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The governor’s statement was issued before the indictment was unsealed Friday by the U.S Department of Justice. Sullivan in an interview later on Friday said while he stood by his statement, he hadn’t yet read the indictment.
State officials are scrambling to open the fishery after it was effectively closed by a federal judge — but damage has already been done.
Some local hosts who rent out their cars through Turo report having their bank accounts garnished after failing to pay state taxes.
Lawmakers earlier this month rejected Bethany Marcum’s appointment to the board that oversees Alaska’s public universities, citing her support for massive funding cuts to the university system in 2019. In her place, Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Tuckerman Babcock, another supporter of those cuts.
The state’s largest public sector union was thrilled by the decision, but the Alaska Department of Law implied it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The temporary school funding is not assured as the governor could reduce the amount or veto it entirely.
Another year of fights over the size of the Permanent Fund dividend meant many priority bills never came to a final vote.
It took more than four years to bring the 280-foot M/V Hubbard into service after construction was finished because it lacked crew quarters.
The House agreed to a spending plan advanced by the Senate after the Senate amended it to include $34 million in additional capital projects requested by House majority members.
The main disagreement between the House and Senate majorities has been, again, the size of the Permanent Fund dividend.
Senate Bill 98 was intended to get more investment earnings for a fund that subsidizes power bills for roughly 82,000 Alaskans.
The raises are set to go into effect July 1 for Gov. Dunleavy and his cabinet, and in January for the Legislature. Alaska lawmakers’ salaries will be the fourth highest in the nation.
The board’s decision means the state’s interim political map used for last year’s general election will likely be in place until 2032.
Conservative majority member Rep. Ben Carpenter called a proposed new spending cap “completely ineffective” after members of his own party and caucus voted to amend it.
With just a few days left until the end of the legislative session, lawmakers are far from passing a budget.