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Juneau legislators ‘worried’ about upcoming session

Published 4:58 am Monday, January 15, 2018

By James Brooks

Rep. Sam Kito, D-Juneau, Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau and Rep. Justin Parish, D-Juneau, answer questions from Juneau area residents about legislative priorities during a townhall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
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Rep. Sam Kito, D-Juneau, Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau and Rep. Justin Parish, D-Juneau, answer questions from Juneau area residents about legislative priorities during a townhall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Rep. Sam Kito, D-Juneau, Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau and Rep. Justin Parish, D-Juneau, answer questions from Juneau area residents about legislative priorities during a townhall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Rep. Sam Kito, D-Juneau, Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau and Rep. Justin Parish, D-Juneau, answer questions from Juneau area residents about legislative priorities during a townhall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau’s three-person delegation to the Alaska Legislature told a well-attended town hall meeting Thursday night that they are worried about what will and will not happen in the upcoming legislative session.

Alaska faces a $2.5 billion annual deficit in the fiscal year that starts July 1, and the state is not expected to have enough money in its principal savings accounts to make ends meet. Lawmakers will be asked whether they want to spend from the Alaska Permanent Fund, to cut costs, to impose new taxes or fees, or some combination of all three.

“I’m worried about what’s going to happen. It’s an election year and a lot of times, well, every two years, a lot of things don’t happen because people are running for re-election and they’re afraid to tackle major issues. That concerns me,” said Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau.

For the rest of this story, visit the Juneau Empire.

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