Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a series of vetoes Thursday that spanned $215 million in budget cuts, the âpaltryâ $525 Permanent Fund dividend and $2 million in per diem payments for lawmakersâ expenses in Juneau.
âLawmakers need to finish the work on protections for the Permanent Fund and the PFD before paying themselves,â Dunleavy said about the per diem veto.
The governor vetoed $17.5 million in Medicaid services and $10 million from the Alaska Travel Association. He eliminated $12.5 million for an upgrade to the Alaska Vocational Technical Center as well as funds to help pay for renovations at the University of Alaska.
âWe want to keep the budget tight,â Dunleavy said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. âThere is not going to be massive reductions, but there are reductions to drive the size of government down.ââ
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The plan identifies four main priorities.
The top one is sustaining and support the Alaska Marine Highway. This priority is near and dear to the heart of the conference since its creation in 1958 was spurred by the need for the system.
The Southeast Conference in recent years called for a change in the management of the marine highway and suggested it be turned over to an independent authority.
Moving through the system is House Bill 63 which calls for the creation of an Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board. The Senate Transpiration Committee amended the measure Saturday and passed it out.
Robert Venables, the executive director of the Southeast Conference, was asked about the main differences between what the Governor has proposed and what lawmakers are putting forth. I think the main difference is allowing the Senate and House leadership to appoint members as well as the Governor. It s always been an executive process where the Governor appoints all the members.
An overview of Alaska tourism in 2021 was given by travel association representatives in a virtually held Alaska Legislature Arctic Policy, Economic Development and Tourism Committee meeting Thursday.
Ketchikan Visitors Bureau President and CEO Patti Mackey gave a presentation at the meeting, as did tourism industry representatives from Visit Anchorage, Explore Fairbanks and the Alaska Travel Industry Association.
The committee chair, Rep. Grier Hopkins, D-Fairbanks, led the meeting. Also present were Reps. Harriet Drummond, D-Anchorage; Sara Hannan, D-Juneau;Â Liz Snyder, D-Anchorage; and Tom McKay, R-Anchorage.
Alaska Travel Industry Association President and CEO Sarah Leonard began the session by outlining the topics to be covered: the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Alaskaâs tourism economy, as well as the future goals the Alaska travel industry has set.
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