Members of the Alaska House Coalition are urging a special session of the Legislature to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s vetoes on education, childcare, workforce development and other items approved during the legislative session.
The coalition made a formal request to Republican Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton on Monday, urging her to take an official poll of the House to determine whether to call for the special session.
They noted that state statues call for the Speaker of the House must initiate a poll upon the request of 25% of the members of the House. Then if two-thirds of the House and Senate agree, a special session must be convened, they said.
“Despite the hard work put forward by the Legislature to pass a balanced budget that made critical investments in education, childcare, workforce development, and in senior care, the governor has decided to veto these responsible investments and cut education funding to an amount that will force class sizes to grow, teachers to struggle, and school districts to consider drastic options including shortening the school week,” said Minority Leader Calvin Schrage, NA-Anchorage.
“When education and Head Start get cut during the implementation of the Alaska Reads Act, it makes me question whether this administration is truly concerned about student reading and academic success for all children,” said Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau.
