Anchorage -- Senator Rick Halford (R-Chugiak), Senate President-elect of the Twenty-Second Alaska State Legislature, responded Friday to Governor Tony Knowles’ proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2002. The governor’s budget would increase general fund spending by more than $145 million over the FY2001 budget.

“We all recognize the need for a balanced budget,” said Halford. “The governor claims to be exercising ‘strong budget discipline.’ This level of increase in the face of future deficits is not strong budget discipline to me.”

“The governor’s spending proposals have never shown much regard for the amount of money the state has to spend,” Halford said. “If we had approved the governor’s proposals for the last five years, the future deficit would have been $700 million more than it already is.”