Governor Mike Dunleavy addressed Alaskans in his 2021 State of the State address delivered last night at 7:00 p.m. The speech was posted to the Governor’s Facebook page from Anchorage, rather than before the state Legislature, citing the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dunleavy’s Path Forward For Alaskans asks that $5 billion, a portion of the earnings of 2020, be used toward pulling Alaskans in need out of the financial crisis, put on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He says it’s a once in a lifetime budget for a once in a lifetime disaster. A portion of the relief will provide every eligible Alaskan with $5,000, equally the remainder of last year’s PFD and the full statutory dividend of 2021, according to Dunleavy.
He calls for a long-term fiscal solution that would create generational opportunity through implementing a spending cap that the government could afford, that a broad based tax be approved by the voters and that a dividend be guaranteed for future generations, saying that the earnings reserve and integrity of the fund be protected.
To bolster the state’s economy, Dunleavy proposed supporting legislation that would bring gaming to the state. He said, “We must also look for creative ways to augment our revenue. This session, I’ll be supporting legislation to bring gaming to Alaska. Alaska can no longer afford to deny itself a revenue stream available to nearly every other state in the nation. Along with enhancing revenue, gaming could create hundreds of high paying jobs in some of our communities and we’ll join a long list of states that have embraced gaming for some time.”
In the event of a future disaster, Dunleavy said that the state needs to create and enhance new sectors of its economy, stressing less dependence on others. He said that Alaska needs to be more self-reliant within the framework of federalism.
Dunleavy says Alaska needs to defend its right to develop energy resources, “For too long, our economy has been held back by the extreme cost of energy in many parts of the state. Alaska is surrounded by abundant sources of energy, both traditional and renewable, yet our energy costs are the second highest in the nation. It just isn’t right. We must make pursuit of cheap and reliable energy a priority. We can start by harnessing the incredible renewable energy sources within Alaska itself. Alaska possesses more tidal energy than the rest of the nation combined. Our potential for wind, geothermal, in shore and pumped hydro is practically unlimited. Tremendous opportunity awaits Alaska if we make energy independence a priority. We have the means to reduce our enormous power cost, attract new jobs and deliver cheap Alaskan energy to Alaskans.”
Dunleavy’s State of the State speech comes amidst the leadership uncertainty in the Alaska House of Representatives.
