John Harris (Alaska politician)

John Harris (born October 15, 1957 in Glennallen, Alaska) is an American politician and the Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives. He was first elected in 1998 and represents the 12th district, as a member of the Republican Party. He was the mayor of Valdez from 1992 to 1996 and a member of the Valdez City Council from 1990 to 1998. John Harris attended Lincoln Electric Welding School in Cleveland, Ohio and Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the owner of Valdez Industrial Supply, and has been a board member of Horizons Unlimited, Resource of Alaska, and United Way.cite web |title="The Alaska State Legislature" |url=http://house.legis.state.ak.us/har.php |accessdate=September 27 |accessyear=2007]

He is Chair of the House Committee on Committees and was Co-Chair of the Finance Committee. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee, the ASC Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the Rules Committee, the Legislative Council Committee, and the following Finance Subcommittees: Court System, Governor, Legislature, and University of Alaska. He was a member of the Ethics Committee, the Finance Committee, the Legislative Budget & Audit Joint Committee, and the Finance Subcommittees for Health & Social Services and Corrections. [cite web |title="Member Informational Display" |url=http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_mbr_info.asp?member=HAR&house=H&session=25 |accessdate=September 27 |accessyear=2007]

Political views and proposals

Harris has asked Ben Stevens, former Alaska state senator and son of Ted Stevens, to resign from his position on the Republican National Committee. Stevens is under investigation for his ties to the oil field services company Veco Corp. [cite news |author=Associated Press |title=GOP leaders ask Ben Stevens to quit post |publisher="Alaska Daily News" |date=September 20, 2007 |url=http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9316568p-9231324c.html] In 2002, Harris offered an amendment that would have stopped an increase in state alcohol tax. [cite news |first=Ben |last=Spiess |title=Attempt to ax tax riles representative |publisher="JuneauEmpire.com" |date=March 24, 2002 |url=http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/032402/sta_legtaxes.shtml] In 2001, due to legal problems posed when pilots fly into Canada, he introduced a bill to change the law requiring pilots to carry a gun as part of their survival kit. [cite news |author=The Associated Press |title=Legislature 2001: Bill gets pilots out of firearms bind |publisher="JuneauEmpire.com" |date=March 16, 2001 |url=http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/031601/Loc_PilotFirearms.html] He opposed a bill that would have stopped minimum wage from increasing with inflation. [cite news |first=Cathy |last=Brown |coauthors=The Associated Press |title=Panel deletes inflation proofing from minimum wage |publisher="Kenai Peninsula Online" |date=May 6, 2003 |url=http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/050603/ala_050603ala004001.shtml]

References

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