improving service to the public.
How should the state address outmigration and make Alaska more attractive to potential residents?
The legislature should focus on making Alaska more attractive to potential investors interested in developing Alaska’s resources. This will generate demand for higher paying jobs, which is what used to make Alaska more attractive to potential residents.
With a shortage of available natural gas in Cook Inlet and the lack of a pipeline to the North Slope, how would you address high energy costs in the Interior?
I believe the Legislature should prioritize projects that result in reducing the cost of power generation and heating. I am encouraged by a recent report from the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation that indicates building the pipeline portion of their LNG export project could make natural gas available to Alaskans at a lower cost than importing LNG. I am also encouraged by the work private companies are doing to develop projects that take advantage of wind and solar power to reduce the cost of electricity.
What are your thoughts on ranked choice voting?
Judging from APOC reports, it appears to me that Alaskans were duped into passing the initiative that established ranked choice voting by a group that was bankrolled by obscure political groups based outside of Alaska a couple of years ago. These same groups are once again dumping millions of dollars into a campaign to thwart the efforts of an Alaska-based group organized to repeal ranked choice voting. This alone is reason enough to vote ‘yes’ on Ballot Measure 2 which would restore the long established rules governing Alaska’s elections.
What would you do to foster a northern rail extension?
Support mining and agricultural development in Eastern Alaska and encouraging our federal delegation to provide federal funding to connect Alaska’s rail system to the Canadian and continental U.S. rail system to enhance national security.