Gov. Mike Dunleavy said on Thursday that he remains hopeful that there will be another Permanent Fund dividend payment in the fall. He said he would engage in discussions with the Legislature about it.
The state budget the Legislature passed in March included a $1,000 dividend for this year. Dunleavy announced on May 20 that the dividend would be paid out on July 1, more than three months earlier than the normal early-October payment.
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“We’re still going to pursue the dividend,” in the fall, Dunleavy said. “We still believe — especially during these times, right now — that Alaskans need cash, businesses need cash, entities need cash.”
Dunleavy noted that there’s uncertainty over how the pandemic will affect the state.
“Unfortunately, it’s not like an earthquake or a fire, where there’s a definitive beginning and a definitive end,” Dunleavy said. “But we believe that we need to have lined up all the tools we could possibly muster in an effort to make sure that society, businesses, entities keep marching forwarding, getting up off their knees and looking to the future.”
Dunleavy said he believes as he always has that the PFD will play a huge role in Alaskans’ economic health.
Andrew Kitchenman is the state government and politics reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO in Juneau. Reach him at akitchenman@alaskapublic.org.
