Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, chair of the bicameral conference committee tasked with hammering out differences in the state’s budget bill, signs the committee report as members finished their work on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire

Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, chair of the bicameral conference committee tasked with hammering out differences in the state’s budget bill, signs the committee report as members finished their work on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire

Committee compromises on PFD in budget plan

Members of the conference committee agreed Tuesday to a payment of about $3,800

For the second day running, the six-member bicameral conference committee continued negotiations on the state’s budget and Tuesday afternoon came to an agreement on an amount for the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend.

Members of the conference committee agreed Tuesday to an amendment to the budget that would pay about $2,500 for this year’s dividend, with an additional $1,300 energy relief payment for a total of about $3,800.

The Senate appropriated $5,500, a combination of a statutory dividend of $4,200 and an energy relief check of $1,300, but several lawmakers called that amount irresponsible and a concurrence vote failed in the House of Representatives.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, a member of the conference committee who voted for the full dividend said he was supporting the lower amount in the spirit of compromise.

“I know many Alaskans would like to see a full PFD,” Wielechowski said. “This is 90% of a full PFD.”

[Senate effectively kills restrictive transgender sports bill]

Committee members also split the fund sources for those two payments, with the dividend coming from the state’s general fund and half the $1,300 payment coming from the Constitutional Budget Reserve. In order to access the CBR, lawmakers need a three-quarter vote in both bodies, which is not a guarantee, particularly in the deeply divided House where the majority coalition has only 21 members.

The committee agreed to most of the Senate’s appropriations in the capital budget and moved quickly through hundreds of budget items. The committee approved several appropriations that only go into effect if related legislation is passed. The committee agreed to the Senate’s proposal to add $394 million to the state’s Higher Education Investment Fund, if House Bill 322, establishing the fund on its own, is passed.

The end of the legislative session is Wednesday, May 18, and both bodies of the Legislature must approve the committee changes if the budget is to be adopted. Only a simple majority vote in each body is needed to pass a conference committee budget.

The conference committee finalized the budget process shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, sending the bill to the Division of Legislative Finance and Legislative Legal Services for review and any technical changes. Once that process is complete, lawmakers will vote to move the bill which must then wait for 24 hours.

“We’ll be here until midnight, maybe later,” Stedman told reporters following the committee meeting. “Tomorrow midnight is the deadline. We have to pass a budget by midnight tomorrow, if it’s not passed we’ll have a special session, be here in June.”

Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnuEmpire.

More in News

The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Russian River Campground closed for construction

The campground is expected to reopen on June 2

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Fish and Game announces series of closures and restrictions for king salmon fisheries

Cook Inlet king salmon stocks are experiencing a prolonged period of poor productivity, the department said

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in opposition to an executive order that would abolish the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives during a joint legislative session on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Legislature kills most of Dunleavy’s executive orders in rare joint session

All the proposed orders would have shuffled or eliminated the responsibilities of various state boards

Most Read