Special session postponed, governor says, to Aug. 16

By
Suzanne Downing
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8

Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the third special session will begin on August 16, rather than Aug. 2. His decision, in consultation with the Alaska Department of Law, comes after written requests from the four caucus leaders in the Alaska Legislature to convene the start of the August special session at a later date

The governor also modified the call to include the proposed constitutional amendment (SJR 6, HJR 7) to constitutionalize the PFD and the power cost equalization program.

“While Alaskans are out enjoying summer, they are also paying close attention to the legislature because they rightfully expect them to move forward on a plan that protects both the PFD and the Permanent Fund in the constitution and that can be put before voters in the 2022 general election,” Dunleavy said. “We can’t wait any longer. The fund is sitting at 81 billion dollars, more than enough to pay sizable PFDs to Alaskans recovering from the pandemic. The members of the House and Senate Comprehensive Fiscal Plan Working Group are reportedly making progress on recommendations that can be presented to the legislature at the start of the upcoming special session.”

The Alaska Department of Revenue has requested an opportunity to present its latest revenue and spending projections to the working group before its finalizes its recommendations..

The Comprehensive Fiscal Working Group has announced it will be taking public testimony over the next several days. Click here for more information.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Sweet, give em more time, we’ll definitely see a favorable result this time……..eye roll from hell.?

  2. I saw my high school friend make a comment about the WAMI program being harmed by the legislative budget fiasco every year. Then the next guy kept calling the Dividend the “Permanent Fund”which according to him is a “guaranteed deal”. That was enough for me.
    I can’t imagine the Commission learning anything from this exercise they haven’t heard a million times before.
    Its simple really: There is no way you can pay a dividend while imposing income or sales taxes. Nor can you pay a Dividend while cutting popular programs that have a real “public purpose”. You CAN pay a dividend with surplus earnings. With the stock market fueling the Permanent Fund, we can probably justify a dividend again soon – but we need to resist the temptation to overdraw the earnings now.

    • ‘Nor can you pay a Dividend while cutting popular programs that have a real “public purpose”.’
      ‘Popular programs’ also need a hard look at the damage that they do. When you put children on an M&M diet, they like it. Until the consequences coe down the road.

  4. For as often as these occur, really need to stop calling these sessions “special”.
    .
    Unless, that descriptor is in reference to some of the short bus legislators.

  5. Dunleavy is a cowed, sad, beaten man.
    Give him any opportunity and he’ll cave to the legislature.

    Even the French look at him with disgust over his nonstop capitulation.

  6. The Cowardly Lion says “we can’t wait any longer”, then promptly gives them two more weeks.

    Resign, you useless toad.

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