Alaska Legislature breaks record for days in session, with frustration rising to the surface

The Alaska Legislature set a record on Thursday for the number of days that it’s been in session in a year — 212. But that doesn’t mean lawmakers have been in the Capitol lately. There’s an impasse on what changes should be made to balance the state’s budget in the long term.

Senate President Peter Micciche says he has been away from home so much this year, his 7-year-old daughter Stella looks older.

“She looked different when I got home,” he said. “A 7-year-old changes a lot in seven months. We’ve been gone a long time, and I don’t have a lot to show for it. And I think it’s because we keep trying to grind it out here in Juneau in the Legislature. And that method is not working.”

After the 121 days of the regular session, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has called the Legislature into four special sessions. The Legislature passed the budget in the first 30-day special session in May and June. It came back for the six-day second special session in late June to avoid a partial state government shutdown. It voted to fund a permanent fund dividend in the third special session, which was also 30 days.

Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/10/29/alaska-legislature-breaks-record-for-days-in-session-with-frustration-rising-to-the-surface/