Mark Begich

The federal government has launched a new website aimed at helping provide information on health insurance options. The site was set up by the U.S. Department of Health and Social Services. Sen. Mark Begich calls it a new tool to help Alaskans find affordable insurance. Begich supported federal health insurance reform efforts earlier this year.

by Channel 2 News staff Saturday, July 17, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- After the U.S. Senate passed a financial overhaul bill this past week, Sen. Mark Begich says Democrats are hoping to pass two or three other pieces of legislation in the coming week. One would establish a $30 billion fund for small-business lending, which Begich says would greatly help Alaskans. "It was missed in the recovery," Begich said. "There is a great demand that I hear from Alaskans, from small businesses that want to make sure that they can access capital so they can grow their businesses, hire more people, build their inventories -- so we're working through that.

by Channel 2 News staff Monday, May 24, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich introduced legislation Monday that would eliminate the law requiring Alaskans to purchase duck stamps for subsistence purposes. In the spring, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will enforce a regulation requiring subsistence hunters to purchase and carry duck stamps when hunting or when gathering the eggs of birds. However, many Alaskans living a subsistence lifestyle don't have access to the stamps.

by Steve MacDonald Tuesday, July 29, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- News of the indictments against U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens comes at a time when he was already fighting for his political life. Many polls prior to Tuesday's indictments show that the race between Stevens and Democrat Mark Begich is already close. Without a doubt, Tuesday's announcement from the Department of Justice will have its effect on the election. But what effect it will have depends on who you ask. It was already shaping up to be one of Stevens's toughest political campaigns ever, and the news out of Washington, D.C. could make his reelection bid even more difficult.

by Julie Hasquet Former Channel 2 News reporter Monday, July 26, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- I arrived in Alaska in May of 1986 as an eager, young reporter fresh out of San Diego State University, living my childhood dream of becoming a television journalist. My career at Channel 2 was incredible, covering some of the most interesting and important stories of the time. I was the first reporter to the scene of the trapped whales in Barrow -- a story now being made into a feature length-film by Hollywood.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, January 7, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Shell has cleared another hurdle toward drilling in the Chukchi Sea. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday approved Shell Offshore Inc.'s air quality permit for exploration of lease blocks in the Chukchi, Sen. Mark Begich announced. According to a press release from Begich's office, the EPA is announcing a proposal to approve a "major" source air permit that requires operations to meet the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program standards.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, May 6, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska's two U.S. senators want to beef up the nation's oil spill liability fund. The fund is administered by the Coast Guard and pays for response costs and damages in cases where the responsible party hasn't paid. The fund currently has $1.6 billion, but Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski want to raise that to $10 billion by increasing the fee oil companies pay from 8 cents to 9 cents per barrel.

by Channel 2 News staff Monday, June 28, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska's congressional delegation applauded the Supreme Court's decision Monday that Americans have a right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live. The ruling struck down a total handgun ban in Chicago and a suburb of the city, but the Court suggested some restrictions may be permitted. The Court held that firearm possession is a fundamental constitutional right, and that courts across the country are therefore empowered to strike down state and local weapon laws that infringe on this basic right.

Suspicion is permeating Washington concerning Pakistan's knowledge of Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. Sen. Lisa Murkowski talked about the millions of dollars the United States has poured into counterterrorism operations in Pakistan and questioned whether Pakistani officials became complacent or averted their eyes to allow bin Laden to hide seemingly under their nose. "If in fact we now find out that now this aid was used for things that perhaps weren't designed to bring down or capture bin Laden, that they were complacent or not being honest with the information, I think that that could really shatter the relationship that the United States has with Pakistan," Murkowski said.

by Ashton Goodell Tuesday, March 30, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Now that the health care reform bill is law, Sen. Mark Begich says it's time to thank the people who asked for it. At a health care rally Tuesday night, the senator talked about what's next -- and he got a few thank-yous of his own. "Thank you for what you did for us and for the rest of the country," a passing cab driver yelled from his taxi to Begich. "We need health care. " Begich acknowledged the bill has some problems, but he expects it to be tweaked as it goes.

