The House has put forward what they consider two viable options to be considered by their minority and the Senate.
As we reported earlier, the House introduced a bill earlier today adding education and public employee contracts back into the budget.
Speaker Mike Chenault said now they will focus on getting the 3/4 vote in the House of Representatives minority.
Spkr. Chenault: “During the negotiations, not only with the minority but the Senate as well as having conversations with the governor’s office, the administration brought this proposed plan to us as far as being able to go in and find funding needed to cover those positions without adding more money to the budget. Where they would get that money from I can’t really tell you but I think that they’re renegotiating some building contracts and some other things that were mentioned to us.”
He stated that currently there is $31 million in education funding and House Bill 201 adds another $16.5 million to the Base Student Allocation, which is what was originally agreed to in House Bill 72.
House Majority Leader Charisse Millett said they have been working to fund education and public workers’ contracts, two of the top concerns they heard from the public.
Maj. Ldr. Millett: “I think Alaskans understand the budget deficit we’re in, I think these issues are emotional, they’re close to people’s hearts, they’re close to my heart and again these are people’s jobs, these are people’s lives, this is the economic future of Alaska.”
She added that the cutbacks projected for next year’s budget process will increase tenfold.
Rules Chair Craig Johnson said whether House Bill 2001 or the House Bill 201 are accepted, both are viable.
Chair Johnson: “What you have people blustering and pontificating about is entirely different from when they sit down and they look within themselves and say one of these has to work or we’re going to start laying people off, that’s a totally different conversation than how I feel about it and what I want to do. Do I like everything in both of these? Absolutely not. Would I support most of everything in both of them? Absolutely.”