The legislature is in recess and lawmakers have dispersed across the state to hunker down in accordance with recent health mandates from Governor Dunleavy and Dr. Zink. I’m now back in Anchorage and glad to be home safely.
The operating budget, HB 205, passed the House last week and is now in the hands of the Senate.
This year, the House budget process went very quickly. I felt that there was a broad sense of cooperation and respect in the crafting of this year’s budget.
Later this week, the public will have their first chance to weigh in on the state budget for the upcoming year.
Last Friday, I introduced HB 242, which aims to improve the Alaska Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (AK PDMP) and to help doctors and other medical providers improve prescribing practices for controlled substances.
Traffic is a near-universal subject of conversation, and Anchorage is no exception. Over the decades, our city and state have contemplated and built numerous roads, bridges, roundabouts, and more, with the goal of increasing connectivity and access within the Anchorage bowl.
On Monday, the Governor signed the Operating Budget (HB 2001, a supplemental Operating Budget). Governor Dunleavy chose to double-down on many of his callous vetoes, while choosing to accept the Legislature’s funding in many areas. Although the re-vetoed items represent over $200 million in programs which Alaskans rely on every day, the Governor chose to back off on about 41% of his vetoes after facing unprecedented public outrage.