The state has tapped the $1.8 billion Constitutional Budget Reserve for 11 of the last 13 years to balance the budget. State economists project that further withdrawals from the savings account will cause it to drop below $1 billion by 2006 and bottom out soon after.

Cruise ship taxes, tourism and hotel lodging taxes, cigarette taxes, budget cuts and expanded gambling are some of the short-term solutions. But the state still needs long-term solutions, such as a broad-based tax or use of the $27 billion Alaska Permanent Fund.

The new model, known as the percent of market value plan or POMV approach, is intended to create a more stable, predictable payout from the $27.4 billion fund, according to the trustees.

"We think this takes away the risk of a dramatically smaller or zero dividend," said Bob Bartholomew, chief operating officer for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.

Murkowski ran for election in 2002 on a natural resources development platform, and critics have complained progress has been slow. The administration cautions that oil and gas resources must be developed gradually.

"I don't know if the Democrats think they're going to get instant gratification, but these things take time," said Murkowski spokesman John Manly. "Anybody who's watched this oil and gas business in Alaska understands that it takes a significant amount of time to get these things up and going."

The Legislature created the task force in 2002 to recommend laws to help salmon fishermen, processors and communities cope with market changes caused by competition from foreign farmed salmon. Last year the task force proposed more than a dozen pieces of legislation and four were passed, said co-chairman Sen. Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican.

"It was easier the first time because there were some obvious things that needed to change, so we worked hard to get those through - assistance to processors, salmon marketing, assistance to fishermen," Stevens said. "This year, you'll probably see fewer pieces of legislation, but more difficult, complex pieces of legislation that might or might not make it through the process."

KTOO-FM and TV operates the service, which allows viewers to watch live floor sessions, committee meetings and special events on cable channel 7 in Juneau and on the Web at www.ktoo.org/gavel.

The television service began in 1994 and is now carried by 35 cable systems statewide. Television coverage runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, with additional coverage depending on legislative activity.