This morning, April 24, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Lacey Sanders, presented budget amendments to the Senate Finance Committee.
The Governor requests a federal receipt authority and a corresponding supplemental to utilize a $50,000 grant from the federal government for the Office of Public Advocacy. The grant money will be used to support the Court Appointed Special Advocate and Guardian ad Litem Program. A court appointed special advocate (CASA) is a community volunteer trained and supervised by professional program staff to speak up for abused and neglected children in child welfare court cases. CASA volunteers support professional, paid guardian ad litem (GAL) advocates. Every child in state custody in Alaska has a GAL advocate.
The next request relates to the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. The amendment makes a simple change to the source of the funding for the newly established Railbelt Transmission Organization. At first, the funds were to come from the left-over rail belt energy funds, but DCCED determined there is no remaining funding in that fund. The Governor requests an Unrestricted General Fund (UGF) appropriation for the same amount as previously requested ($98,700).
Larger amendments mostly relate to negotiated salary and health insurance increases within the Department of Public Safety, the Department Transportation and Public Facilities, and the University of Alaska.
For the Department of Public Safety, there are three amendments: $5.6 million for salary and health insurance increases for members of the Public Safety Employees Association (PSEA), a funding source change for the $2 million appropriated for Rural Trooper Housing, and just under $1 million for contract increases related to dispatch services in the Kenai Peninsula and the Mat-Su Borough.
The PSEA also negotiated increases in salary and health insurance for Airport Police and Fire Officers. The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will receive $1.8 million for that expense if approved in the final budget.
Lastly, the Governor requests an amendment to remove $6.4 million from the budget, which had been appropriated for an approximate 3% salary increase for non-covered employees at the University of Alaska. These employees recently organized as a union and will work through the negotiation process to establish salary terms.
With the removal of the University of Alaska appropriation, the requested amendments increase the operating budget by $2,053,900.
Information on changes to the capital budget and the governor’s supplemental requests can be found below:
