Rep. Gara and Sen. Hollis French, both Anchorage Democrats, sent the Republican governor a letter Thursday, saying a public outcry over the planned purchase was justified.

Murkowski has said using $2 million in federal homeland security funds to buy a used jet would help state officials respond faster in emergencies. He also would get to use the aircraft for his own state travel when it wasn't being used for public safety purposes.

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The plane would replace one of two propeller-driven planes the governor now uses.

The Murkowski administration is waiting for permission from the federal government to use the anti-terror funds on a jet.

French and Gara said the Legislature doesn't have the power to stop Murkowski because lawmakers gave him permission to spend federal money that comes in after the state budget passed.

So the two decided to write the letter, which asks Murkowski to submit the purchase to the Legislature for review. Gara said he'd also be satisfied with nonlegislative public hearings on how the anti-terror dollars should be spent.

"The concerns: whether the jet should be a higher priority than other pressing Homeland Security needs, whether the jet is suitable for many Bush runways, and whether the jet is needed to transport prisoners, whether the jet is simply a faster and more expensive way to move you and your staff around the state," Gara and French wrote.

The governor's office referred questions about the letter to Bill Tandeske, the state public safety commissioner. Tandeske said the state doesn't hold public hearings when it purchases other aircraft or pieces of equipment. There is never universal agreement on state purchases, he said.

Murkowski aides have suggested it will save the state maintenance costs to replace one of the old planes with the jet.