Alaska’s $9.7 billion annual budget advanced to the Senate on Friday, following a procedural vote in the House. Lawmakers earlier this week approved the spending plan proposed by the coalition in charge of the House, but House Bill 57 languished after members of the Republican House Majority asked for a delay and second vote.
The passage to the Senate will allow the Senate Finance Committee to begin work in earnest on Monday. Lawmakers on that committee are considering a 5 percent cut from the state’s budget, money that will come predominantly from the state’s biggest spenders: transportation, education, health, and the University of Alaska.
The House approved several other bills Friday and sent them to the Senate for consideration:
• House Bill 106, which passed in a 33-3 vote, allows the Legislature to divert up to 25 percent of court system fees to the Civil Legal Services Fund. That fund supports the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, a charity that helps Alaskans in civil cases when they can’t afford lawyers of their own. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Zach Fansler, D-Bethel.
• House Bill 64, sponsored by Rep. Harriet Drummond, D-Anchorage, passed 33-3. If approved by the Senate and governor, HB 64 establishes a task force charged with increasing Alaska students’ reading ability and studying the effects of dyslexia on students.
• House Bill 81, drafted by Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, D-Sitka, allows tribal organizations, including Native housing authorities, and many nonprofits to apply for energy efficiency loans from an existing state program. The bill passed 35-1.
• A procedural vote advanced House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage. HB 2 passed the House earlier in the week; Friday’s vote confirmed its passage. HB 2 allows private employers to formally prefer veterans for job openings, akin to the preference the state already offers.
Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or 419-7732.
