Alaska lawmakers in Juneau have scheduled a joint session between the House of Representatives and Senate to vote on overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s nearly $400 million in vetoes to the state’s operating budget.
Those cuts impact funding for the state’s university system, school bonds and rural construction, Medicaid and benefits to low-income seniors, among other items.
The cuts have prompted a backlash and statewide calls for lawmakers to overturn them. But that kind of override will take a supermajority of the Legislature — or 45 out of 60 members — to be successful.
Complicating matters is that lawmakers can’t agree on a location to meet. Just 38 legislators were in Juneau on Tuesday, while another group — all Republicans and mostly House members — is currently meeting in Wasilla.
Lawmakers in Juneau are scheduled to convene at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. You can stream it live here.