Senate State Affairs to Hear Senate Joint Resolution 2 to Bring Alaska’s Budget Veto Threshold in Line with Other States
By Noah Hanson-Akleg on Comments Off on Senate State Affairs to Hear Senate Joint Resolution 2 to Bring Alaska’s Budget Veto Threshold in Line with Other States
The Proposal Will Allow Alaskans to Decide the State’s Budget Veto Override Standard
JUNEAU, AK — Senate Judiciary Chair Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, introduced Senate Joint Resolution 2 last January, which is a constitutional amendment that would modernize Alaska’s budget veto override process and align it with standards used by every other state in the nation. On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the Senate State Affairs Committee will hear the proposal. The Committee is set to meet at 3:30 p.m. in the Beltz Room of the Alaska State Capitol.
SJR 2 proposes lowering the legislative threshold to override a governor’s veto of revenue and appropriation bills from three-fourths to two-thirds of the Legislature, making a consistent override threshold already used for all other vetoed legislation in Alaska.
“Approving a budget is the one responsibility the Legislature must fulfill every year,” said Sen. Claman. “Requiring a higher override threshold for budget vetoes than for any other legislation weakens the public’s voice and limits the Legislature’s ability to act as a meaningful check on executive power.”
Alaska is currently the only state in the country that requires a three-fourths vote of the Legislature to override a veto on appropriations and revenue measures. Most states use a two-thirds vote, a three-fifths vote or a simple majority. While the higher standard may have reflected concerns at the time Alaska’s Constitution was drafted, it no longer represents an equal balance between the legislative and executive branches.
Recent budget vetoes have shown the negative impact of a three-quarter vote threshold. While the Legislature has successfully overridden vetoes of non-appropriation bills, budget veto overrides are rare because of the unique threshold, even when the vast majority of lawmakers support the budget to fund essential public services.
“This resolution isn’t about taking authority away from the governor,” Sen. Claman continued. “It’s about fixing a mismatch in our Constitution that makes it harder to act on the one bill the Legislature is required to pass each year. A two-thirds standard is already used for every other veto, and it’s the standard used almost everywhere else. This change gives the Legislature a fairer role in budget decisions that affect communities across Alaska.”
Earlier this month, Senator Claman penned an opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News, outlining why changing the veto override threshold would create a better balance of power between branches of government. If the resolution passes the Legislature, the proposed constitutional amendment will appear on the general election ballot in November for Alaskans to decide. The resolution is not subject to a Governor’s veto.
