The Alaska House of Representatives’ progress on the budget stalled today with a mass exodus from the Capitol after an amendment was proposed by the Republican-led majority to use savings to pay for a one-time boost for education.
Alaska House members talk to House Speaker Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, during a lengthy break from budget debates on Wednesday.
In response to the majority’s amendment, 14 of 16 House minority members — mostly Democrats and independents — left the state Capitol in protest at noon, and did not return until 3 p.m. Tilton acknowledged Wednesday that the additional education funding was added to the budget because children and schools need a “little bit extra right now.” But Palmer Republican DeLena Johnson, who manages the House’s operating budget, said it was “prudent” that a school funding boost would come from savings, rather than the state’s general fund, reasoning that the proposal was part of budget negotiations.
After two days of largely smooth budget debates, the House majority’s proposal to change the funding source for extra education spending sparked heated talk on the floor and sharp words between lawmakers. After a three-hour break, the minority caucus members returned to the House floor. Several, such as Anchorage Democrat Jennie Armstrong, opposed what she called the “scorched earth tactics” used by the majority, which earned swift rebukes from Tilton for impugning lawmakers’ motives.
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