The fate of the estimated $1,000 Permanent Fund Dividend cut could be decided on Friday.
That’s the day the House has invited the Senate to meet in Juneau to determine if they’ll override Gov. Bill Walker’s budget vetoes.
Walker vetoed $1.29 billion in spending. He also delayed $250 million in transportation projects.
House Majority Leader Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage, said if the Senate accepts the invitation, there could be override votes on each of the 41 separate items that Walker vetoed.
“Obviously, the Permanent Fund (dividend) and the oil tax credits and the education money and probably the school debt reimbursement are some of the ones that would rise to the top,” Millett said of items that could see overrides. “Those items are in the budget because someone had a constituency for it and it passed.”
The PFD cut was the biggest veto. It may also be the cut that the legislature is most likely to override. It’ll take three quarters of the legislature – 45 of the 60 lawmakers – to vote to reverse any of the items.
House Minority Leader Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, said there’s a lot of interest in overriding vetoes, but there may not be enough votes on any one item.
“I have a sense that there are desires to have veto overrides on all of the items that have been vetoed. And it’s going to be different groups of people that are going to support one thing over another thing,” Tuck said. “But I’m not sure if there’s going to be 45 votes.”
Friday is the constitutional deadline for overriding the vetoes.
