No endgame in sight in Juneau
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No endgame in sight in Juneau
The 121-day constitutional session limit is less than two weeks away, and there is no end in sight. The House kicked the operating budget back to the rules committee on Sunday after it became clear they did not have the 21 votes to pass a budget. Tension between the mostly Democratic House Majority and Republican Minority came to a boiling point on Sunday when minority members complained that all of their amendments were being not heard. One of those members, Representative Steve Thompson (R – Fairbanks), stated that he had intended to vote yes, but changed his mind because of the process. But Thompson was the one who motioned to adjourn on Saturday night, meaning the budget would go into third reading the next day. When a bill is in third reading, amendments cannot be heard, only debate on the bill itself before a final vote. Thompson knew this. A
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The Sunday Minefield – March 7, 2021
We are more than halfway through the “90-day” legislative session. The hopes by some to finish by the end of March look extremely unlikely. None of the Senate Finance Subcommittees have done closeouts yet and House Finance Subcommittees only recently started meeting. Based on how things are going, finishing by day 90 (April 20) looks very difficult. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. Shout out to all my ladies out there!
A friendly message and reminder to all our readers, the Landmine is made possible by myself and a team of awesome Alaskans. It takes a lot of work to provide the content we do. I am now in Juneau for the session, which means paying rent for the place I’m staying at. If you enjoy the content we provide, please consider making a one time or recurring monthly donation. You can click here to donate. We have a donation system that makes it super e