Wednesday, May 22, 2013
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Capitol Meltdown Triggers Special SessionOne legislative session ended last night and another began this afternoon, as a Capitol meltdown triggered unprecedented procedural moves.One legislative session ended last night and another began this afternoon, as a Capitol meltdown triggered unprecedented procedural moves. With the House and Senate at odds on operating and capital budgets, Governor Parnell invoked a previously unused section of the constitution, adjourning the regular session on its 90th and final day, and then calling a special session that gaveled in after 1 p.m. today. The constitution allows the governor to end a legislative session when the House and Senate cannot agree on the date for adjournment, and at least one of them formally declares an impasse.
That happened just over an hour ahead of the 90-day session limit put in place by voters in 2006.
As the senate held on to a massive public works budget of about $3 billion, a largely frustrated House of Representatives voted 33-to-7 for a resolution asking Governor Sean Parnell to adjourn the legislature on the evening of the 90th and final day of the regular session.
The Senate bipartisan majority expressed the same request in a letter to the governor, who acted at 10:48 p.m.
The blame game began immediately, with house members complaining about so-called triggers in the capital budget bill designed to dissuade the governor from using his line-item veto authority.
"We don't feel that it is our responsibility to tie the hands of the governor, as they do," said House Speaker Mike Chenault.
Senate leaders said it was the House that was refusing to cooperate with the one constitutional imperative of any session -- to pass an operating budget.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman said, "Consistently I've asked that we try to address the operating budget in a timely manner and each time they said where's the capital budget, where's the capital budget."
The governor, whose oil tax cut bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate, left no doubt whose side he is on:
"The House has fully vetted, debated, and boldly stepped forward on issues important to alaska’s economy and her families, including taking actions to provide more oil production as the lifeline of our economy and security for the future. Obviously I'm extremely disappointed to be here, Day 90."
Under the governor's proclamation for a special session, the number of bills available for legislative action dropped from 438 to just 10, including the capital and operating budgets, allowing legislators to focus.
Lawmakers have up to 30 days to resolve the differences that caused them to miss the deadline imposed by voters.
A few legislators assigned the governor some responsibility for the mess, saying his veto threat after the oil tax cut bill stalled prompted the controversial amendments in the capital budget intended to put his favored projects in limbo, while forcing him to veto numerous energy projects if he vetoes any.
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b said on Monday, Apr 18 at 7:30 PM
wow they are bitchin about their raises and perks!
65230362b said on Monday, Apr 18 at 7:49 PM
I have a thought , Kick the Feds out of this State! Let this state GROW on it's own and it can! Hey old timers of Alaska since the feds came in here like wildfires was it better? Heck by now china, more then likey owns this state thanks to the FEDS! Feds turned this State into a lame duck like all their programs
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