What’s coming down the pipeline?
Session convenes tomorrow. As always, the budget will be key. It determines not just what happens this year, but also our financial future for years (or decades) to come. With temporarily higher oil prices and a lot of federal help, there's some cash on hand. We'll have to be careful not to blow through it all in one go.
I'm afraid it may be just enough money to delay the point of fiscal crisis by a year. That will make it tough to implement the new revenues Alaska needs for the long term.
There's a lot of federal funding for infrastructure this year, too. Alaska has huge major maintenance needs, and new opportunities, too. And since we couldn't spend the federal infrastructure dough on services even if we wanted to, you can look for us to put a lot of time into where and how we invest it.
I also expect a lot of conversation about election law. That ought to include fixing our campaign finance limits after a federal court threw out Alaska's voter-passed rules.
Beyond those, there's usually an issue or two that catches the legislature by surprise. I'd love to get your predictions. What should I be ready for?
