Alaska budget negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on a plan to fund state operations for another year, in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown.
The proposal would continue to draw down from savings to help fill the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit, something Gov. Bill Walker had hoped to avoid.
It also would fully fund K-12 education and limit to $1,100 the size of the dividend check Alaskans receive from the state’s oil-wealth fund this year.
This comes seven days into a special session called by Walker to focus solely on passing a state operating budget and averting a shutdown. The new fiscal year starts July 1.
The proposal still must be approved by the full House and Senate.
