If you have the votes, vote. If you don’t have the votes, talk. The Legislature didn’t talk much and moved swiftly Saturday, overriding two of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s vetoes in a special session that lasted less than 30 minutes. They knew they had the votes.
Lawmakers restored a $200 increase to the Base Student Allocation, a key component of state education funding. The override required 45 votes from the combined House and Senate and passed with exactly that number. Only 59 lawmakers were present, with Sen. Mike Shower excused.
Several Republicans became the “Overriders Caucus,” joining Democrats in the vote to dismiss the governor’s education spending veto. In the House, Republican Reps. Jeremy Bynum, Bill Elam, Chuck Kopp, David Nelson, Justin Ruffridge, Dan Saddler, Will Stapp, and Louise Stutes supported the override. In the Senate, Republican Sens. Rob Yundt, Mike Cronk, James Kaufman, Cathy Giessel, Jesse Bjorkman, Kelly Merrick, Bert Stedman, and Gary Stevens also voted in favor.
In further defiance of the governor, none of his education policy legislative items were even addressed. The governor had even offered to withdraw his veto of the part of the extra funding if he could get movement on charter schools and tribal compacting.
Evidently the Democrats and enabling Republicans were not interested.
The second override concerned Senate Bill 183, which addresses how the executive branch delivers reports to the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee. Lawmakers have expressed frustration over receiving reports in formats they find difficult to work with. The override may lead to a legal challenge, as it touches on the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches.
Again, several Republicans voted to override their Republican governor. They were: Jeremy Bynum, Chuck Kopp, David Nelson, Justin Ruffridge, Dan Saddler, and Louise Stutes. In the Senate, the overrider Republicans were Jesse Bjorkman, Cathy Giessel, James Kaufman, Kelly Merrick, Bert Stedman, Gary Stevens, and Rob Yundt.
Many legislators had predicted a brief “override and out” session—and that’s exactly what they delivered.