State Senate approves new ferry board to help ailing Alaska Marine Highway System Published 1 hour ago
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Print article JUNEAU A new nine-member board will write long-term plans for Alaska’s state ferry system, under new legislation approved Tuesday by the state Senate. The new ferry board has already been approved by the state House and needs only a procedural vote before advancing to the desk of Gov. Mike Dunleavy for final approval. The idea was one of 12 pieces of legislation that passed the House or Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers scramble to advance bills before end of the regular session on Wednesday. Except for the budget and a handful of fiscal ideas slated for special sessions this year, bills that do not advance by the end of the day on Wednesday must wait until 2022 for consideration.
After weeklong delay, Alaska House will try again to pass a state budget Published 2 hours ago
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Print article JUNEAU The Alaska House of Representatives will resume debate Monday on its version of Alaska’s state operating budget, ending a weeklong delay caused in part by disagreement over the handling of amendments proposed by minority Republicans. Alaska legislators have until May 19 to approve the state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. If they can’t meet that deadline, now less than two weeks away, they will need a special session. Even if the House approves its version Monday, the Legislature’s normal budget timeline will be squeezed. The Alaska Senate traditionally creates a competing budget proposal, and there will be little time to find a compromise between the House and Senate plans.
JUNEAU On Wednesday, Eve Van Dommelen will be watching the Alaska Senate intently. Van Dommelen is the policy and advocacy manager for the Food Bank of Alaska, and if the Alaska Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy don’t finalize a COVID-19 emergency bill by Friday, the state will lose access to $8 million in federal food assistance for low-income Alaskans. The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on its version of a bill the House passed in March to retroactively extend Alaska’s disaster declaration through the end of the year. The coalition House majority agrees with the Senate version, but if the measure is significantly amended by the Senate during floor debates Wednesday, it will not pass the House, said House Speaker Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak,
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