Beth Verge

1 month ago | alaskasnewssource.com | Beth Verge

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A new piece of proposed legislation now up for consideration by state lawmakers seeks to set a fixed amount for future Permanent Fund dividend payouts and create an income-based eligibility system for those payments. House Bill 209, recently introduced by Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, proposes a maximum $1,000 PFD for future payout years.

1 month ago | alaskasnewssource.com | Beth Verge

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - The decision on whether or not to raise the Base Student Allocation by signing House Bill 57 into law — or to allow the legislation to become law by neither signing nor vetoing the bill — is now in the hands of Gov. Mike Dunleavy after a concurrence vote in the Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday. HB 57 contains a $700 BSA provision after the Senate Finance Committee added that money to the per-student funding formula last week.

1 month ago | alaskasnewssource.com | Beth Verge

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - One day after the Legislature failed to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 — which would’ve boosted the annual per-student funding amount by $1,000 — a meeting in which representatives from the state’s largest school districts were meant to testify to state lawmakers was canceled. Senate Finance Committee staff said Wednesday afternoon that the rescheduled hearing could take place as early as Monday.

1 month ago | alaskasnewssource.com | Beth Verge

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After a joint vote of the House and Senate, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 was solidified on Tuesday afternoon. In a 33-27 vote, state lawmakers rejected overriding the governor’s veto, which was announced on April 17. HB 69, in its current form, sought to increase the annual per-student funding amount – known as the Base Student Allocation, or BSA – by $1,000 for the next fiscal year, setting the BSA at $6,960.

1 month ago | alaskasnewssource.com | Beth Verge

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - As lawmakers debate whether or not to use to draw on the Constitutional Budget Reserve for the purpose of covering a portion of the state’s budget deficit this year, you might be wondering exactly what the CBR is, how it works, and what it can do for Alaskans. In short, the CBR is a state savings account, and there are widely varying opinions on how the money in the fund should — or shouldn’t — be used.