House Speaker John Harris is working directly with the governor and with Senate leaders to resolve a dispute over some $50 million in capital projects the governor vetoed last year. Money for the projects reappeared in the Supplemental Budget that passed the Senate last week. Supporters of the works say they meet the governor’s standards for capital expenses and that the communities need them all. Governor Palin met this afternoon for more than an hour in the Speaker’s office with Harris and other House leaders. She said those projects should be looked at with a comprehensive view of overall spending that will appear with the complete capital projects budget that will emerge later in the session. She said the supplemental budget process has traditionally been reserved for expenses that weren’t foreseen last year.
Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau
