Iris Samuels

A day after the Legislature wrapped up its session, the governor said he would not immediately call a special session to increase the dividend.

If agreed to by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the compromise $2,550 Permanent Fund dividend will be one of the highest in state history after correction for inflation.

A conference committee twice barricaded the door during meetings Tuesday to keep members from leaving as a deadline for budget passage draws near.

A lack of agreement on the size of Permanent Fund dividend threatens to derail the Alaska Legislature’s plan to end their work by a Wednesday deadline.

The vote on whether to accept the Senate-passed budget failed Saturday 22-18, and the measure now goes to a House-Senate conference committee.

The House is now scheduled to vote Saturday on whether to concur with the Senate’s version of the bill, which includes $5,500 in cash payments to Alaskans and could drain state savings.

The Senate-passed version of the budget includes a $4,200 Permanent Fund dividend plus proposed $1,300 energy assistance checks — at a total cost of more than $3.5 billion. House members said they’re being barraged with messages from constituents for and against accepting that version of the budget.

The budget heads next to the House. If it remains unchanged, the payments could leave the state with no financial cushion even amid a revenue windfall.

Gross previously said he would decide who to caucus with only after the election. His statement came after the Alaska Democratic Party called him a “proven loser.”

The payments to Alaskans include both a full statutory $4,200 Permanent Fund dividend and $1,300 one-time energy relief checks.

As of Friday, just under 8,000 ballots had been returned to the Division of Elections in the U.S. House special primary election. More than half a million ballots were mailed to voters.

In a field that numbers 48 candidates, Democrats and progressives are wondering if this is the year to break the red streak in Alaska’s congressional elections.

The decision means some scholarships do not have a dedicated funding source, but an effort by the Legislature may reinstate a separate account.

The decision followed conflicts between the Wasilla state representative and other Republicans.

Before he died, Rep. Don Young had tapped three Republicans as potential successors. Nick Begich III, Josh Revak and Tara Sweeney are now running in a crowded race to replace him.