"Alaska budget"

The budget signed Friday provides for a Permanent Fund dividend of roughly $1,718 per Alaskan.

Education, energy, crime, elections and the state budget are marked for special attention, members of the House and Senate say.

The Senate’s operating budget chair, Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, said the state has been “blessed” the last couple of years by high oil prices. But Stedman warned that high prices won’t last forever.

In past years, legislators have spent from savings to expand their options. This year, lawmakers say, there’s not enough support for that option.

The $12.3 billion spending plan includes funding for Permanent Fund dividend of more than $2,700, but lawmakers expect changes.

Committee votes to increase public radio funding, cut gas pipeline salaries and add money for a youth detox program.

Support for an override is short of the 40 votes needed to call a special session, and shy of the 45 needed for an override.

The Energy Information Administration has raised its estimates for oil prices in the second half of this year and in 2024.

The state Senate is planning to present a take-it-or-leave-it budget option to the House on Wednesday.

State lawmakers have just five days remaining in this legislative session, and there’s still no budget deal between the House and Senate.