Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Last week, Governor Dunleavy announced $200M in budget cuts, which we know will have devastating impacts to education, healthcare, workforce development, and other funding that is important for fostering the future of Alaska's economy. The budget that the Legislature passed was fiscally responsible and was the first in nearly a decade that did not draw from savings.

Yesterday, the Alaska House Minority Coalition submitted a request to the Speaker of the House to conduct a poll of the House to determine if we go into special session to override some of these vetoes. Now is the time where representatives must act in order to protect Alaskan's priorities. To override the Governor's vetoes, 3/4s of the whole legislature (45 out of the 60 members) is required to vote to override. In order to call a special session, 2/3s of the legislature (40 out of 60) are required.

Although unprecedented, and with a very high threshold to overcome, we must make every effort to ensure that the balanced budget put forth by the Legislature becomes whole again.

If we do not succeed in overriding the vetoes, I expect a supplemental budget request as soon as the session begins in January to shore up the deep cuts to K-12 education funding.

You can read the House Minority's response to the Governor's vetoes here

Representative Gray and I sat down last week to unpack the vetoes, you can watch our conversation here

Summary of the Governor's Vetoes

Vetoes to Education

Of the $200 million in vetoes by the governor to the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, the largest by far was a reduction in funding for public education by over $87 million. This veto cuts in half the one-time $175 million increase in education funding passed by the legislature to address severe budget shortfalls in schools all across Alaska.

Half of the $175 million K-12 education increase which was approved nearly unanimously by the Alaska State Legislature totaling a $87.45 million was vetoed. This reduces the one-time increase to the Base Student Allocation from $680, which was already far less than many districts were requesting to continue the current level of education services, down to $340.
$10.4 million reduction, out of the $30 million approved, in capital spending for infrastructure and capital project spending for major maintenance grants for schools.
$5 million to the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP).
$3.5 million reduction, out of the $5 million approved by the legislature, for the Head Start Program.
$35 million veto to infrastructure maintenance and renovation for the University of Alaska's Anchorage, Fairbanks & Southeast campuses.

Vetoes to Statewide Services

$30 million veto to Community Assistance which provides grant funding to municipalities and boroughs across the state for local services and to alleviate the tax burden on residents.
$1 million reduction in Rural Public Radio Broadcast Funding.
$2.5 million cut, out of the $5 million approved by the legislature, in grant funding for tourism advertising grants for the Alaska Travel Industry Association.
$10 million reduction in backstop funding for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
$336 thousand reduction, eliminating five new positions for trail maintenance and management at Chugach State Park.
$500 thousand reduction to the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association for research to improve fisheries management and identification of Western Alaska salmon.
$3.1 million cut to capital spending on road maintenance and improvement in the Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula areas.
$140 thousand reduction to Alaska Legal Services which provides legal assistance to low-income Alaskans.
$4 million reduction, of the $9.5 million budgeted, for harbor matching grant funds.
$375 thousand reduction to the Department of Corrections, Department of Family and Community Services, and Department of Transportation to address agency recruitment challenges.
$1.27 million in reductions to Developing Alaska's Workforce Programs.

Public Health Vetoes

$250 thousand reduction in Home and Place-Based Childcare Incentives.
$167 thousand reduction in Crisis Now Continuum of Care Grants.

Public Safety Vetoes

$750 thousand reduction to Recidivism Reduction Grants for Reentry Housing.
$550 thousand reduction to the State of Alaska Police Policy Manual Project (as requested by the Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police and North Pole Rep. Mike Prax).
$250 thousand reduction to the Alaska Fire Standards Council.

Click here to see a full list of vetoes