Capitol Report: Legislature goes into overtime
by Michelle Saport |
Capitol Report - April 19, 2019
Legislature Goes into Overtime Greetings from Juneau! Today is the 95th day of session. Sunday marked the statutory deadline for the Legislature to conclude its business. However, it has been clear for several months that more time is needed and that session would not be done in 90 days. The Constitution of the State of Alaska limits legislative sessions to 121 days. Legislators now have until May 15th to pass a budget and finish their work without calling a special session.
Senate Subcommittee Increases UA Funding above the House UA's Senate Finance Subcommittee concluded its work this week and delivered encouraging news for our university. The subcommittee recommended a total undesignated general fund budget of $322 million in two separate appropriations. The proposal is $5 million higher than the budget passed by the House. This is a strong statement of support for the university. During a year of substantial budget reductions, the fact that the Senate's recommendation is only a 1.5 percent decrease over the current fiscal year is significant. Thank you to subcommittee chair Senator Lyman Hoffman and the members of the subcommittee for their work and support of UA.
The full Senate Finance Committee will take up the Operating Budget next week, and is expected to work into next weekend. President Johnsen attended the close out meeting this week while in Juneau to meet with legislators and the OMB Director. The Government Relations team will be working closely with senators as they finalize their spending plan.
The Capitol Report, produced by the UA Office of Government Relations, is designed to keep the University of Alaska community informed about the current legislative session, including its impact on the university budget.
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