On Sunday, the Alaska Senate debated their own version of the state budget. This, after the House managed to come together with a compromise and release a bi-partisan budget to break the stalemate that has plagued to special session, and threatened to shut down the state government. Ignoring the House and urgings from the governor, the Senate on […]
ANCHORAGE – Today, the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition released a memo from the Alaska Department of Revenue showing the Republican-proposed budget spends $600 million more on oil tax credits than provided for under Alaska’s statutory cap on credit payments. The memo states in part that “as part of ACES, the Legislature added language to indicate […]
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 […]