Ferry system now fully funded through June 30

Alaska Marine Highway Ferry

A fast track supplemental appropriations bill signed into law on March 27 includes $24 million to fully fund the Alaska Marine Highway System through June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

Those funds, included in House Bill 321, are part of a $110.2 package, of which $92 million is from unrestricted general funds.

Last year’s budget included $30 million for AMHS operations, of which they only actually received $6.1 million. HB 321 restores the initial appropriation.

Other major items in the bill include $45 million for the Medicaid program to cover provider costs through April, $18.3 million for the Department of Corrections to cover higher than anticipated numbers of inmates and inmate health care costs, $30 million for the Community Assistance Fund for distribution in FY 19, transfers $4 million to the Alaska Disaster Relief Fund, and $5 million for the Alaska Permanent Fund to pay for increased investment management related to recent growth to the fund.

This fast-track supplemental was made possible through cooperation by the House and Senate to address urgent funding needs and shared priorities from the FY 18 supplemental budget requests, according to Rep. Paul Seaton, R- Homer, and co-chair of the House Finance Committee. “This bill bridges budget gaps to keep ferries running, prisons operating, and doctors being paid. The remaining supplemental requests from the Governor are still being analyzed and will be considered for inclusion in the capital budget, as has been the case in recent years,” Seaton said.

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