James Brooks

1 week ago | juneauempire.com | James Brooks

The Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a $6.2 billion draft state operating budget, putting Alaska on track for a significant deficit in the fiscal year that begins July 1. If Wednesday’s draft is added to a capital budget draft passed Tuesday by the Senate and a planned supplemental budget needed to fix a deficit in the current fiscal year, total general-purpose spending is near $6.6 billion.

1 week ago | ktoo.org | James Brooks

For the first time in more than 25 years, the Alaska House of Representatives has voted against budget language that seeks to limit Medicaid coverage for abortions. On Monday, the House failed by a single vote to approve a budget amendment that would forbid the state from spending money on abortions unless they are deemed a “mandatory service” under Medicaid.

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Corinne Smith |James Brooks

The Alaska Legislature on Friday passed a major increase to K-12 education funding, worth $1,000 in the state’s per-student funding formula. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has indicated he will veto the proposal, saying lawmakers failed to include policy changes he requested. In an 11 to 9 vote, senators narrowly passed House Bill 69, one day after the Senate Finance Committee removed all education policy changes previously proposed by the state House and the Senate Education Committee.

1 week ago | juneauempire.com | James Brooks

The Alaska House of Representatives voted to cut its proposed 2025 Permanent Fund dividend by almost two-thirds on Friday as the House’s contentious budget process lurched another step forward. The reduction, which had stymied the House Finance Committee for more than a week, drops the proposed dividend from roughly $3,900 per recipient to about $1,400. Assuming Gov.

1 week ago | juneauempire.com | Corinne Smith |James Brooks

The Alaska Legislature on Friday passed a major increase to K-12 education funding, worth $1,000 in the state’s per-student funding formula. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has indicated he will veto the proposal, saying lawmakers failed to include policy changes he requested. In an 11 to 9 vote, senators narrowly passed House Bill 69, one day after the Senate Finance Committee removed all education policy changes previously proposed by the state House and the Senate Education Committee.