Last week this legislative session should have been over. Instead it continued past its 90-day deadline, and the Governor rightly called a 30-day extension. Then the Republican-led majority voted for a break from work. That’s why legislators aren’t still in Juneau doing the public’s business. I and other Democrats voted to keep working, and to […]
JUNEAU—Governor Bill Walker Wednesday responded to legislative leadership’s request to take a two-week break before convening the special session in Anchorage. Governor Walker declined to rescind his proclamation, and held firm that the legislature pass a fully funded budget before gaveling out. “It is unacceptable to leave the capital city with a budget that has […]
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that proposes deep cuts to the federal budget, setting up a protracted fight between congressional Republicans and Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama. At an all-night session that lasted until early Friday, senators passed their version of a balanced budget plan that proposes $5.1 trillion in spending cuts over […]
Friday, March 13, 2015, Juneau, Alaska – The Alaska House of Representatives early this morning passed a Fiscal Year 2016 statewide operating budget with a historic 10 percent reduction in unrestricted general funds (UGF). Faced with a $3.5 billion deficit, the House Finance Committee found $229 million in reductions to day-to-day agency operations, while prioritizing […]