Author: alaskaadmin

By: James Brooks and Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

Alaska lawmakers are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. in Juneau for a special session of the Alaska Legislature. You can watch live online on Gavel Alaska. 

Why is the Legislature meeting in a special session?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the special session. The official agenda says that it will involve legislation about education policy and a proposed Alaska Department of Agriculture.

Will legislators actually do that?

No.

What are they doing instead?

They’re going to vote on overriding at least some of the vetoes the governor has made since the regular legislative session ended in May. 

No. 1 on the list is the governor’s decision to veto about $51 million in funding for public schools. The No. 2 item is the bill that would require the Alaska Department of Revenue to provide lawmakers with additional information about tax settlements between oil companies and the state. Lawmakers believe the state may be settling tax disputes for far less than they’re worth, costing the state millions.

Some legislators are interested in taking up other vetoes as well, including the governor’s decision to cancel a ban on payday loan lending, his decision to veto money for transportation projects, and his vetoes of bills affecting police dogs and teacher housing, among others.

Will those overrides succeed?

It’s too close to call. The Alaska Constitution says votes from 45 of 60 legislators are needed to override a budget veto. In May, 46 legislators voted in favor of overriding the governor’s decision to veto a bill that increases the state’s public school funding formula. 

That was the first time since 2002 that legislators voted to override the veto of a sitting governor.

It isn’t clear whether everyone who voted in favor of that first override will vote in favor of the second. 

Overriding a policy bill veto, like the one dealing with the tax settlements, takes 40 votes.

Will everyone be there?

Probably not. Some conservative Republicans had said they would stay away from the session in a show of support for the governor’s vetoes. Immediately after calling the special session, Dunleavy asked them to be absent for the first five days because an absence is as good as a “no” vote when it comes to a veto override.

He later changed his position, asking lawmakers to begin meetings about his stated agenda on Sunday, and some Republicans changed course and said they will attend the session, after all. It wasn’t clear whether all have done so, but it isn’t likely to affect the vote total on the potential override.

Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, is in favor of an override and had been expected to be unavailable because of military service overseas. He ended up getting a special leave of absence and is flying back from Europe. Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage, is flying back from Vietnam to attend. Other legislators have canceled family plans and postponed business trips.

How long will this take?

On the low end, a few hours. On the high end, a few days. Officially, the special session can last for up to 30 days, but legislators have said they won’t use all that time. 

In some previous special sessions, legislators have left Juneau without formally closing the special session, just in case they need to come back. Those special sessions ended after the 30th day.

How much will this special session cost?

Based on historical costs, the estimated cost for a special session is $30,000 per day, according to the Legislative Affairs Agency, the Legislature’s nonpartisan support agency. But that cost depends on the duration and scope of the special session, said Jessica Geary, the agency’s executive director, by email on Tuesday. 

“Many legislators had to change summer travel plans to attend the special session, and many of them purchase their own travel and submit for reimbursement. At this point we don’t have any concrete cost estimates and won’t know until the special session concludes,” she said.

Geary said legislators have up to 60 days to submit reimbursements for expenses like hotel lodging, transportation and airfare, staffing, expenses, and so the agency will have a total cost by October. 

Legislators receive an annual salary of $84,000 per year. The 57 members that live outside of Juneau are entitled to receive a “per diem” amount of $332 per day to cover expenses. 

If lawmakers don’t take up the governor’s ideas, are they dead?

No. Legislators have created a task force to consider education policy changes, including those from the governor. One idea supported by the governor is open enrollment — allowing a student to move between different schools and school districts, regardless of where they live. That will be considered by the task force, which meets Aug. 25.

Legislators are also considering a bill that would create the Alaska Department of Agriculture. That bill is broader than the governor’s initial plans; for example, it would include sea farms (formally known as aquaculture), which are the fastest-growing agricultural sector in Alaska.