Alaska Gov. Parnell Calls Special Session After Budget Spat Between House, Senate

The Legislature and Gov. Sean Parnell turned to a special session late Sunday after lawmakers declared an impasse in budget negotiations.

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By Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Story Created: Apr 18, 2011 at 9:29 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Apr 18, 2011 at 9:29 AM AKDT

 Updated 12:15 a.m.

JUNEAU — The Legislature and Gov. Sean Parnell turned to a special session late Sunday after lawmakers declared an impasse in budget negotiations.

The impasse, declared simultaneously by representatives and senators, sidesteps a disagreement about whether lawmakers should meet beyond a voter-imposed 90-day limit. 

House Majority Leader Alan Austerman, R-Kodiak, said the Senate’s threat to work past that cap would “not respect the people’s wishes.” 

Parnell said he was “extremely disappointed” to rely on a special session and said the Senate failed to fulfill its role in the 

90 days allowed by voters. He said he’d “try to bring order out of chaos” by limiting the coming session, which is designed to last as long as 30 days, to 10 bills. 

Left unresolved is the annual $9 billion spending plan, which will cover statewide operations starting July 1. More contentious, legislators say, is the operating budget’s construction and capital grant counterpart budget, which currently stands at $2.9 billion. 

The House approved the declaration of impasse 33-7. 

Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, said the stalemate amounted to “blackmail” on the part of senators monopolizing the capital budget. 

“This is definitely a desperate action. I wouldn’t say desperate, but extraordinary,” Johnson said of the impasse vote.

The Senate’s bipartisan majority caucus immediately called a news conference after the House vote to say it had delivered its message of impasse to Parnell, this one over the $9 billion operating budget. Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, said the House’s representation dragged its feet through the budget negotiations But the conference committee’s chairman, Rep. Bill Thomas, said senators were trying to avoid blame for the impasse. 

The Senate has yet to share the capital budget with the House. Senators say they want to guard the integrity of the public budget-making process and craft the bill under their roof with input from both chambers.

Frustrated House leaders had threatened to simply adjourn, but the state’s constitution would have required representatives to reconvene within three days if the Senate kept working. 

The special session will also focus on education spending and the question of whether state aid for schools will keep up with inflation. Also on the agenda is a proposal for a state-built hydroelectric dam on the Susitna River and an extension to the state’s coastal management program. Parnell also asked lawmakers to complete work to fund his proposed performance-based scholarship program. 

Thomas said senators’ decision to limit participation by House financial co-chairmen in the capital budget’s creation amounted to the first time he remembered being “fired” from a position.

Contact staff writer Christopher Eshleman at 459-7582.

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Barb said on Monday, Apr 18 at 10:14 AM

What a sham. If you watch these farcical proceedings on TV, it is such a joke. And these clowns are paid to represent us? They should all be fired. Mike Chenault doesn't miss an opportunity to make a snide dig @ the voter mandated 90 day session. They have made it plain that they need more time to play because they have spent so much time on such meaning legislation as the state song, dog, horse, dog, cat, ad nauseum. The pressing issues of this state have been put on a back burner so they can stall and appear to need more time. Party on. Would that we could vote them out, but clowns like French and Huggins run unopposed as nobody wants to face the relentless state media machine who will trash anyone that is not their candidate. And legislators have said that it would be political suicide to try to effect meaningful legislation as the bulk of these crooks wuold squash it. Fire them. The voters are fed up.

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Alaska Ed said on Monday, Apr 18 at 10:36 AM

They have 90 days to ge the work done. If its not done, they shouldnt get paid & no special sessions.

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343LG said on Monday, Apr 18 at 11:02 AM

I talked to Gov Parnell at a recent Army deployment ceremony and it was apparent even then that the stonewall efforts by the do nothing senate was holding up business on everything from energy help for the Alaska public to simple council extensions. It all starts with the ballot box and voter apathy plus motivated unions which have assured us the budget impasse we now face. At least we have a governor and a couple of House members who are interested in ALL of the people of Alaska rather than their own selfish interest.

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