Alaska lawmakers pass state capital budget

By BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Legislature has passed a state capital budget during a one-day special session.

Lawmakers announced a compromise had been reached before convening Thursday in Juneau. Some minority House Republicans criticized the process as rushed and lacking in openness.

The measure includes $20 million for oil and gas tax credits, which would bring the total for credit payouts to $77 million this year, the statutory minimum.

It has another $7 million for a replacement school for rural Kivalina. It also includes $8 million for community assistance, which would bring that program’s funding to $38 million.
Federal dollars pay for most of the budget package.

Passage comes three months behind schedule. The capital budget had been a casualty of legislative bickering over the best way to address the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit.

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