April 16 is Day 90 of the 2023 Alaska Legislature. By Alaska Statute, it would be the final day of business, a day to gavel out. But the Legislature has not ended its work by that day since one year after the law was passed by voters in 2006. That’s because there’s also the constitutional limit of 121 days, and lawmakers never have been able to take care of business in the 90-day limit. Once they blow past 90 days, things usually start moving more quickly.
The main job of the Legislature is to pass the various budgets, including supplemental budget, operating budget, capital budget, and mental health budget.
On Monday at 9 am, the Senate Finance Committee will continue working through the pieces of the budget, to include the close-out of the work on the University of Alaska Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The committee will also consider SB 98, a bill establishing a Power Cost Equalization endowment fund, and SB 107, a bill to establish new formula for the Permanent Fund dividend that would give government 75% of earnings from the Permanent Fund and save 25% for Permanent Fund dividends. A committee timeline for the disputes over the Permanent Fund earnings is at this link.
At 1:30 pm, the Senate Finance Committee will hear SB 34, an act reestablishing Act reestablishing the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska.
The committee will also hear SB 122, a rewrite of Alaska’s corporate income tax by Sen. Bill Wielechowski, for taxpayers who operate in multiple states. To avoid taxpayers having to do separate accounting in each state, states have adopted mathematical formulas to determine tax apportionment. Wielechowski argues that the multi-state compact was designed for a brick and mortar business world.
“In the modern digital economy a corporation can target advertising to Alaska, sell a product through Alaska’s broadband infrastructure, and ship it through Alaska’s roads, ports and airports without having any property or payroll in Alaska,” his briefing paper says. The tax change will impact online commerce. Read it here.
In House Finance Committee at 1:30 pm, the committee will hear HB 3, which reinforces constitutional rights to use gold and silver as legal tender for payment of debts. Read the main sponsor’s statement here from Sen. Kevin McCabe.
The committee will also hear HB 83, similar to SB 34, reestablishing the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska.
At 6 pm, House Ways and Means Committee will hear HB 156, a bill that would reestablish an income tax in Alaska, sponsored by Rep. Alyse Galvin and Rep. Cliff Groh. There is no fiscal note or documentation and Monday’s hearing will be the first for the bill.
Several other committees meet on Monday:
- HOUSE EDUCATION 8 am Schedule
- SENATE FINANCE0 9 am Schedule
- HOUSE JUDICIARY 1 pm Schedule
- HOUSE RESOURCES 1pm PM Schedule
- HOUSE FINANCE0 1:30 pm Schedule Documents
- SENATE FINANCE 1:30 pm Schedule Documents
- SENATE JUDICIARY 1:30 pm Schedule
- SENATE LABOR & COMMERCE 1:30 pm Schedule Documents
- HOUSE LABOR & COMMERCE 3:15 pm Schedule
- SENATE EDUCATION 3:30 pm Schedule Documents
- SENATE RESOURCES 3:30 pm Schedule Documents
- HOUSE WAYS & MEANS 6 pm Schedule
On the Senate floor calendar:
- SB 58 MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY: POSTPARTUM MOTHERS
- HB 78 AK COMMUNITY HEALTH AIDE APPRECIATION DAY
- HB 103 EXTEND ALASKA MINERALS COMMISSION 3RD READING
On the House floor calendar:
