District 9 Republicans hear call to action

Carol Carman, chair of District 9 (Palmer) Republicans, issued the following letter to Mat-Su activists late last week:

Hello District 9,

Early Monday morning our legislators are entering a special session to address the budget. The most important factor is funding the deficit. There are two ways to do that.

Using the PF Earnings Reserve requires a simple majority vote. The majority caucus is Republican, so they can vote for this to fund the budget easily.

Please note that this source replenishes itself every year – it is money left over after PFD distribution and inflation proofing, so it does not affect the PFD at all. There is a significant amount in that pool because it has not been touched in a few years. Side Note: if we reduce the budget a little more each year we will be able to use the Earnings Reserve indefinitely instead of restructuring the PF.

Using the CBR (Constitutional Budget Reserve) requires a 3/4 vote so that Democrats must approve. This means compromising with them, so the budget will grow to suit the minority (as it did last year).
Please note that this source does not renew itself. Once it is gone, it is gone. 

Please contact your legislator ASAP and urge him to focus on resolving the budget deficit by funding it with the Earnings Reserve.

Thank you for participating in the Alaska Budget Solution!  Please Contact Representative Colver before Monday!

Carol Carman
Chair, District 9 – ARP