The House’s Republican Majority is moving forward with a contingency plan to tap the rainy day account without Democratic support. APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez reports.
The bill offered Tuesday executes an accounting trick that makes it easier to access the state’s $10 billion constitutional budget reserve. That reserve is governed by byzantine rules that require a three-quarter vote when the state has money available to it in other funds, but require only a majority vote when the reserve is the largest source of spendable dollars available to the Legislature.
Democrats oppose the move, describing it as a sleight of hand.
“It is an accounting gimmick to try to get around working with us in a bipartisan manner that reflects the spectrum of Alaskans,” said House Minority Leader Chris Tuck.
Lawmakers have until June 1 to find a way to fully fund their budget before pink slips are sent to thousands of state employees.
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