JUNEAU – The Alaska Legislature announced today it will convene in Juneau on July 8th for the 2nd special session, with most meetings to be held in Anchorage. House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, and Senate President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, released the following statement:
Read More →JUNEAU – The Alaska House of Representatives on Thursday adjourned sine die, formally ending this year’s first special session.
Read More →JUNEAU – A group of legislators started work today on exploring the future of the Alaska Permanent Fund in an era of declining state revenues. The effort comes as the legislature and the governor wrestle with the size of this year’s permanent fund dividend and how to pay for future state budgets.
Read More →Adjusted for inflation and population, the budget is the lowest it has been in 15 years, since 2005. It is a reduction of $190 million from last year. The budget is $4.3 billion in Unrestricted General Funds (UGF) for agency and statewide operations. We did not dip into savings; in fact, we have an approximately $600 million surplus. However, as discussed below, it does not include the dividend. It is now headed to the Governor’s desk. The Capital Budget is still being discussed.
Read More →JUNEAU – The Alaska House of Representatives today passed a compromise operating budget that protects essential services, keeps the State of Alaska on track to avoid a damaging shutdown, and reduces government spending to the lowest level in 15 years without dipping into savings.
Read More →Tuesday in response to the Senate’s consideration of SB 1002:
“Today’s vote in the Senate perfectly illustrates why an operating budget has not yet been enacted: debate over the amount of this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend is consuming the Legislature.
JUNEAU – In an effort to prevent teachers from receiving pink slips on June 3, the Alaska Legislature is preparing to defend a law providing K-12 education funding for the upcoming fiscal year.
Read More →Last week, we adjourned our regular session and the Governor immediately called the Legislature into a special session to focus on: crime reform legislation, education funding, and the operating and capital budgets. Below is a quick update on each of these items.
Read More →JUNEAU – The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted against concurring with changes the Senate made to House Bill 49.
Read More →House Bill 49, which passed 24-to-14, would enact changes that are tough on criminals and give police and prosecutors the tools they need to make Alaska safe. At the same time, the legislation helps victims receive justice and maintains a commitment to enacting policy changes based on objective information, data, and input from police officers, prosecutors, and public defenders.
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