A legislative dispute is already developing this year over the amount of spending that will appear in the capital projects budget now in the House and Senate Finance Committees. Senate President Gary Stevens, a Republican from Kodiak, says Governor Parnell has told members they should limit the amount of money spent on their projects to one hundred million dollars this year. That has been about the average amount spent in recent years when state revenue is tight. But Stevens says the Senate does not intend to honor that limit. He says while members respect the Governor and some of the administration’s large capital needs, Parnell is not recognizing last year’s budget that set aside money for savings and didn’t include any legislative projects.
Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau
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