Veto overrides fail by eight votes

JUNEAU — At a joint meeting of the House and Senate to consider overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s vetoes of School Bond Debt Reimbursement, the Alaska Marine Highway System and regional educational attendance areas, both bodies were unable to reach the 45 votes necessary to override Dunleavy’s vetoes.

Sen. David Wilson was excused, but all eight present Valley legislators voted against overriding the vetoes. Rep. Mark Neuman (R-Big Lake) stated on the House floor where the joint meeting was held that he had empathy for coastal communities and that the Mat-Su Borough School District has told Valley legislators that they can get by without the $9 million cut to SBDR funding.

“I feel that we’re taking the people’s money, the PFD money to fund more government and I think that that’s wrong,” said Neuman. “I will support the people in my district who know and work very hard, 34,000 who drive down the Glenn Highway every day just to go to work to support their families to earn the money to be able to pay for their schools.”

Some legislators opposing the override of vetoes mentioned that school districts across the state have $500 million in monies sitting in bank accounts ready to be spent. At a joint meeting of the Mat-Su Borough School District School Board and Mat-Su Borough Assembly, Mayor Vern Halter pushed for the 70/30 split of SBDR.

“I’m not going to concede as mayor that we should not be at 70/30,” said Halter. “I think he conceded that it was a mistake. He regrets doing that. I guess I’m hopeful Governor Dunleavy will see it the same way.”

The 37-20 vote came after three hours of debate on the House floor by nearly every elected official. Representing south Anchorage, Rep. Chuck Kopp (R-Anchorage) said that shifting the burden of SBDR does not eliminate that cost.

“I see us surviving the three items that face us before today on the question of veto as being representative of really kind of how the budget came before this body, which was really not put together with collaboration of Alaska as a whole,” said Kopp. the connectedness of our state has become very transparent over the last year.”

Legislators had five days from the start of the second half of the 31st legislature to vote on an override of Dunleavy’s vetoes. Just prior to the vote, Rep. David Eastman (R-Wasilla) was displeased that the veto override was not put on the agenda yesterday. Sen. Shelley Hughes (R-Palmer) mentioned fiscal conservatives recently elected to the school board as a sign that the override of the SBDR veto was unnecessary.

“We’ve had recent conversations with our assembly we do have reserves to cover it this year it will not diminish and make it a problem as far as the fund balance,” said Hughes.

Hughes mentioned her constituents that have told her they would prefer to see the state budget shrink

“When I look at where we are fiscally, I am going to vote on behalf of my district who wants the state budget reduced,” said Hughes.

During last year’s budget process, the Assembly voted to set aside another $9 million previously earmarked for school maintenance in anticipation that SBDR would be reused for a second time.

“Most likely (the governor) will veto out again that $9.2 million, so I think most likely we’re going to be where we are no matter what,” said Moosey in August. “If we get more, we have a plan in place to make a smart decision on the rebate if it occurs.”

The joint session gaveled out after the vote. Dunleavy will give his state of the state speech Monday at 7 p.m. In a statement released by the House Minority following the vote on veto overrides, Minority Leader Lance Pruitt (R-Anchorage) said that Senate President Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (N-Dillingham) knew that 45 votes would not be cast in favor of overriding Dunleavy’s vetoes and pursued the vote anyway.

“Today’s vote was about nothing more than creating material to use against other members in the next election cycle,” said Pruitt. “We have several members who have been working closely with the Governor’s office to find solutions to both our immediate and long-term challenges for the Alaska Marine Highway System and SBDR. Voting yes on veto overrides today would have undermined progress made in those negotiations. I’m happy that the voices of Alaskans were heard today, through the sea of deception and dishonesty that was created by a few individuals for partisan political purposes.”