Here’s the text of the special session status update our House Majority Office produced:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA ADVISORY
DAY 25 SPECIAL SESSION STATUS UPDATE
Thursday, May 12, 2011, Juneau, Alaska – The Alaska House Majority Caucus is issuing daily status updates during the first special session of the 27th Alaska Legislature. Today is the 25th special session day.
Still at play among the 10 items listed on the governor’s special session proclamation are the FY2012 Capital Budget bills (HB107/SB46,) legislation addressing the Alaska Coastal Management Program (HB106,) and the governor’s proposed performance scholarship plan.
Work today included:
- The House Finance Committee held a brief hearing to roll out its committee substitute to the capital budget. A hearing on amendments has been scheduled for tomorrow.
- The Senate Finance Committee canceled a hearing on “bills previously heard/scheduled.” The committee still hold the two outstanding items on the special session proclamation – on ACMP and scholarships. Both were passed by the House during the regular session.
- Both the House and Senate held brief floor sessions as formalities, but had no new business to manage.
Governor Sean Parnell called the Legislature into a 30-day special session on April 18, a day after the lawmakers adjourned the 90-day regular session without passing operating and capital budgets, among other time-sensitive items.
Eight of the 10 bills on the special session proclamation were in the Senate’s possession at the close of the regular session. The FY2012 Statewide Operating Budget (HB108) and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Budget (HB109) were in a conference committee. The House and Senate approved five of the items on the governor’s proclamation within days. Two more bills – on ACMP and scholarships – have not left the Senate Finance Committee.
The House and Senate gave final approval to the statewide operating and mental health trust budgets on May 6. The Senate voted 13-3 to pass the capital budget to the House on May 10.
The House passed every measure on the governor’s special session proclamation during the regular session, except for the capital budget, which traditionally is first approved by the Senate.
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