Session: State Capitol, Room 104 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-2199 Fax: (907) 465-4587 Interim: 10928 Eagle River Rd., Suite 140 Eagle River, AK 99577 Phone: (907) 694-6683 Fax: (907) 694-1015

House Mandates State Budget Prioritization
HB 349 Would Require Governor to Rank Spending Requests

(JUNEAU) - Faced with limited discretionary revenues and ever-expanding demands for state spending, the House today passed House Bill 349, which would require state departments to rank their budget requests in order of priority.

Rep. Fred Dyson (R-Eagle River) sponsored the bill as an effort to bring the state the benefits of a budget prioritization process Gov. Tony Knowles used to good effect during his time as mayor of Anchorage, which overlapped Dyson's six years on the Anchorage Assembly.

"This bill asks the administration to present our budgets in a ranked order of priority so we can see what the people actually doing the work and serving the citizens see as the most important and less important functions of government within their department," Dyson said.

"We're asking them to give us the benefit of their experience so we're better equipped to make independent judgments as we approach the business of deciding what government will do and at what level," he said.

Dyson, a long-time advocate for holding down the cost of state government, said HB 349 is an important tool in helping Alaskans decide among the many services the state offers. As the state faces the prospect of reduced general fund spending, these priorities will help citizens consider whether they value the services enough to pay taxes or fees to support them, he added.

The budget priorities required in HB 349 would complement, but not replace, the Republican-led Majority's' "Missions and Measures" initiative. Budget priorities are a policy tool to help lawmakers establish the most important functions of government, while Missions and Measures is an accountability tool to give lawmakers clear evidence as to how well the departments are achieving those functions.

HB 349 moves next to the Senate.

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