Day 90 of the Legislature: Where are the budget and bills at for Day 91?

By
Suzanne Downing
-
19

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:

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:

  • HB 75 OWNER & CONTRACTOR CONTROLLED INSURANCE 
  • HB 141 ESTABLISHING DON YOUNG DAY
  • HB 8 ELECTRIC-ASSISTED BICYCLES 3RD READING
  • HB 39 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET/LOANS/FUND; SUPPLEMENTAL
  • HB 41 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET
  • HJR 3 CONCEALED HANDGUN RECIPROCITY B/W STATES 3RD READING

19 COMMENTS

  1. Do their jobs? On time? This ship of fools?

    They still have at least two months of per diem to soak us for.

  3. “……there’s also the constitutional limit of 121 days……..”
    And then there are the also now-regular emergency and special sessions, even for the basic duty of passing a budget. In short, the only way to destroy these organized criminals is to burn all the money. All of it. Force them to feed elsewhere.

  4. The state is poised to feast on PFDs when state originally was only required to provide a education , justice and transportation system ;-(

    • Can anyone remember a time when they weren’t after the PFD’s. (Silence, except for birds chirping in the background.)

      • First 10 years of the program the PFD seemed safe, then the what can you do for me crowd migrated here and you know the rest of the story 😉

  6. Well when they steal more of the peoples money we demand that Alaskans pay no user fees no license plate fees no fishing and hunting fees. Any Alaskan resident that gets a PFD should not have to pay any state fees. We need to press this as a result of the Juneau crowd taking our money.

  7. SB 107 IS ILLEGAL!!. if I remember correctly NOBOdY cannot change the PFD without the vote of the people.. Where do they get they can change IT”S THE VOTE OF THE PEOPLE.

  8. HB 61, House Speaker Cathy Tilton’s gun rights bill, will be heard in House State Affairs Tuesday afternoon. This bill prohibits government from taking guns and gun rights just be declaring or noticing an emergency. It’s a needed bill. Last I checked this bill will go on to the House floor when it leaves this committee. I do not believe there is a companion bill in the Senate. I believe this bill as well as the statement that will be made when it is enacted are needed in Alaska. Public testimony is scheduled.

  9. Our legislature is a three ring circus ?, led by fools like Giessel and Stedman, thumbing their noses at all of us. I just cannot believe the voters keep putting them back,. I just wonder how much money they are making putting the screws to all us. Just sickening.

    • These two names are a result of RCV (Giessel) and small-town popularity. They are spenders that hold a tinge of conservative thought. Their actions prove out otherwise. We need leaders that will go home to real jobs after 90 days. Force the onus on the leadership.

  10. I think we the peasants need to force them to pass a law that after 90 days they pay their own salaries, room and board and any expenditures needed to get state business done. They know it’s 90 days and the school around for the first month deciding who’s going to be in charge and then they pass stupid laws like the state flower, the state animal, but they don’t do any serious work. Normal people will be fired for not completing work on time, but they get a pass every year because there’s no oversight or nobody to hold him to the carpet. Legislature is a drain on the economy.

  11. And where is the bill to repeal proposition 2????? Oh, that’s right…they don’t want honest elections since none of them would stay in office if we had them. Let the rubes pretend that we’ll be able to repeal it through the ‘election’ process.

  13. Please gavel out Ms. Tilton and close all committees except ethics and whoever can call at the request of people inquiries pertaining to threats against the republic form of government in Alaska and reuse last year’s appropriations. No more jovial wastral musings against people’s will and timeline. Juneau has failed again to produce a sustainable budget for the people. It’s on the representatives. Go home. Immediately. They have a strong belief in shambles.

  14. WE no longer will take your phone calls. We will not accept late work product from you. Stay off the cameras we no longer want to hear one late thought from you. You are through for the year. We will not fund virtue signaling, late charades. Done. Shut up and get out. CHANGE THE LOCKS.

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