Governor Walker announced that he will be calling the legislature back into a fourth special session on October 23rd to address some form of new revenue. A special-session proclamation that outlines a specific agenda has not yet been issued, but there are existing pieces of legislation, as well as new proposals that may be included.
I hope you’ve been having a wonderful summer! It’s been a few weeks since my last enews as we transitioned back to Anchorage, got unpacked, and resettled here. It’s so nice to be home!
Juneau – Tonight, to avert the looming government shutdown, the Alaska State Legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2018 Operating Budget. The compromise budget totals $4.1 billion in Unrestricted General Fund (UGF) spending and sets this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend at $1,100. The K-12 Base Student Allocation (BSA) will be fully funded at $1.2 billion, the same level of funding as the current year. This reverses the $69 million cut to education advanced by the Alaska Senate.
We are in the final third of the special session called by Governor Walker on May 18th to focus on solutions to Alaska’s fiscal crisis. These past five months in Juneau have not been easy: we are grappling with historic choices brought on by a fundamental shift in the economics of oil. Thankfully, the pace of progress has quickened as of late:
With just five days left before we hit the May 17 endpoint of the Constitutionally authorized 121-day legislative session, and with several major pieces of legislation still the subject of hearings or conference committee negotiations, it is clear that work in Juneau will continue into another stage of overtime.
Juneau – Today, legislation sponsored by Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) that would pay back Permanent Fund Dividends for wrongfully imprisoned Alaskans passed the Alaska House of Representatives with bipartisan support.
Indigenous People’s Day – Previously, HB 78 Indigenous Peoples Day passed out of the House Community & Regional Affairs and then the House floor by a vote of 31-7. The bill was then introduced to the Senate for the first reading and referred to the Community & Regional Affairs and State Affairs committees. HB 78 passed quickly through its first committee of referral in the Senate and was heard and held this week in State Affairs.
The budget continues to our top priority and we’re committed to hearing your thoughts on a responsible action plan for Alaska. As a friendly reminder, don’t forget that today is also the last day to file for your PFD.
