The Alaska Legislature met in joint session today to debate a resolution that would have denied Gov. Mike Dunleavy the ability to create a Department of Agriculture.
The vote was 32-28.
It takes 31 votes in a joint session of the Alaska Legislature to disapprove or stop a governor’s executive order from becoming effective. The vote must occur within 60 days of the start of a regular legislative session, after which the order takes effect unless it has been disapproved.
A yes vote during the joint session meant the resolution was approved to deny the new department.
A no vote majority would have meant approval of the new department.
Debate was extensive, and the final vote was mainly along Democrat-Republican caucus lines.
The current Ag framework isn’t working too well. I don’t see how creating something that will take a bigger bite of the budget would do any better. This is coming from one who plans on being a gentleman farmer post-retirement. How about we fix the current system first and create a better foundation?
WOW? They did something?
We don’t need a dept. of agriculture, we need LAND.
There is twenty miles of road going from Houston to Pt. Mac. It’s built. Thirty-two 1,000 acre lots will fit along it. Homestead them off via raffle, 2 years to build a house, 10 years to establish some sort of agricultural business start making a profit.
If, after 10 years, you can’t turn profit then you lose the land and everything on it and it goes up for lottery again.
There is already a Mat-Su Borough ag land disposal program (up to 40 acre), and it has been in place for years. Few take advantage because of the rules and WORK required. The economic realities are simply too difficult to surmount. This is why we are all at the mercy of mega farms, and with Chinese and western tech billionaires buying up the farms, we’re simply going to have to dance.
Time to lose weight with the newest diet plan……….
The Governor’s solution to better government: “Let’s make more of it! I know, I know, we don’t have a way to pay for it but let’s worry about that later…’
Since Day One this governor has been plagued by his simple mind that is easily persuaded by poor advice. Let’s keep this post short and not name all the bad policy he’s thrown down – we can each remember a several.
You’re on your last lap, Mike. The best you can do from here on out is to go away quietly.
It’s disturbing to discover that our governor can create an entire new department all on his own and that it takes a major effort by the legislature to stop him. That is too much power for one person. It should require legislative action, after extensive public debate, to expand government like that. We were excited when Dunleavy first won and it seemed like he got off to a good start with the budget but as soon as he hit resistance he folded and we’ve had weak Dunleavy ever since. And now, on his way out, he comes up with a monumentally stupid idea like a Department of Agriculture. Another government bureaucracy to tell us that “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!” Read the room, governor, people are sick and tired of government. It’s as if Dunleavy can’t see the parallels between his bad idea and the federal Department of Education…the nationwide bad idea that made education worse (but at great expense). Government isn’t the answer, it’s the problem and the less we have of it the better off we’ll be.
Where were the small government on this issue.
AWOL.
What might we need it for?
What’s amazing to me is how Dunleavy could have supported this? What’s doubly amazing to me is the legislature got this correct ! That might be a first . While they Seem to figure out how to manage education in Ak , Maybe defunding the dept of National education will help guide them ?
How many full PFD’s could be paid with the budget for this new governmental office?
Dunleavy needs to remember what he ran on instead of worrying about taking Lisa’s spot.
This is what we get for electing east coast cheechakos
For once the leftists got something correct. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. “No” to more bloated State government agencies and associated bureaucrats. No more.