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The House passed a non-binding resolution Wednesday calling for a 14-month stay on a court decision that blocked public funds from being used for private school tuition.
Rep. Andrew Gray, an Anchorage Democrat and the author of the proposal, says he will introduce a revised and updated version.
The funding boost for solar comes as legislators try to address a looming shortfall of Cook Inlet gas.
An amendment from Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, would lower the age for obtaining behavioral health care to 16.
The program, if approved, would target smaller companies than those that won a share of more than $100 million in salmon and pollock purchases by the federal government earlier this year.
The bipartisan 32-8 vote sends House Bill 50, backed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, to the Senate for further work.
The governor floated an “education dividend” to replace correspondence program allotments.
The state owes $17.5 million to four school districts after not adequately funding them during the COVID-19 pandemic, the feds said.
An amended bill would add elementary, middle school and collegiate sports to limits in place for high school.
Over 20,000 correspondence students in Alaska could see significant changes to their education under the ruling late Friday.
The operating and capital budgets were exchanged in the second-floor hallway of the state Capitol to a large crowd of legislators and staff.
The proposed amendment needed 27 votes to advance to the Senate. It fell five votes short.
Taking into account other bills that are expected to pass along with the capital budget, the House’s spending plan was expected to be at least $276 million in deficit.
The bill, approved by the Senate on Thursday, heads next to Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Pending state bills are supported by earthquake experts and homebuilding organizations, but they have also generated skepticism.
The Dunleavy administration introduced the bill after extended protests in the Lower 48 and Europe have blocked roadways.
Another amendment would give school districts $9 million to fund reading programs for K-3 students.
The bill has cleared its first hurdle with less than 6 weeks left in the legislative session.
The funding could provide shelter to 200 people through the summer.
The bill passed in a 28-12 vote and now returns to the Senate for a concurrence vote
The $12.3 billion spending plan includes funding for Permanent Fund dividend of more than $2,700, but lawmakers expect changes
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, said the idea would ‘blow up the Alaska health care system.’
The House considered more than a dozen amendments to the bill in a contentious three-hour floor debate.