Alaska's Senate Budget: $1K PFD, $150 Energy Check

0:00It's April 24th. This is Anchorage News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Alaska's Senate Finance Committee just dropped their draft operating budget for next fiscal year, featuring a $1,000 permanent fund. Dividend for every eligible resident, plus a $150 energy relief check. They're playing its safe amidst shaky oil price forecasts tied to global tensions, basing it on $73 per barrel, which wipes out the deficit, unlike the House version. This draft slashes nearly $450 million from the House proposal, ditching their $158 million one-time, boost for K-12 schools. Instead, it ties up to $100 million for education to oil hitting $95 a barrel through June 30th. Meanwhile, it ramps up disaster relief to $48 million in fire suppression to about $61 million. Senators like Jesse Keele from Juno stressed the need to prioritize, saying the state can't

1:00fund everything despite a projected $500 million. Daughter revenue bump. Mike Cronk, the minority leader, backs the conservative oil estimate to dodge massive supplemental budgets later, focusing cash on schools, renewables, and maintenance over expanding programs. They've also added $29 million for school districts and $20 million for communities to fight rising fuel costs, plus $30 million for assistance programs, and boost to retirement funds. A quick audit of corrections costs get $650,000 to, as that department's spending has exploded. The Bay continues in committee with more tweaks due Friday. Then it heads to the full Senate, keeping eyes on oil and how this balances Alaska's no-tax. Science on the Permanent Fund and Petroleum Cash.