Becky Bohrer May 19, 2021 - 4:36 PM
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) â Big issues Alaska lawmakers faced at the start of the regular session in January remain unsettled at the end, including the state budget and size of the check to be paid to residents from Alaska s oil-wealth fund.
Lawmakers face two special sessions, the first of which starts Thursday, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy seeking resolution on the dividend and fiscal issues that have vexed the state for years. Legislators share the concerns but whether they can agree on a plan is unclear.
Dunleavy called the first session to address the budget and the dividend paid from the nest-egg Alaska Permanent Fund. Senate President Peter Micciche has suggested taking more time to work on the dividend issue and tackling it later this summer, when lawmakers are set to meet for a second special session on revenue, spending and other issues.
Alaska lawmakers face special session on budget, dividend
BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press
FacebookTwitterEmail
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Big issues Alaska lawmakers faced at the start of the regular session in January remain unsettled at the end, including the state budget and size of the check to be paid to residents from Alaska s oil-wealth fund.
Lawmakers face two special sessions, the first of which starts Thursday, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy seeking resolution on the dividend and fiscal issues that have vexed the state for years. Legislators share the concerns but whether they can agree on a plan is unclear.
Dunleavy called the first session to address the budget and the dividend paid from the nest-egg Alaska Permanent Fund. Senate President Peter Micciche has suggested taking more time to work on the dividend issue and tackling it later this summer, when lawmakers are set to meet for a second special session on revenue, spending and other issues.
Posted by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska | May 5, 2021
House Bill 63 passed the Alaska House of Representatives 37-0 on Wednesday with no objections from the floor. The governor, however, believes it violates the separation of powers clause in the Alaska Constitution. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
House Bill 63 would create an Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board that would be tasked with crafting both short- and long-term planning for the fleet. And the state Department of Transportation would be bound to incorporate its direction into daily operations.
The Alaska Marine Highway System has been struggling with deep funding cuts, an aging fleet and steep declines in ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are Alaska wildlife better protected than people?
âWhen something horrible happens to our people, we donât have law enforcementâ
Author:
Joaqlin Estus
In Southeast Alaska, Tlingit villagers say it seems like the state places more value on the life of a moose than the safety of human beings.
In early April the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida held a forum on House Bill 123, which would provide state recognition to federally recognized tribes. The subject of public safety response times compared to wildlife protection came up.
“In our villages, we often don t have law enforcement, right? When something happens to our people, [when] something horrible happens, we don t have the law enforcement that other communities have,” said First Alaskans Institute CEO and President La Quen Náay Liz Medicine Crow, who is Haida and Tlingit.