Biggest budget item in Alaska history awaits lawmakers' verdict

JUNEAU — It’s enough money to buy 24 National Hockey League teams. It might be just enough to keep paying a Permanent Fund dividend.

Two weeks ago, the Alaska Senate voted to put $14 billion into the constitutionally protected portion of the Alaska Permanent Fund. On Monday, the Alaska House Finance Committee approved a smaller, $8 billion deposit.

If either move is approved by the Legislature, it would be the largest single appropriation in state history.

The decision won’t significantly affect this year’s budget or this year’s Permanent Fund dividend, but it may have major effects on future dividends and future budgets. In the final week of the regular session, the debate about this line item may matter more for the future of Alaska than anything else on the Legislature’s agenda this year.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2019/05/09/biggest-budget-item-in-alaska-history-awaits-lawmakers-verdict/
(Anchorage Daily News)