Update (2:39 p.m.) — Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO and Alaska Public Media
Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a bill Monday that provides permanent fund dividends of $1,600. He vetoed funding to reimburse municipalities for school construction debt, as well as to pay for Medicaid. And he says he expects to call a third special session this fall, solely to pay another roughly $1,400 per Alaskan in PFDs.
Along with the video address, the governor’s office released documents highlighting vetoed items and restored funding items.
Original story:
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is scheduled to announce at 2 p.m. Monday whether he’s signed or vetoed permanent fund dividends and reversals of his earlier budget vetoes. The announcement will be delivered in a video address. You can watch the address here when it becomes publicly available.
The governor is expected to outline his decisions regarding House Bill 2001, which would reverse most of the line-item budget vetoes Dunleavy enacted in June. The bill would also set this year’s PFD amount at $1,600. The governor has the authority to veto the entire bill or parts of the bill.
Dunleavy has already indicated his intention to allow some of the bill’s budget veto reversals to stand, despite previously defending his initial budget decisions. Last week, he agreed to restore funding for the Senior Benefits Payment Program; Head Start and early education; and a program funding broadband internet at libraries and an online tutoring program. The governor also struck a deal with University of Alaska officials to reduce cuts to the university system’s state funding.
It’s unclear what Dunleavy’s decision will be on other budget items or the PFD. The largest remaining vetoes are to reimbursements from the state to pay for local school bond debt, Medicaid and state community assistance payments. The governor has supported a PFD amount based on a formula set in a 1982 state law, which would equate to a dividend of roughly $3,000.
