The Alaska House early Friday morning advanced a state operating budget that makes broad-ranging cuts as lawmakers attempt to downsize state government in the face of massive deficits.
Members of the minority said they opposed the budget not because the cuts were insufficient but because they were too deep and would hurt kids and the needy. House Minority Leader Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, called the budget shortsighted.
The minority offered 20 amendments, all of which were rejected. They included efforts to restore provisions related to Medicaid expansion that had been stripped by the House Finance Committee, an attempt to limit the money available for oil and gas tax credits in the coming year and a bid to add back early childhood education funding.
The House began debating the bill late Thursday morning but took a break to allow for afternoon committee hearings. The House resumed debate late Thursday afternoon and voted shortly after midnight.
The budget advanced includes $273.8 million less for agency operations compared with the current fiscal year. It’s a somewhat tricky comparison because of one-time money in the current budget in some agencies. Compared with what Gov. Bill Walker proposed, the House made bigger cuts to most agency budgets.
Some Republicans said before the floor session that they saw the budget bill as a compromise and looked forward to continued work on the spending plan. Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla, who oversaw the education department’s budget, told reporters she tried to stick to what the state is constitutionally mandated to provide.
The constitution says the Legislature shall maintain a system of public schools open to all children and may provide for other public educational institutions. Gattis said she doesn’t think early childhood education is part of that mandate.
Via News & Observer
image credit Becky Bohrer AP
