Juneau – Thursday night, 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, […]
FAIRBANKS— Governor Bill Walker today signed legislation to ease the financial burden of families and dependents of peace officers and firefighters who make the ultimate sacrifice. House Bill 23 is the culmination of years of effort by advocates, loved ones, and community members—and provides continued health insurance coverage for the surviving dependents of those killed […]
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the FY 2018 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior. Her opening remarks reflected Alaskan needs, highlighting areas of concern in the budget, such as the need for adequate funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and […]
JUNEAU— Governor Bill Walker reacted to Standard & Poor’s (S&P) announcement today that Alaska’s credit ratings are being placed on negative CreditWatch. The report cites the lack of a budget for fiscal year 2018, continued reliance on savings to pay for government services, and a lack of new revenues as reasons for the negative outlook. […]