Entries in Capital Focus for March, 2008
Rep. Kelly goes it alone
You can disagree with his positions, but you can’t accuse him of bowing to public pressure. Rep. Mike Kelly, a Fairbanks Republican, was the lone no vote this week on two bills that just passed the House.
Palin calls special session on pipeline
Gov. Sarah Palin announced this morning she will hold a special legislative session in Juneau starting on June 3 to deal with the natural gas pipeline.
The budget: Where is everything?
State departments come up shy in the new version of the capital budget.
K-12 mula
While it’s likely that extra money for K-12 education this year will just come through the capital budget, a bill providing the money is quietly moving along.
Gas line announcement: CORRECTED
Gov. Sarah Palin's administration will announce in the next few days when and where it would hold a special legislative session to consider the TransCanada natural gas pipeline proposal if it decides to go ahead with the plan, Palin's spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, said Wednesday.
Keeping it secret
Sen. Bert Stedman of Sitka today refused to disclose the Senate majority’s spending plans for the capital budget, or even to say whether the group had set a limit.
How much money will schools get?
Lawmakers are talking about adding money to K-12 education this year, but it's unclear how much and in what form, and therefore how much school districts will get.
Guns and politics
The careful Capitol observer might have noticed that Sen. Joe Thomas, D-Fairbanks, this week voted against an amendment that would have added money to the budget for state-owned shooting ranges, something Thomas supports. That happens sometimes, and it has to do with majority-minority politics.
Palin calls for meetings
Gov. Palin made the next move in the budget battle with the Legislature today by calling for individual meetings with lawmakers to discuss the vetoed capital projects at the heart of the issue.
It's a girl!
Rep. Mary Nelson of Bethel gave birth to a baby girl this afternoon. Nora Shine Nelson was 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and 21 inches long.
Renewable energy bill gets unstuck
A proposal with support from the governor and a majority of lawmakers will finally get a hearing in Senate Finance after being stuck in the committee for the last 10 months, according to a staff member to co-chair Sen. Bert Stedman.
Oh, the budget!
The battle between state lawmakers and the governor over vetoed capital projects is still raging today after first the House and then the Senate approved a version of the state's supplemental budget with about $70 million worth of capital projects Gov. Palin vetoed last year. You see, she can still veto them again.
Vying for the best advice
Lawmakers are hitting a hurdle in their effort to get some expert advice on TransCanada's gas pipeline proposal.
Shooting for some money
Representatives from the Territorial Sportsmen, Friends of the NRA, and Juneau Shooting Sports all testified this morning in favor of state funding for three state-owned shooting ranges in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.
Palin makes an offer
A few minutes before the House went into its floor session this morning, the governor came downstairs and held a rare (unprecedented?) open caucus with House members. The subject was those vetoed projects in the supplemental budget, which the House is scheduled to vote on today.
Despite pleas, House boosts spending
Remember those capital projects Gov. Palin vetoed last year and the Senate put back in this year's supplemental budget?
Side dish: TransCanada
The focus in the Capitol lately has been the budget -- those vetoed items, what to do with the capital budget, etc. -- but work is continuing on the gas pipeline.
Last day for AGIA comment
Just a reminder here. Today is March 6, the end of the public comment period on the TransCanada gas pipeline application under AGIA. To comment online, visit www.dog.dnr.state.ak.us/agia/. You have till 5 p.m.
The $9 billion question, again
We’ve heard from TransCanada, ConocoPhillips, and a legislative consultant. Now for the companies themselves...