The Interior Department will take a second look at a proposed land exchange between the community of King Cove and the state of Alaska. The announcement Thursday morning came from Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski's office, and in a press release, stated that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made the decision after direct talks with Murkowski. According to the senator's office, the Department of the Interior will review the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's opposition to building a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Democrat Senator Mark Begich held a Saturday town hall meeting in Anchorage discussing issues affecting Alaska Natives. The town hall was open to the public and about a hundred people showed up for the event at the Southcentral Foundation in the U-Med district. During the question and answer session, subsistence was a major topic, along with climate change, and the rising cost of food in rural Alaska. Funding for education, including language education for Alaska Native Children, and health care for Alaska Natives were also among the issues that were discussed.

The second day of the 2012 Alaska Federation of Natives convention was highlighted by a speech from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who addressed delegates in Anchorage for her 10th time as a senator Friday. Murkowski took the stage at the Dena'ina Center wearing a red kuspuk with blue trim. Her speech frequently touched on AFN's theme this year, “Success Beyond Barriers,” as she said Alaska Natives had overcome barriers by getting involved in the political process -- including her 2010 re-election as a write-in candidate after being defeated in the Republican primary by Joe Miller.

The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-- the nation's premier group representing business interests -- said Thursday that he believes the U.S. Senate will pass the Law of the Sea Treaty during its next session. Despite Tom Donahue's prediction, the international treaty has been languishing in the Senate for three decades. Just last month, a total of 34 Republican senators went on record as opposing the treaty -- and since a two-thirds vote of the Senate is needed to pass it, the treaty seemed as dead as ever.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, is calling on Gov. Sean Parnell, R-Alaska, to declare a fisheries disaster in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where king salmon runs are some of the weakest on record.  In a letter to the governor, Begich said the crisis has been compounded by high energy prices and the rising costs of goods.  “The food security of Alaska's rural citizens is of the utmost importance and action is needed now,” Begich wrote....

Alaska's U.S. senators are taking yet another approach in their efforts to ground an Air Force plan to move an F-16 fighter squadron from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski have written a letter (PDF) requesting that no money be allocated to pay for the move. The Air Force wants to move the 18th Aggressor Squadron, currently based at Eielson Air Force Base, to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. A report released by the Air Force last week claims the move, along with subsequent reductions in base operating support services at Eielson, will save some $227 million over the next five years.   Alaska's congressional delegation and political and civic leaders in Fairbanks dispute the amount of savings and argue that moving the jets, along with more than 500 airmen and their families, will damage the Fairbanks economy.

The USS Anchorage will be commissioned in Anchorage next September or October, according to a joint statement Monday from Alaska's congressional delegation. Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, as well as Rep. Don Young, all wrote Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in November asking that the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship be commissioned in its namesake port. Last week Murkowski said she received a favorable reply from Mabus's office, but the decision hasn't been formally announced until now. All three members of the Alaska delegation praised the decision in Monday's statement.

A plan by the Obama administration to refocus and shrink the U.S. military presence around the globe could have a significant impact on Alaska. The Pentagon says Asia is now its primary focus -- especially unstable North Korea, where new leader Kim Jong Un is trying to prove himself to the world. “These are the areas where we see the greatest challenges for the future, in terms of our economy and our national security,” said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta during a Thursday announcement at the Pentagon.

A stateless fishing vessel seized by Alaska's Coast Guard should be "used for gunnery practice" and sunk, Sen. Mark Begich says. “Now that this pirate ship is in custody, I have one recommendation: the Coast Guard should sink the Bangun Perkasa ,” Begich said in a statement Tuesday. The Kodiak-based Coast Guard cutter Munro picked up the vessel 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak on Sept. 15. The ship was packed with illegal driftnets, 30 tons of squid and at least 30 shark carcasses.

Suspicion is permeating Washington concerning Pakistan's knowledge of Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. Sen. Lisa Murkowski talked about the millions of dollars the United States has poured into counterterrorism operations in Pakistan and questioned whether Pakistani officials became complacent or averted their eyes to allow bin Laden to hide seemingly under their nose. "If in fact we now find out that now this aid was used for things that perhaps weren't designed to bring down or capture bin Laden, that they were complacent or not being honest with the information, I think that that could really shatter the relationship that the United States has with Pakistan," Murkowski said.