(The Center Square) – The Alaska Senate passed the $450 million capital budget on Friday afternoon, a day after the House of Representatives passed the $12.3 billion mental health and operating budget.
The operating budget includes $3.5 billion in federal funds and $984 million in designated general funds. Undesignated general funds account for $6 billion of the budget.
A $680 increase in the base student allocation is part of the $174.6 million in one-time funding for education. The bill includes a $2,273 permanent fund dividend, which the House Majority called the largest in state history.
“This budget prioritizes public safety, education, a strong permanent fund dividend, essential services to all Alaskans, and provides support for Alaska’s most vulnerable populations,” said Finance Committee Co-Chairman Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer. “It’s a collaborative product with input from all members, as well as the many testimonies, letters, emails, and phone calls from constituents across Alaska. I am proud of work of the work we’ve done and look forward to continuing our dialogue with Alaskans as the budget moves to the other body.”
The bill also leaves $8 million in surplus, according to Johnson.
The operating budget bill passed without the support of the House Minority.
“We passed 23 minority amendments in total between (the) House Finance (Committee) and the floor – 19 in House Finance and five on the floor – and unfortunately were were disappointed that we didn’t get any votes from the minority with the amount of input they had into crafting it,” Johnson said at a news conference on Friday.
The capital budget includes $68 million to K-12 and the University of Alaska for deferred maintenance and $50 million for infrastructure projects across the state, according to a news release from the Alaska Senate Majority.
“For many years, our capital budget has been bare bones without significant investment in infrastructure and deferred maintenance projects. With the slight uptick in revenue because of higher oil prices and prudent budgeting, the Senate was able to prioritize the state’s biggest capital needs within our financial capacity,” said Senator Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, who co-chairs the Senate Finance Committee.