Alaska Senate majority leader John Coghill is advising his fellow lawmakers to drop their lawsuit that challenges governors’ authority to accept and allocate funding without legislative approval.
The lawsuit came about after Governor Bill Walker accepted federal funding in 2015 to expand Medicaid after the legislature did not reach a consensus on the action. Senator Coghill and Speaker of the House Mike Chenault agree that the issue of allocating authority has gotten diluted with the Medicaid issue.
Spkr. Chenault: “It’s not a Medicaid expansion issue, Medicaid has been expanded. The real issue is a separation of powers issue that deals with the legislature having the authority for appropriations. So with the lawsuit, I hate that it was tied up with the Medicaid expansion issue but that is not what the legislature is suing the governor over.”
Despite agreeing on that point, Senator Coghill recommends the Legislative Council should drop the case however because it adds to the contention as lawmakers work to agree on the budget and other issues during their extended legislative session.
In March a superior court judge dismissed the lawsuit regarding appropriations and the deadline for the Legislative Council to appeal is approaching.