Governor Dunleavy’s proposed budget reductions are the beginning of an annual constitutional process between the Executive and Legislative Branches of our state government. Every legislature has produced a budget that is different than the one introduced by the Governor – this year will be no different.
To properly amend and improve the Governor’s budget, we need to understand it. Towards that end, I have conducted several hearings on the Governor’s budget at the Senate Finance Committee. Videos of those meeting can be found here.
The Governor’s budget needs to be broken down into all the different parts and pieces and the impacts of reductions studied from each one – most of this work is conducted at the finance subcommittee level. As the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I have directed the subcommittees to evaluate and scrutinize each departments’ budget. Further details of the subcommittees can be found here. Rest assured, my staff has been busy working with the municipalities, the school districts, our hospitals, and private businesses to identify every direct and indirect impact from the Governor’s proposed budget.
Once the Governor’s budget has been taken apart and fully understood, the Legislature can then build its budget. This is not as easy as it sounds because we need to build a consensus among legislators to move forward. It really is a balancing act between securing 11 votes in the Senate and 21 votes in the House while remaining cognizant of the Governor’s veto authority. In my experience, the best approach is to communicate and work with the Governor during the process.
May 15th is the last day of the 120-day Constitutional limit for legislative sessions. No one – the Governor, the legislators, or especially you, our constituents – wants to go past this date. There may be times where the press coverage is slow regarding the budget process and it seems nothing is getting done, but nothing can be further from the truth. So, please be patient as we all work through this process to find some consensus and move forward.
If you want to contact legislators, the best way is via email. Legislator’s email addresses can be found here. Please remember that we receive many emails a day from Alaskans and you should state your opinion in the very first line of your email and keep your overall message concise. Also, please remember to let us know where in Alaska you are from.
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