Governor Calls 500 State Job Increase “Misinformation”
; Governor Bill Walker’s office this morning issued a press release calling assertions that the state has added 500 jobs since January “misinformation.” His…
State Politics
Over $17 Million Spent On State Lobbyists This Year
Just before the legislative session began I did a breakdown of which lobbyists would be lobbying for which interests. Some lobbyists, however, don’t report many of their clients until the session gets underway and many acquire clients as the session progresses. So now that the Legislature is going well into overtime, the lobbying picture is much clearer.
Alaska Republicans Edge Democrats In Caucus Membership Spike
Last month both the Alaska Republican Party and Alaska Democratic Party held their presidential caucuses. Both Republicans and Democrats require caucus participants to be registered members of their party. That means large groups of voters who are registered as “undeclared†or “non-partisan†but want to vote for their favorite candidate such as Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or Bernie Sanders must register with that candidate’s party to vote for them.
Legislative Session Pushes Initiative To General Election Ballot
Alaska lawmakers have already impacted this fall’s elections simply by doing nothing. Insert joke here.
Alaska Chamber: “Public Won’t Support New Taxes”
The Chamber wants to avoid costs to their members in the form of new taxes on business to pay for state government at the expense of state employees.
Alaska Support Industry Alliance Gives “Thumbs Down” To MacKinnon and Micciche
; The Alaska Support Industry Alliance (The Alliance), normally an organization strongly aligned with both Republican lawmakers and the Republican Party itself, took the unusual…
Legislature’s 90th Day: Optomistrists See An Opening In The Eye War
What was supposed to be the least interesting bill heard on what was supposed to be the final day of the legislative session took quite a turn Sunday morning.
Can The House Majority Stick Together?
That appears to be the major undercurrent of the State Legislature as it enters overtime in the legislative session with historic fiscal issues still to be decided.
Rasmuson Says Legislature’s New Permanent Fund Bills Aren’t Enough
The Rasmuson Foundation, through its program Plan4Alaska, today released an analysis of state revenue options they say shows new revenue bills offered by finance committees in the State House and State Senate to restructure use of Permanent Fund earnings are insufficient to meet Alaska’s budgetary needs.
Republican Party Attacks On Colver Spread
The belief among local Republican Party officials is that Rep. Jim Colver (R-Palmer) is working to form a bipartisan majority coalition in the state house, that his voting in opposition to the House’s Republican leadership too often appears to be growing. Now multiple local party officials are searching for pressure that the party establishment can exert to bring Colver “back in line.â€