The prospect of a state deficit exceeding half a billion dollars dominated the second day Tuesday of ongoing budget debates in the Alaska House of Representatives. (via AlaskaBeacon)
House Majority Leader Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, leans over to examine a proposed budget amendment with House Rules Chair Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in the Alaska House of Representatives at Juneau.
Throughout the day, lawmakers rose again and again to speak against proposals that might garner widespread support under different circumstances — money for food banks, tax credits for oil and gas drillers, aid to domestic violence victims and education programs. They were each defeated, sometimes by a single vote.
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, objected to a small budget adjustment that would assign a Department of Law investigator to part-time work on election fraud claims. As of Tuesday evening, according to the latest available estimate from the Legislative Finance Division, the state budget deficit for the upcoming year stood at $581 million, if the governor’s proposed capital budget is included alongside the operating budget being considered by the House.
The addition of Mat-Su food aid came after Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, made the case that prior emergency aid failed to adequately meet the needs of his region.
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