The Alaska Senate today passed an amendment to the operating budget that would issue a $1,000 emergency payment to most Alaskans in the next few weeks.
The amendment was offered by Sen. Mike Shower of Wasilla, and came after a similar amendment offered by Sen. David Wilson failed to pass; the Wilson amendment would have repaid Alaskans their $1,300 still due to them from last year’s Permanent Fund dividend, had it been issued according to the statutory formula.
Shower’s amendment did not refer to the PFD at all. It is a purely economic stimulus check that Alaskans would get in April, if the House goes along with it.
Whether the House will agree remains to be worked out between the two in conference committee. The conference committee process could see that payment reduced.
Voting for the cash payment to Alaskans were Senators Shower and fellow Republicans Shelley Hughes, Peter Micciche, Lora Reinbold, Josh Revak, Natasha von Imhof, and David Wilson; also Democrat Senators Tom Begich, Elvi Gray-Jackson, Scott Kawasaki, Donny Olson, and Bill Wielechowski.
Voting against the emergency allocation were Republican Senators Click Bishop, John Coghill, Cathy Giessel, Bert Stedman, and Gary Stevens; and Democrats Sen. Lyman Hoffman and Jesse Kiehl,.
Amendment 6 is not paying back the Permanent Fund dividend that was cut in half last year, but is about getting cash into families in Alaska at a time of year when they need it most — the end of winter.
In fact, if Sen. Shower had tied his amendment to the dividend, it probably would not have passed, since a majority of senators do not want to be caught in a position of voting in favor of restoring an already decided-upon dividend from last year. That might put them in a legal quandary of admitting that there’s money due.
“We just need to get money into people’s hands before we rule over ashes,” Shower said. “It’s not perfect, but this would put $4,000 into a family of four right now.”
If the measure gets conference committee approval, Alaskans might also see a $1,000 dividend in the fall, as that is the amount that is currently being discussed for this year’s dividend. That decision is also not final.
