Alaska legislators’ to-do list is largely unchanged from four months ago, with the budget, oil tax credits and plans to address a multibillion-dollar budget deficit unresolved as they head into a special session.
While lawmakers passed several large bills dealing with issues like Medicaid and the criminal justice system in the regular session that ended just before midnight Wednesday, they couldn’t come to terms on the priority budget and revenue bills.
Lawmakers faced a constitutional meeting deadline Wednesday and had an option to extend an already over-long regular session by up to 10 days. But the House and Senate could not agree on extending themselves and adjourned, inviting a special session from Gov. Bill Walker.
House Minority Leader Chris Tuck said his Democratic-led caucus determined the best move would be going into a special session, where the focus would be narrowed to select bills.
