In a significant political maneuver, Alaska lawmakers overrode two of Governor Mike Dunleavy’s vetoes during a joint session on Saturday, a decision that has been described as ‘unprecedented’ by Senate President Gary Stevens.
This action culminated months of tension between the Legislature and the governor, with accusations flying both ways: lawmakers claimed Dunleavy failed to communicate effectively about his priorities, while the governor argued that officials were dismissive of his policy proposals.
In May, lawmakers had previously overridden Dunleavy’s veto on a critical bill that raised the state’s education funding formula for the first time since 2017. Following that, the governor vetoed education funding from the budget, prompting a special session in the summer where he requested Republican minority members to refrain from attending in a tactic aimed at countering majority efforts to implement the overrides.
Despite these challenges, lawmakers managed to rally broad support during the joint session, securing the necessary 45 votes to reinstate approximately $50 million in education funding that Dunleavy had vetoed. Ten members from the Republican minority, along with all 35 members of the bipartisan majority, participated in the vote, which was marked by cheers from education advocates present outside the House chamber.
The override of the veto provides much-needed clarity for school districts across Alaska, which faced uncertainty following Dunleavy’s veto. Educators expressed apprehension as the veto arrived shortly after districts had submitted their budgets for the upcoming school year.
Governor Dunleavy had convened a special session with an agenda focused on revisiting his education policy proposals, which included establishing new frameworks for charter school authorizations and enabling students to attend schools outside their district. However, legislative members opted to await recommendations from an education task force scheduled to meet starting August 25, rather than immediately considering the governor’s proposals.
Following the override, Dunleavy remarked on the differing approaches to resolving Alaska’s issues, stating that lawmakers preferred monetary solutions while he advocated for policy-based fixes.
Both lawmakers and the governor expressed a need for a combination of policy and funding as solutions, with members indicating openness to some of the governor’s proposals and suggesting they needed further time for review during the regular session in January.
Additionally, lawmakers also retroactively overturned Dunleavy’s veto concerning a bill aimed at ensuring the state collects the oil and gas taxes owed, with legislators worried that the administration might be neglecting significant tax revenue opportunities. This sentiment was echoed by both Edgmon and Stevens, who highlighted that the state could potentially be missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in oil and gas tax revenue, despite Dunleavy’s dismissive counterclaims.
Stevens and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon flagged these two veto overrides as top priorities for the special session. Following the successful votes, legislative leaders chose to adjourn the joint session. This concluded their efforts to address further vetoed legislation from Dunleavy, including substantial funding cuts for school maintenance and construction and critical state transportation reallocations that could hinder access to federal highway funds.
House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, a Republican from Anchorage, commented on the cooperation prevalent during the votes, devoid of partisan disputes, and emphasized the importance of unity around these overrides.
In a post-vote reflection, Edgmon indicated that there would be an opportunity to revisit some of the vetoed funding in the upcoming regular session beginning in January.
The special session initiated by Dunleavy was set for a 30-day period, with lawmakers opting to recess until August 19, leaving the future of any substantive discussions in doubt.
Representative Louise Stutes, a Republican from Kodiak, pointed out the financial implications of keeping the special session active, underscoring the daily costs totaling over $30,000.
Dunleavy maintained his position that the special session was not a mistake, asserting that it allowed Alaskans to observe where their elected representatives stand on significant issues.
He opened the possibility for another special session next month if lawmakers appeared reluctant to consider his proposals before the current session concluded, stating, ‘Will I call special sessions in the future? Maybe. Probably, if they need to be called.’
The joint session on Saturday was notably brief, lacking any debate or discussion. Lawmakers first voted 43-16 to override a veto related to the legislative auditor’s role. This override required a minimum of 40 lawmakers in support.
Lawmakers had passed this bill after issues arose with the Dunleavy administration’s refusal to provide essential information regarding oil and gas tax audits to the legislative auditor. Consequently, House and Senate leaders feared that the Department of Revenue was not fulfilling tax collection obligations.
Subsequently, they voted 45-14 to override Dunleavy’s education funding veto, reaching the necessary threshold again to make the override valid.
When the educators’ funding veto was previously challenged in May, the vote achieved a 46-member support, showcasing a solid backing. This time, the sole legislator expressing a changed vote was Rep. Mia Costello, an Anchorage Republican and member of the House Republican minority.
Costello indicated she had previously backed the education bill due to its incorporation of structured cellphone policies in Alaska schools. However, she reversed her stance on the budget veto, aligning her views with Dunleavy’s assertions regarding statewide revenue insufficiencies.
Nonetheless, she expressed support for the governor’s proposed $50 million education spending initiative, deeming it ‘targeted.’
Voting had initially been delayed until 1:30 p.m. after Rep. Robyn Burke, a Democrat from Utqiagvik, missed her morning flight to Juneau. Burke’s eventual appearance meant that only one lawmaker—Republican Sen. Mike Shower from Wasilla—was absent from the Capitol during voting.
In a separate matter, Edgmon and Stevens addressed Dunleavy’s executive order aimed at establishing an agriculture department. They argued it contradicted the state constitution by reintroducing a previously rejected order during a special session.
The leaders stated the executive order’s introduction was unprecedented and deviated from legislative procedures as established in the constitution. They expressed intentions to explore the creation of an agriculture department through typical legislative processes in the regular session beginning in January.
Dunleavy responded, however, asserting that he disagreed with legislative leadership’s reasoning and would act on the executive order unless the Legislature specifically voted to reject it by the end of the current month.
According to Dunleavy, the only means of disapproval for the order is a resolution supported by a majority of lawmakers in a joint session. He viewed the legislative leaders’ letter as ‘legally ineffective’ and warned against setting the stage for a legal dispute between branches of government.
As the special session unfolded, dissenting voices in the House Republican minority expressed concerns over the legislators’ decision to recess until later this month. Such a recess would likely stall any serious discussions on Dunleavy’s policy priorities for the duration of the special session.
Some minority members, such as Rep. Kevin McCabe from Big Lake, noted the public may misunderstand the procedural tactics being enacted to deprioritize the governor’s proposals.
Edgmon reassured that the recess did not indicate a halt to legislative work, referencing a bipartisan task force that would be actively engaged despite the break.
He stressed the necessity of fostering future success by informing the process during the regular session, allowing for full stakeholder engagement on key policy matters.
Overall, Saturday’s votes reflected a critical moment in Alaska’s political landscape, highlighting ongoing tensions between state leadership and the legislative body.
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