Lawmakers are planning to gather in Juneau in just over a week for a special legislative session called by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The governor put two items on the agenda: education reform and the creation of a state Department of Agriculture. It’ll also be an opportunity for lawmakers to try to override some of Dunleavy’s vetoes — and the governor even went so far as to ask minority Republicans to stay away from the Capitol during the start of the session to prevent his vetoes from being overridden.
Alaska Public Media’s Capitol reporter Eric Stone joined Alaska News Nightly host Casey Grove to discuss what to expect from the session.
The following conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Casey Grove: Eric, what are you hearing from lawmakers?
Eric Stone: Well, for now, most lawmakers are planning to be there — and that includes some that we weren’t sure about. Anchorage Democratic Sen. Forrest Dunbar, who’s serving with the National Guard in Poland, announced this week that he’s been granted leave to attend. That’s a pretty big deal — lawmakers had essentially taken it as a given that he wouldn’t be able to be there. But he ran it up his chain of command and got the OK, so Dunbar is planning to fly back at least for the start of the session.
Sen. James Kaufman, an Anchorage Republican who has spent some of the summer in Southeast Asia with his wife, tells me he’ll make it back for the first day of the session, too. He was another question mark.
And those two are pretty important. Back in May, they both voted to override Dunleavy’s veto of a bill boosting the formula that says how much the state should spend on public schools.
Of course, Dunleavy vetoed some of that increase from the budget, and it takes a three-quarters majority for the Legislature to override a budget veto.
Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, says an attempt to override that veto will be on the agenda for the first day once lawmakers gavel in on Saturday, Aug. 2.
He says he’s expecting nearly perfect attendance from the members of the upper chamber.
"I just can't stress how important it is that, if the governor calls a special session, our job, our duty, is to be there for that opening day," Stevens said. "And so, anybody who chooses not to be there opening day, I would hope they have a really good reason, because they will be accountable to their public, to their constituents on why they would miss such an important vote."
ES: Stevens says in addition to the vote on the education funding veto, he’s expecting to try and override Dunleavy’s veto of a bill that clarifies the legislative auditor’s authority. Lawmakers have questions about whether the state is getting all the money it should from oil companies, and they passed a bill by a wide margin that seeks to help answer those questions. Dunleavy said he thought it was unconstitutional and vetoed it.
Those are the two big priorities for Stevens. He says there might be some additional override votes if those are successful — Dunleavy has vetoed a handful of other bills since the Legislature adjourned.
CG: Do you think those veto overrides will succeed?
ES: That’s the big question. Stevens says he’s hopeful, but not sure at this point. Nearly everyone who voted in favor of the education funding boost in late May would need to vote yes again, and it’s not clear if they will.
As you said, Gov. Dunleavy has asked minority Republicans to stay away to prevent them from overriding his vetoes, and some House Republicans have said they’re not coming. Those include some conservatives, like Homer Rep. Sarah Vance and Anchorage Rep. Jamie Allard. But I haven’t heard anyone who’s a plausible yes vote say they’re not coming.
House Republican minority leader Mia Costello says she’s going to be in Juneau when the special session begins. But she says she hasn’t made up her mind on how she’ll vote. She says she’s going door-to-door in Anchorage asking her constituents what she should do. But she says many of her minority Republican caucusmates are likely to at least show up in Juneau.
CG: So, the veto overrides are up in the air. Aside from that, what else are you expecting?
ES: I think it’ll probably be pretty short, maybe even one day. That could change, of course, but legislators seem like they don’t have a whole lot of interest in spending a month of the summer in Juneau. Stevens says he hasn’t decided whether lawmakers will end the session after one day or remain in session for a while longer.
Dunleavy has been pretty light on specifics as far as what he wants lawmakers to work on. Education reform and the governor’s proposal for a new Department of Agriculture are the two things on the agenda. Of course, he could add to that until lawmakers come into session. He says he’ll unveil the actual bills he wants lawmakers to address on the first day of the session.
Stevens says the governor’s office is telling him he wants to again revisit letting the state Department of Education authorize new charter schools. That’s an idea lawmakers have rejected in the past, saying it would reduce local control for school districts. But Stevens says the governor has some new ideas, too, on teacher retention and boosting teacher training. The governor’s office wouldn’t provide any details.
But even Costello, whose caucus is usually aligned with the governor, says she’s not optimistic they’ll make much progress. Dunleavy could also withdraw the call for a special session at any time up until they actually gavel in, and Costello says that actually might be good for his policy agenda.
"If the governor decides not to have the special session right now, then I imagine that it improves the chances that some of the policy and the outcome-based measures that the governor is looking for would actually happen," Costello said. "So, you know, I think it’s something that has to be considered."
ES: I asked the governor’s office whether Dunleavy is considering canceling the session, though, and they wouldn’t say.
So for now, I’m planning to be there at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2. And if that changes, I’ll let you know.
