No endgame in sight in Juneau
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No endgame in sight in Juneau
The 121-day constitutional session limit is less than two weeks away, and there is no end in sight. The House kicked the operating budget back to the rules committee on Sunday after it became clear they did not have the 21 votes to pass a budget. Tension between the mostly Democratic House Majority and Republican Minority came to a boiling point on Sunday when minority members complained that all of their amendments were being not heard. One of those members, Representative Steve Thompson (R – Fairbanks), stated that he had intended to vote yes, but changed his mind because of the process. But Thompson was the one who motioned to adjourn on Saturday night, meaning the budget would go into third reading the next day. When a bill is in third reading, amendments cannot be heard, only debate on the bill itself before a final vote. Thompson knew this. And he was told at the time that several minority amendments had the votes to pass. Thompson frustratingly stated, “I’m done!” So why did he motion to adjourn, and then change his mind about voting for the budget the next day? That’s hard to know, but it shows how chaotic things are. An attempt on Sunday to roll back to second reading so more amendments could be heard failed 20-20.