With state budgets under stress, lawmakers looking to keep up the spending are searching in new places for money to keep their favorite programs going. In some cases that may mean they’ll be spending money that was approved before but hasn’t yet been used.
That’s called “reappropriation,” or sometimes “clawback,” where legislators take back money that was appropriated in past sessions. In other cases, they’re looking at money appropriated for endowment-type funds in which earnings are expected to provide ongoing program funding.
But with state budget deficits now estimated at $3.5 billion and readily available savings accounts dwindling, top legislators say little is off the table. They’re looking hard for money squirreled away by former legislators, hoping they can get their hands on it without the political consequences of imposing taxes or dipping into the Alaska Permanent Fund.
“Everyone is trying to turn over every rock and stone we have, it’s down to pennies, nickels and dimes,” said Sen. Anna MacKinnon, R-Eagle River, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
Among possible sources of funds are projects, especially controversial ones, with extra money appropriated to them in the past when their legislative supporters had the power.
That includes some of the state’s most notable megaprojects, such as the Susitna-Watana Dam or the Juneau Access road, which have been the focus of heated political battles.
Via adn.com
image credit APEonline
